All things considered, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Marlon and Hertha’s wedding was full of glitz and glamour. After all, that’s what brought them together in the first place.
It all started when one of Hertha’s good friends wanted to arrange a way for Hertha to attend the most glamorous evening of a young woman’s life – senior prom. But, because Hertha had already graduated from high school, she could only go if she was the date of a student.
“So she suggested I go with her friend, Marlon. She said he was like her brother and it’d be just as friends,” Hertha says.
But when Marlon saw some photos of his beautiful would-be date, he quickly developed a crush. Hertha agreed to go to prom with him, figuring it would get her in the door. Little did she know the crush was about to be mutual.
“We ended up hitting it off right away,” she recalls of the night. “He was a character and he made me laugh…I don’t know what happened but something just clicked. I said to him, half joking, ‘you should be my boyfriend’ and he said yes. From that day on, we’ve been inseparable.”
At first, the young couple’s relationship was fairly light. Marlon was heading off to college, while Hertha had just finished up her college studies. Plus, they suddenly found themselves living apart. Marlon’s football scholarship took him to Fresno State, while Hertha settled in San Francisco to begin a career in fashion. Between the long distance and the stresses of school and career, Marlon and Hertha tried to take things slowly.
Yet, as time passed, the couple couldn’t deny the strength of their feelings. Within a few months, the relationship was serious. But that didn’t mean things were suddenly easy. “There were some hard times,” Hertha remembers. “There was a lot of driving and a lot of missing each other…There were times we wanted to give up; but we never did.”
In fact, the hard times made them even more determined to last. Hertha even quit her job and relocated to Fresno to live with Marlon so they could spend more time together. But after a year with no career prospects in fashion available in the Central Valley, Hertha knew she needed to head back to San Francisco.
“That was a good year. We learned a lot about each other and got closer. That was when it clicked in our brains; we knew we wanted to take it one step further,” Hertha says.
But after college, Marlon was drafted into the National Football League to play for the Miami Dolphins. Because it was his rookie year, the couple agreed it made the most sense for Hertha to remain behind in San Francisco. Now, instead of moving closer, the couple was nearly a nation apart.
A year passed and neither Marlon nor Hertha was willing to deal with the distance any longer. During one of Hertha’s visits to Florida, they sat down to discuss their future and the possibility of moving or marriage. “We wanted to make sure it was the right step to take,” Hertha says. “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”
There was never a question that they wanted to be together. The couple set a timeline to try and move closer. But two months later, everything changed when Hertha discovered she was pregnant. Now, more than ever, the couple needed to be close, so Hertha moved across the country to Florida.
Soon, with their family begun, the couple knew it was time to make their love official. After selecting the perfect ring, Marlon surprised Hertha with a holiday proposal. It was Christmas Day and they were enjoying the morning with their newborn baby girl and Marlon’s mom. Hertha had opened two presents from Marlon, a designer purse and wallet, but was then was distracted by the baby.
“Then, all of the sudden, I looked down and there was a blue Tiffany box sitting in front of me,” she says. “He’d snuck out to get it when I was talking to his mom…I’d always dreamt of a Tiffany ring, so it was really amazing to see it sitting there.”
On one knee, Marlon asked his longtime love to be his wife. Surprised but overjoyed, Hertha happily said yes. With her dream ring on her finger and a beautiful daughter in her arms, it seemed that life couldn’t get any better.
So when it came time to plan the wedding, Hertha knew she wanted to design a celebration inspired by her ultimate vision of glamour: Tiffany’s.
To bring her vision to life, Hertha worked long distance with her planner to create her dream wedding. A color theme of Tiffany blue, accented by glistening silver and gleaming white set the stage. White billowing ceiling fabric inside of the reception tent provided an ethereal atmosphere, while crystal chandeliers lent an elegant air. Each table was set with crisp white linens, Tiffany blue chair sashes, and tall centerpieces with all white lilies and roses. A river of turquoise and white rose petals, accented by sparkling silver votives and crystal teardrop garlands completed the table décor.
And for her bridal wear, a gown designer was called in to help create her stunning wedding dress. The one-shoulder masterpiece featured a fitted bodice and cascading silk flowers adorned with crystals. Her bridesmaids wore a complimentary style, also custom designed, in the wedding’s signature shade of Tiffany blue.
When the morning of Marlon and Hertha’s wedding arrived, the bride and bridesmaids were pampered in true royal style at a nearby hotel. The groom and his attendants spent the day in the sun, enjoying a round of golf before heading off to take pictures.
Then, at a quarter to six in the evening, the bridal procession began. Marlon and Hertha’s daughter made a grand entrance in a decorated wagon, holding a little sign inscribed with the message “here comes the bride.” Next, Hertha made her way down the aisle to greet her groom.
During the outdoor ceremony, the bride and groom exchanged vows and demonstrated their unity with a sand pouring ceremony. After being pronounced husband and wife, the couple participated in an African American wedding tradition: the jumping of the broom.
“That was my favorite part of the whole day,” recalls the bride. “I couldn’t believe we made it after all these years; it was overwhelming. And then my mother handed us our daughter and we walked back down the aisle as a family, an official family. That was amazing.”
With the ceremony complete, the newlyweds were ready to unveil their dazzling reception. Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while the couple and their bridal party snapped photographs.
After a delicious wedding feast and several touching toasts, Marlon and Hertha cut their wedding cake. The custom designed stunner featured a multitude of miniature Tiffany jewelry boxes stacked upon each other to form the cake tiers, topped off with a rhinestone-studded monogram.
Yet, even with all of the sparkle and glitz, it was Marlon and Hertha who shone the brightest that evening. A seven-year commitment, a beautiful daughter, and a love that withstood the test of time and travel had finally earned its celebration. And for the couple, nothing could be sweeter.
“We just love each other so much and deep down inside we always knew we wanted to be together, despite the odds,” Hertha says. “It was a long road; but in the end, when you know you want to be with someone for the rest of your life, it’s nothing. When you love someone like that, you never stop trying…And here we are. We made it.”
PHOTOS: Jordan Zink Photography
