The Bride Was Her Own Wedding Planner for a Celebration of Southern and Nigerian Traditions

The bride planned the wedding herself, knowing that her creative drive and type-A personality would be perfectly suited for the job. “Honestly, I knew I would have helicoptered over anyone I hired, so I decided to go it alone,” Pepi laughs. “For over a year, I dreamed up every element. From the crest on our stationery to the floral palette, the pacing of the weekend, and the colors and fabrics for the Nigerian outfits, every detail was chosen with intention. Most days, I was like a mad scientist in my cave, fully consumed with planning, and Zach would slide food and drinks over to me from the door like I was on lockdown. We still laugh about it.” Since Pepi was aware she would need a partner when the wedding arrived, she hired coordinator Emma Claudio to help with the final details—and to run the show over the weekend. “She helped refine some of the design elements, took the reins on logistics, and made sure the entire weekend flowed beautifully,” says Pepi. “It was such a gift to hand over the pieces I had built to someone who genuinely cared.”

As the couple was planning for both a Nigerian and Western wedding, they had to put extra time into crafting their fashion looks for each event. For the Nigerian ceremony, the couple each wore two looks representing Pepi’s shared Yoruba and Igbo backgrounds. “In Nigeria, tradition says a child is from their father's village, which makes me Yoruba,” she explains. “But my mother has been such a central force in my life, and has shared the beauty of Igbo culture with me for as long as I can remember. It was deeply important to me that I celebrate her heritage as well.”

For their Yoruba looks, both Pepi and Zach wore custom designs by Tabik. ”My aunty in Nigeria had already created a custom aṣọ oke fabric in shades of aquamarine and coral for Zach and I, and we sent it to Tabik with full trust,” says the bride. “I had no idea what the final design would look like until just before the wedding. When I saw it, I was blown away.” The pattern on the fabric was inspired by a jigsaw puzzle as a symbol of finding your missing piece in love. “The patterns in the fabric became symbolic, representing connection, alignment, and wholeness,” says Pepi. “It felt poetic and we looked like we belonged together.” The bride wore an off-the-shoulder gown in the fabric paired with a blue gele and coral beads by Nene Cheap Replica Handbags & Craft, while the groom wore a full Yoruba agbada. “We felt like royalty, styled with heart,” says Pepi.

For her Igbo look, the bride worked with Los Angeles–based Nigerian designer Anit Cuts to create a lime green and red george wrapper and blouse adorned with gold embroidery and rhinestone details. She paired the look with a coral updo and a golden fan. “I was also incredibly blessed to have my stylist and friend Venetia Kidd by my side throughout the weekend,” Pepi adds. “I’ll never forget how focused she was on getting me dressed for the ceremony that she didn’t even have time to do her own hair, makeup, or change. She watched the entire ceremony in basketball shorts, a white tank, and a scarf tied around her head. I love her so much for that. What a rider.”

For her Saturday wedding, the bride knew she wanted to wear Ines Di Santo. “I reached out to her team, and to my surprise, that old saying ‘what you seek is also seeking you’ proved to be true. They welcomed me with open arms and guided me through every step of creating my custom gown with such grace and generosity,” she says. Pepi met the designer herself during New York Bridal Fashion Week. “She embraced me like a mother, whispering gentle wisdom throughout our time together: ‘Remember to always be happy. Make the choice,’” remembers Pepi. “At the time, I smiled and nodded. But in the final days leading up to the wedding, those words echoed in my spirit.”

The bride would end up wearing three looks over the course of the day—all by the designer. "My vision always began with the ceremony dress and built from there," she says. “I knew I wanted something romantic, ethereal, and unapologetically feminine—but with a quiet edge.” She decided on a gown called Marietta with a corseted bodice, voluminous skirt, and hand-placed flower petals. “It reminded me of a 1950s starlet gliding across a screen. When I walked down the aisle, I felt like a floating garden,” says Pepi. “I paired the gown with Freya Rose shoes and bag, jewelry by Brilliant Earth, and a soft, dewy makeup look by my friend and artist Bobbie Riley.”

