Inside Olympian Anna Hall and NFL Player Darius Slayton’s Wedding at Oheka Castle

Anna also found herself drawn to refined and simple jewelry. “I wanted to subtly elevate my look but not distract from it,” she explains. “I actually brought a few different earrings and two necklace options, and had my sisters and bridesmaids help me pick them on the day.”

For beauty, Anna knew she wanted to feel like herself, and she felt strongly about wearing her hair down. “In sports, which is 95% of my life, I always have it up, so having it down felt so fun and feminine,” she says. “For makeup, I wanted to be as natural as possible. I wanted my skin to still look like skin and to look like me.”

Darius opted for a classic look, with a custom tux by his “go-to suit lady” Johanna at Alba Legacy, who has dressed him for several events over the years.

The ceremony began with a hymn sung by Darius’s favorite gospel singer, Jekalyn Carr. “Guests were invited to stand and sing along with her and us,” he recalls. “It was a really powerful way to open the ceremony.” Following the hymn, the couple’s officiant and friend Andre Levrone reflected on the importance of marriage. “He involved the guests by asking them if they promised to speak life into us, encourage us, and build our marriage up, to which the crowd responded, ‘We do!’” Anna says. “That was so special for Darius and I to hear and know that every person in attendance was a part of our village as we took the next step.”

The couple exchanged personal vows, traditional vows, and rings. Their immediate families were invited up to the altar to hold hands with them and pray over them, and Jekalyn sang “The Blessing,” which is a prayer over future generations. “That was a tearful and powerful moment with our families,” Anna says. Everyone took their seats again to see Andre pronounce them husband and wife. “We had our first kiss and smiled the whole way back up the aisle.”

“During the ceremony, I felt a little bit of nerves,” Darius admits. “But at the same time, standing up there with your person brings an almost ethereal peace.”

After the ceremony, everyone headed back into the castle library, and the newlyweds shared a little time alone. “We got to take the moment in and hug each other,” Anna says. A table was set with two of each cocktail hour appetizer and their signature drinks: a Shirley Temple and Strawberry Lemonade. Pictures were taken in the lush garden, and they enjoyed building up their energy together before rejoining everyone for the reception.

It was important to the couple that they weaved personal touches through their wedding reception, like with their seating chart and “love wall.” As Anna explains, “We gathered the wedding photos of every married guest attending and framed them on a wall. I tried to find as many as I could on social media so it would be a surprise! The best part of the wedding planning was finding small ways like that to honor our loved ones.”

“Looking back now, it truly feels like a dream,” Darius affirms. “It is hard to believe something like that was real, but it was, and it feels incredible to know that I was a part of something so special before God and family.”