When Chicago residents Curtis and Danielle first crossed paths on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia in the fall of 2015, they were students. Curtis was studying directing, and Danielle was pursuing a business degree. They couldn’t have realized then that their journey to become college sweethearts would lead them down the aisle, but they did know that they wanted something deeper out of a partner than the usual hookups and short-term romances that are often a part of the collegiate lifestyle.
“We both desired to genuinely be seen and understood by someone curious enough to peel back our layers,” Danielle tells ESSENCE. “We allowed ourselves to fall like the kind of love you see in the movies, and from that moment forward, we cast each other in the lead roles of this thing we call life.”
For Curtis, he would soon realize that she was someone he needed because she brought him a sense of calm that he hadn’t experienced before. “Whenever I heard people say, you’ll know when you meet the one, it felt like watching the cliffhanger of your favorite show. I was always waiting for this magic moment, but instead, the feeling I was looking for was peace,” he says. “Danielle’s light made me realize love for me was more than a feeling; it was an adventure. Her smile gave me a peace that made me want to live a long life and wake up every morning to see it again.”
And so, in the fall of 2021, Curtis took the step to make Danielle’s smile a part of his every day, indefinitely. It was such a big step that it only felt right to propose to his love in an extravagant way, doing so during a baecation to Ireland.
“I had been planning the proposal for some time and was getting Danielle’s ring made in Chicago for months, and keeping that secret up was definitely a task. Aside from knowing I wanted to make Danielle a unique ring that captured the beauty of our love, I also wanted the way I asked her to spend the rest of our lives together to have the same level of gravity,” he says. The ring was made by Atiya Khan & Coco. “So, like the princess in the movies, I thought to myself, why not ask Danielle to be my wife in a castle fit for dreams?”
After driving through a storm, as thematic as can be, they made it to a castle on the cliffs of Belfast where Curtis asked Danielle to marry him. She emphatically said yes.
“When we first started dating, I had this saying: ‘Why can’t you have what they have in the movies?'” he recalls. “That sentiment set the foundation for the magic and intention of our relationship. To this day, I’m still committed to that promise.”
It only made sense that the couple married in grand fashion as well. On August 20, 2023, at The Red Earth Venue in Moab, Utah, a property with full-length windows, the college sweethearts became husband and wife. Surrounded by red rocks and the love of their family and friends, and dressed in distinctive ensembles (including a custom look from Bode for the groom and William Okpo for the wedding party), their love entered its next chapter. And as they approach their one-year anniversary, almost nine years after they met on campus, they’re still delighting in being the leading lady and man in each other’s life story.
“We’ve faced challenges and celebrated triumphs together, and through it all, our love has only grown stronger,” Danielle says. “There’s something extraordinary about knowing you have your best friend by your side, no matter what life throws your way.”
Curtis adds, “I honestly think being married is so fly. The husband and wife swag hits differently. I love that even after almost nine years, we’re still laughing and having fun with life together.”
See photos from their contemporary celebration, learn more about how the day came together, and what a year of love and marriage has been like for the couple in this week’s Bridal Bliss.
“I truly believe there wasn’t a singular moment when I realized Curtis was my person. There are several moments that formed together to create the perfect foundation of trust and connection. One pivotal moment that comes to mind was when I faced a major challenge early in my college career that I had no idea how to handle. At that moment, I wanted to lean on him and seek comfort in my favorite safe place, but Curtis guided me to God instead,” Danielle says. “He asked me to seek God’s grace and comfort first. Since then, we have positioned God at the center of our relationship, which has been the best decision we’ve ever made.”
“The craziest thing is, when I first met Danielle, I told her I would love for my next girlfriend to be my wife, and here we are, almost nine years later, still being each other’s peace,” says Curtis.
The wedding party wore custom William Okpo, bringing designers Lizzy and Darlene Okpo temporarily out of retirement for this event. “Our looks were inspired by a blend of contemporary elegance and whimsical charm. My dress and the bridesmaids’ gowns were designed to evoke a soft, angelic feel, with a focus on our favorite color, chartreuse,” Danielle says. The groomsmen’s looks were classic Americana formal wear meets Japanese influence. “The inspiration here was for the groomsman to have a non-traditional look that skewed more contemporary rather than a traditional suit to match my fly,” Curtis says.
