The Bride and Groom Held Two African Ceremonies—And a Sunny Sunday Wedding—In the Arizona Desert

Ahead of their big day, the couple would also have two traditional African ceremonies as a nod to their roots in August 2025. “We spent a weekend on the East Coast doing our traditional Ghanaian ayefro in New Jersey and Ethiopian melse in Philly,” explains Brianna. “Each ceremony had its own dedicated day filled with cultural traditions, processes, gifts, clothing, food, family, friends, and music. We wanted to honor our parents by doing these ceremonies, and they were able to invite all of their friends to these.” The couple got started early to book out their venue and other major vendors for the Arizona wedding so they could pivot and dedicate time to planning these events. The last few months were spent executing the rest of their ideas to make their dream wedding come to life.

Brianna spotted her wedding dress designer, Ellie Misner, on Instagram before they even booked the venue. “I loved how she highlighted women’s bodies, and there was a vintage, yet modern and clean vibe from her that I really loved,” describes the bride. Since Misner is based in London, she would have to venture across the pond for a custom dress appointment. Brianna decided to plan a vacation to visit her sister in Amsterdam and tie in a short day trip to visit her studio. “Since I knew I probably only had one time to meet with Ellie, I did a lot of online research and tried on at shops in LA to make sure the styles and shapes I thought I liked in theory actually looked good on me in real life,” says Brianna. “The vibe at the fitting confirmed to me that I made the right decision and she was going to kill it!” Misner sketched out a strapless, corseted style, chose fabrics and color, and took the bride’s measurements to begin the process. Adds Brianna, “A few months later, my dress was ready,” and two friends helped her deliver the final product back to her in Los Angeles.

To accessorize, Brianna wanted to find a pair of metallic shoes she could wear the entire night. “I landed on a pair of silver Jimmy Choo Bing 100 mules that were way more comfortable than they sound and I loved them so much,” she says. Finding the right earrings for the look proved to be a little more tricky—but on the week of the wedding, Brianna walked into the Swarovski store while doing last-minute errands at the mall with Ermias. “They had these beautiful dangly earrings with multiple green stones,” describes Brianna. Since her engagement ring was an emerald, she loved the idea of wearing green elsewhere. “Erm walked into the store as I tried them on but he made me think he didn’t like them,” she says. “But, he actually tricked me so he could later go back and buy them for me as a gift.”

For beauty, the bride wanted to stick true to her style. “My friend Dawn, the Hair Nutritionist, has been doing my hair for over a decade and to be honest I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing my hair on such a special day,” she shares. Brianna has always loved fun, colorful makeup, so she wanted to do something nontraditional for her look. “I actually used to wear glitter eyeshadow and colored eyeliner before Euphoria came out,” she jokes. “Doing a ton of IG and TikTok research, I came across the page of Cassandra aka Facegod and her makeup was unlike anything I had ever seen. I did a trial with her when we were in town for some wedding planning and I was sold.”

Ermias turned to his favorite business and style icon Pharrell when looking for his own wedding style. “I was inspired by Pharrell’s tux he wore at the historical Vatican performance and me and Bri agreed that was the look,” he shares. “I reached out to a friend of mine, Ini Ikpe, who is a stylist to athletes and celebrities to ask for advice on how to get that look made. He surprised me by graciously offering to style me for the wedding free of charge.” He adds, “What a guy!” Ikpe had Ermias work with Ayodeji at King & Maker Tailor to craft the ensmeble. “A couple of weeks later, my Skateboard P-inspired tux was delivered and the rest…well, take a look yourself!”

Since the couple would have large wedding parties featuring their closest circle, they also needed to find them ensembles to wear to the celebration. Both parties kept it chic in black and white. The bridesmaid chose black and white dresses from Because of Alice and black blazers from Naked Wardrobe, while the groomsmen wore peak-lapel tuxedos from The Black Tux. “Simple. Elegant. Timeless,” notes Ermias.

With the wedding on a Sunday, the weekend was filled with events leading up to the ceremony. The couple held an intimate rehearsal dinner, a bridal shower, a welcome party, and even pre-wedding yoga with a beautiful mountain backdrop. The wedding day arrived and the couple was excited to see it was a beautiful 75-degree day. “Before I walked down the aisle I was nervous, but just before they opened the doors I saw a butterfly and felt a sense of calm,” remembers Brianna. The bride and groom each walked down the aisle as their friend, harpist Madison Calley, played. “Our friends and family in the audience cheered and applauded, really setting the tone,” says Brianna. Ermias remembers that when she began down the aisle, “the sun rays from the door were creating a heavenly path in the center aisle for her to to walk down.” The bride’s aunt Jennifer Effah officiated the ceremony and the couple exchanged personal vows they wrote earlier that day. “Luckily my best man had secretly slid my handkerchief into my tux pocket because I was weeping,” says Ermias of reciting his vows. After the ceremony, the couple was ready to have fun. “I was giddy, excited, and ready to rock and roll,” says the bride.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds signed their marriage license and took portraits with their photographer, Liz Rudman. “The wedding attendees enjoyed cocktail hour and all went down into the desert area to take photos by the beautiful cacti that were on the venue grounds and near our photo backdrop,” says Brianna. Then, it was time for the reception, which the couple tasked Ermias’s cousin Menelik with MC-ing. “But we may have underestimated his hosting abilities because he was even better than we expected,” says Brianna. “Before we even got into the reception building, we heard all of the laughter and cheering—it was like being at a filming of SNL.”

The couple did entrances with their wedding parties and the night began to flow. “Our goal for the reception was to be able to maximize partying time, so that we did,” says the bride. Guests enjoyed Ghanaian and Ethiopian dishes, as the three best men and maids of honor gave speeches. Then, the bride and groom did dances with their mothers, their first dance to “Her” by Majid Jordan, and choreographed dances with their wedding parties. The floor opened up to all guests for the rest of the night as DJ Yonas Michael spinned the perfect partying soundtrack.

The celebrations didn’t stop until long after the actual wedding ended. “I think it was 3 a.m. and we were heading back from the club and some folks wanted to do something else,” remembers Ermias. “My response: I can’t ask God for more from this day. It would be gluttonous. Just the perfect day.” Adds Brianna, “Literally, it was the best day of our lives.”