A wedding on a mega yacht? Sounds about right for “You Got It” singer and songwriter Vedo and his CEO bride, Shanice, also a singer-songwriter. But long before they said “I do” in grand fashion on a holiday all about love, the two were meeting as young dreamers in 2011. They encountered one another at a music event and had a brief conversation, but didn’t end up exchanging numbers. That should have been it. But as fate would have it, they ran into each other again at another event a short time later, and took it as a sign from the universe that they needed to get to know each other better. They’ve been inseparable ever since.
“I knew Vedo was the one instantly,” Shanice tells ESSENCE. “He treated me like a lady at such a young age. I was very impressed. He stimulated me mentally. He was so gentle, respectful, and accepted me and my family although we aren’t perfect.”
Vedo wasn’t looking for his person at that time, but he knew he’d found her when he got to know Shanice.
“I honestly didn’t know what to look for in a person who could possibly be ‘the one.’ I just knew she treated me differently from any other woman,” he recalls fondly. “She was sweet but feisty. She was stern but would bend her rules for me. She loved family, she loved my family. She was an entrepreneur at a young age, so she had drive, goals, long term and short term. She was just an overall dope person. I knew a long time ago. She knew what she deserved and until I was able to provide that, I dared not. Now we are here.”
The crooner, a consummate performer who finished in the top 12 during Season 4 of The Voice (he was on Team Usher and recently flexed his talents with the legend during his NPR Tiny Desk Concert), asked for Shanice’s hand in the only way he knows how — in front of an audience. He proposed at the grand opening of her beauty spa Solé Aesthetics in Atlanta.
“He got me good,” she says. “I was so caught up on planning the grand opening that it was so unexpected when he popped the question.”
From there, the couple planned the ultimate celebration, opting to tie the knot on the day of love, Feb. 14, 2024, on a mega yacht in Miami that they decked out in red and white florals and matching decor. The couple exchanged vows in front of some high-profile guests, all dressed in white, on the waters of Magic City. “We go all out for our birthdays, vacations, our friends, why not go all the way and do it big for our wedding day?” Shanice asks.
And with three outfit changes for the bride (and a major hair switch), a few big performances and 150 guests celebrating with them, “big” is the right word for their magical moment.
Scroll through to check out some of the stunning images, shot by photog Stanley Babb, from their day, and learn more about how it came together in a beautiful way in this week’s Bridal Bliss.
A shot of Shanice’s pre-wedding robe, along with her bridal gown (front and center) and her red hot reception dress. Once the celebration began, she wore three different outfits, including a show-stopping look (not pictured) to perform for her new hubby. More on that later!
Shanice wasn’t the only one wearing fierce fashions for the day. Take a look at Vedo’s luxurious accessories.
Shanice’s stylist spruces up her gorgeous short style ahead of the ceremony.
Vedo had a laugh with his groomsmen as he got a last lineup before the day’s events commenced.
Some dapper dudes! Vedo’s look was custom made by designer Miguel Wilson.
A shot of the stunning floral arrangements around the Seafair, specifically on the way to the altar. Flowers were provided by Javier Valentino while the couple’s wedding planner and designer was Marjorie Beauvil-Michaud.
A shot of what Shanice would see as she made her way down the gorgeously designed aisle to her love.
For the couple’s ceremony, they asked that guests not use it as an opportunity to be amateur photographers, and instead, be “fully present” for their special moment. It was an unplugged wedding but phones were allowed at the reception and right after the pair said “I do.”
A super cute detail for the couple’s big day was presenting seating arrangements through golden ribbon microphones. Seating info was found right under the head of the vintage mics.
Vedo certainly made a grand entrance for the ceremony…
…but he couldn’t beat his bride! All eyes were on Shanice as she made her way down the aisle.
No one was more touched by Shanice’s beautiful entrance than her husband-to-be. “She looked beautiful, she looked happy, she looked free, and she looked at ease,” he tells us. “Those are some of the feelings that I want her to feel forever.”
The ceremony was officiated by another talented singer, gospel great Smokie Norful.
The couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife, or Mr. and Mrs. McCoy, after saying “I do.”
The space where the dinner part of the reception was held within the Seafair was decked out in the color scheme of red and white (with some pink, too). “It was only right on Valentine’s Day. It represents romance, passion and fire, of which we exude them all,” Shanice says.
While outfit changes are common, it’s not as common to see a bride change their hairstyle on their big day. Call Shanice a trendsetter. “The hair was definitely a wow factor for everyone,” she says of heading into the reception post-ceremony and portraits with big curls after starting the day with a pixie-esque cut. “I love a good switch-up, and besides that, I absolutely love drama!”
To match the drama of her second hairstyle, Shanice and her hubby changed out of their ceremony garb and went with a red hot look, complete with shades, to party.
There were a few stars in attendance for Vedo and Shanice’s big day (including Toya Johnson-Rushing and her husband Red), including fellow crooner Eric Bellinger and his wife, La’Myia Good. Eric performed with Vedo later in the night.
It was only right that Vedo sing on his own wedding day. He specifically sang to his bride at the reeption.
Shanice is quite the performer herself. She proved that when she changed, for a third time, to put on a show for her husband, supported by backup dancers.
All were pleased with Shanice’s performance, none more than Vedo, who got a front-row seat to the display.
The ladies in red, and the bride in white, looked elegant against the night sky as they posed for portraits following the ceremony.
All of the very special people who provided extra special support to the bride and groom on their special day posed together ahead of the reception fun.
When it comes to their favorite moments from the day, for Vedo, it was “Me putting on that ring, saying my vows and making this union official under God.” For Shanice, it was also the ceremony. After a lot of planning and preparation, it was the official start to a new chapter in her life with Vedo. “The ceremony was on my mind the entire day. When it finally was done I felt so damn good,” she says. “I was ready to take on the rest of the night as a new wife!”
Vendors
Wedding planner/designer: Marjorie Beauvil-Michaud
Photographer: Stanley Babb
Cinematographer: Unleashed Vizuals
Venue: Seafair Yacht Miami
Florist: Javier Valentino
Branding, production and lighting: MPE Event Group
Bridal makeup: Tia Codrington
Bridal hair stylist: Hair Chemistry Miami
Bridal gown: Valdrin Sahiti
Groom custom suit: Miguel Wilson