“For my wedding dress, I always envisioned a huge train and a dress that was over the top and made me feel like a princess in a movie, but when I thought about my actual love story, it made me long for something different,” says the bride, who wore a dress by Danielle Frankel. “In my journey of saying yes to the dress, I learned quickly that what you go into thinking will be the one, in an instant, can change the moment you put on a dress. I knew I loved Danielle Frankel and how she saw the world through her gowns, but experiencing her atelier and sharing that moment with my mother and sisters was spellbinding. I loved them all, but ultimately, the Noa gown had my heart. She was simple but alluring and told the story I wanted Curtis to remember on our wedding day.”
Curtis shows heartfelt emotions as Danielle reads her vows during their ceremony. “Exchanging our vows in that setting felt like a dream come true,” she says.
The groom wore a custom suit from Bode (the label of designer Emily Adams Bode Aujla). Curtis wanted to wear the designer’s threads from the moment he knew he would propose. So when the time came, he worked with Bode to create a suit that was equipped with a chain-stitched pictorial story of their relationship. “The front of the suit told the story of where we had been as I walked down the aisle, and on the back, it was stitched for the future reading, ‘Mr,’” he says. “Seeing Danielle’s face melt once she realized the stitched drawings told our love story was one of those movie moments.”
For Danielle, she says seeing Curtis as she walked down to meet him for their ceremony was an unforgettable experience. “It’s hard to choose just one favorite moment, but if I had to, I’d say walking down the whimsical spiral aisle and seeing Curtis at the center, waiting for me. It was an intimate and beautiful experience, surrounded by our loved ones and the enchanting atmosphere we envisioned,” she says.
“We chose Moab because we wanted a location that was both breathtaking and unique,” Danielle says. “The Red Earth in Moab, Utah, with its stunning red rocks and natural beauty, felt like the perfect place to celebrate our love. We envisioned a whimsical, majestic, and ethereal atmosphere, and Moab provided just that.”
“The green tones were a nod to our surroundings’ lush greenery and natural beauty, symbolizing growth and harmony,” Danielle says of the hue of their wedding party’s ensembles.
A shot of the couple’s simple but sweet wedding cake, surrounded by florals, inside of The Red Earth Venue for the reception.
“My favorite moment from the day had to be when we walked into our reception, and the whole room erupted. It felt like a pep rally meets a family reunion, but everyone was dressed like they were going to The Met,” Curtis says. “The energy and love were so pure and just what we needed. Wedding planning and the journey to get to that moment is so layered, and when you stand in that room to witness a union, your presence means something. That moment showed us the village that has held us through these years and will continue to do so in the future. I mean, we had BBQ on the grill, rum punch, and DJ HuneyCut cutting up; it was what we prayed for.”
For the reception, the couple had one of their friends and favorite artists, Brandon Banks, and his bass player, Kovey Coles, perform. They worked with a lighting designer and production team to make sure the performance was a showstopper as Banks sang under the stars and the acoustics of the canyon set things off. They say that by the time he hit a falsetto, “the room was hooked.”
“There’s a lightness in having found your person and being able to experience the world together after the dust settles in the ceremony and the planning,” Curtis says. “It still gets me every time, but one of my favorite things is saying, ‘Danielle, my wife.’ Every time I hear it, I’m like, we really did it.”
“What I’ve enjoyed most about married life is the deep sense of partnership and companionship Curtis and I share,” Danielle says. “Building our life together, creating our home, and supporting each other’s dreams has been incredibly fulfilling. We’ve faced challenges and celebrated triumphs together, and through it all, our love has only grown stronger.”
Vendors
Venue: The Red Earth Venue
Wedding Coordinator: Kosi Events
MUA: Joslyn
Bridal Hair: Lurissa Ingrid
Groom’s Hair: Maya J.
Florist: Details by Laura Lee
Photographers: Larry Lewis, Joshua Renfroe
Photo Booth Photographer: Tayo Kuku
Production Company: Snob Productions
Bridal Dresses: Danielle Frankel, Bevza (Reception Gown)
Groom’s Suit: Bode
Cinemaphotographer: Bradley Credit