Her second look was a shimmering fringe dress that the bride describes as “sleek, playful, and ready for dancing.” She first spotted (and tried on) the design at Ines Di Santo’s runway show last year. “They had snuck me back there and let me run wild, and when I saw it, I immediately said, ‘That’s my second dress!’” Pepi says. Later in the night, she swapped her look for a mini version of the dress. “Almost like I had slipped away and casually cut the gown in half,” she jokes.

For the wedding day, the groom wore a Brooks Brothers look with an ivory dinner jacket, a black bow tie, and black trousers that he paired with patent leather loafers by Allen Edmonds. In the evening, Zach changed into velvet Magnanni loafers. “He looked timeless and elegant—exactly like the man I dreamed of marrying,” says Pepi.

The wedding party was also decked out to head down the aisle. The groomsmen all wore tuxedos by SuitShop, while the bridesmaids wore Jenny Yoo dresses in soft tones of blues, peaches, yellows, and blush. “Together, they created the dreamiest, ethereal palette,” notes Pepi. The three flower girls—Pepi’s cousin and Zach’s two nieces—wore Tulleen from head to toe. “We also had three ring bearers, but two of them got stage fright and couldn’t stop crying. In the end, one brave little soldier walked down the aisle in the tiniest SuitShop suit,” says the bride. “It was absolutely perfect.”

The wedding day arrived, and the couple spent the morning with their closest circles as they got ready. There was one small hiccup though. The to-be-weds had written their vows but didn’t have their vow books arrive in time to handwrite them in. “On the morning of the wedding, Zach and I texted them to my cousins, who quickly scribbled them in by hand while I was getting my hair done. It felt a little chaotic in the moment, but now we laugh about it,” says Pepi. “The love was there. The words were ours. The ink drying was just part of the story.”

Guests took their seats on a hilltop on the Nichols Heir property before Zach walked down the aisle to “All My Life” by K-Ci and JoJo. Pepi followed to the song “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. The couple notes that everything fell away as they recited their vows. “It was just the two of us, standing in our truth, speaking the words that would carry us forward,” says the bride.

“I felt very happy and proud of what we accomplished, and how beautiful my wife was, as well as how excited and happy all of our families were,” Zach adds.

They finished the ceremony by jumping the broom, an African-American tradition with a deep history. “As we leapt, hand in hand, it felt like our love was tethered not only to each other but to a long line of ancestors who brought us here,” says Pepi. “It was quiet, sacred, and grounding. It took all the joy and anchored it in something eternal.” The couple recessed under a shower of flower petals thrown by their guests as they went to spend a moment to take everything in alone.

There was also one more thing to celebrate at the wedding: clear skies. “On the day itself, we were all up on the mountain, umbrellas prepped and ready. The air felt thick with nerves, and everyone was watching the sky, convinced the rain was closing in,” says the bride. “But no; everything held. We stood together, said our vows, and not a single drop fell. It was completely dry and absolutely wonderful.” After the ceremony, a rainbow even appeared.

At the reception, the couple shared their first dance. While the newlyweds had practiced choreography, they decided to wing it. “In the end, we danced through the parts I remembered, and when the choreography dropped out of my head, we just flowed together and made it our own,” says Pepi. “It turned out even better than perfect. It was a moment of teamwork, compromise, and laughter... exactly how we move through life together.”

The couple describes the rest of the night was a blur of hugs, toasts, and plenty of dancing. The guests were later shuttled to a bar down the road for the after-party. “We changed into our custom wedding sneakers, kicked the party off with a game of musical chairs, and danced until 3 a.m.,” says the bride.

Reflecting on the weekend, the couple is quick to express the deep gratitude they feel for the circle of friends who joined them for this special moment—as well as their relief to be finished with the planning process. “We were also really excited to return to being just us…on the couch, watching Netflix, no deadlines, no spreadsheets,” says Pepi. “My cousin’s wedding is next, so I’m also thrilled for the family spotlight to shift onto her as she becomes the new Iyawo.”