Danielle Brooks Got Married And Her Wedding Was Featured In Vogue
Danielle Brooks got married! The star of Orange is the New Black and The Color Purple on Broadway got hitched to her partner of over four years, Dennis Gelin. The Brooklyn-based couple opted for a destination wedding in Miami, and the event was covered by Vogue. Danielle and Dennis’ 2-year-old daughter, Freeya, had the very important job of flower girl, and, according to reports, she was very, very cute.
Danielle wore two wedding dresses. The first one was designed by bestie Christian Siriano, and she wore it to take photos before the wedding because she didn’t want to hold her guests up after the ceremony (THANK YOU). Christian designed a three-in-one dress that went from princess gown, body-con dress, to a pants look that Danielle could wear later on the dance floor:
Then Danielle walked down the aisle in a dress by Alonuko. She said it was important for her to “highlight a Black designer”, via Vogue:
“I feel like when it comes to the wedding process, Black creatives aren’t highlighted enough. Alonuko gave me the dress of my dreams. She flew all the way from London to make sure it arrived. I knew I wanted her one-of-a-kind, flesh-toned mesh with custom embroidery and a big huge skirt. Wearing her dress made me want to get married every day, I loved it so much.”
Here’s the dress, which really is spectacular:
The wedding was officiated by Danielle and Dennis’ hometown pastor, and Broadway performers Jeremy Pope and Amber Iman sang as they walked down the aisle:
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the building,” Danielle says. During the service, the couple performed a wax seal ceremony, where they melted wax and sealed love letters that they’ll open at their one-year anniversary. “We cried the ugly cry, and laughed hard,” Danielle says. “Dennis and I did our personal handshake and jumped the broom in honor of our ancestors. It was definitely a night to remember.”
The theme for the reception was “Chocolate Love”, and wedding planner Darryl Moore wanted to make guests feel like they were “dining in a box of Godiva chocolates” with a decor of jewel tones and gold:
Obviously, Omicron is terrorizing America, but Danielle felt “It was a bit too late in the process to turn back” So she added extra precautions, requiring all guests to arrive with a negative PCR test and do another rapid test on the day of the wedding. She says:
“The party was lit and everyone felt safe because of our COVID measures. We ate phenomenal cake and drank tequila until it literally ran out at the bar. You could feel that after two years of being in a pandemic we all yearned for moments to create memories together, and we are glad we could provide that. The room was flowing with love, joy, and togetherness.”
Vogue has tons of photos and the couple’s “meet cute” story, but let’s cut the shit. There’s only one reason you’re here, and it’s to bow down at the altar of Freeya Gelin, flower girl extraordinaire:
Little Freeyah clearly had ZERO qualms about stealing the show on her parents’ big day. To be fair, it’s kinda Danielle’s fault for producing a daughter that cute. Next time, think these things through!