Draymond Green Weds Hazel Renee in a Golden San Diego Ceremony
It was a college theater class that originally brought Draymond Green into Hazel Renee’s orbit during his freshman year at Michigan State University. “I ran track and field, and he played basketball, so naturally we gravitated toward one another for group projects,” says Hazel, an actor and producer working on the launch of her next business venture, The Golden Mama, of their initial meeting. Years later and in the same summer as Draymond’s fourth NBA championship win with the Golden State Warriors, the pair tied the knot with a celebration at San Diego’s Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
Their path to the altar began with a family helicopter ride. “Our engagement was the most over-the-top, sweetest thing that someone has ever done to express their love for me,” says Hazel. Draymond had gotten in touch with her friend and Encore Events planner Brittney Mendoza for help. “I thought we were just doing a city tour with the kids and then dinner,” Hazel remembers. “However, the helicopter started to hover over water and lower down. Voilà! We then landed onto a boat.” To her surprise, a dozen of their closest friends and family were waiting on deck. “I had no idea what was going on,” Hazel admits. “He walked me over to a beautiful bed of flowers that covered a Jacuzzi in front of all of our loved ones, and he got on one knee and proposed—it was something out of a movie, for sure.”
The expression que será, será (whatever will be will be) comes to Hazel’s mind when discussing the nuptials, which were delayed by the pandemic and the birth of their daughter Cash. “I just knew that all would fall into place the way it should,” she says. When the time finally came, it was just a matter of when and where. “The planning process was actually very chilled—impulsively planned, if that’s a thing!” Hazel says. She ultimately collaborated with wedding producer Diann Valentine. “I honestly felt like we woke up one day and said, ‘This year would be great for our wedding’,” she says with a laugh. The couple then pushed their original date, the Fourth of July, back six weeks for a more serene August setting. “Everyone kept telling me, ‘You seem so relaxed and not like a bridezilla!’” Hazel jokes of keeping a low-stress attitude. When the night before the wedding arrived, Hazel spent it filling out seating charts for guests like LeBron James and Steph Curry into the early hours of the morning.
For her own adornments that day, Hazel had a clear vision. “I wanted to wear a designer that I felt would accentuate my curves,” she says of choosing a custom design by Ines Di Santo after attending the designer’s bridal show in New York. “We flew to Toronto to meet in her atelier, and she welcomed me with open arms and was so warm and willing to create the perfect look for me.” Gowns for both the ceremony and reception were dreamed up and delivered within a month. “I never imagined wearing a ball gown for my ceremony, but when I put on the sample, I looked at my mother-in-law and I knew immediately that it was the gown for me,” she remembers. “We both were teary-eyed.” A custom headpiece encrusted with emerald stones and crystals was Di Santo’s crowning touch, and makeup artists Teisha Letman and Christiana Cassell aligned with hairstylist Terrence Davidson to create the bride’s classic beauty look and updo.
Of course, Draymond knew exactly who to call for his emerald tuxedo. “My spouse has a long-standing relationship with fashion designer Rich Fresh out of Los Angeles,” says Hazel of the custom look created for the ceremony. Draymond then worked with New York–based designer Musika for his metallic black after-party suit—and secured a matching Rich Fresh look for his son D.J. “They were the only two wearing green as they owned that color for the day!” says Hazel of the father-son duo. Their daughters were given bespoke looks as well: “Olive and baby Cash wore Monnalisa of Italy, and their dresses were altered to have the exact custom lace from my ceremony gown sewn onto their dresses by our tailor Erik Gavrilov,” says Hazel.
Cindy Cohen of Moda Glam Boutique made four custom dresses for the bridal party, and Hazel purchased four more from Pronovias in Beverly Hills. “My girls are my girls, and I wanted to make sure they all looked and felt great,” she says. “I really loved the idea of them not wearing the exact same gown but rather two different gowns that complemented one another.” They wore shades of champagne and gold to play off the custom Rich Fresh suits donned by the groomsmen and father of the bride.
Instead of the usual courtyard scene at Grand Del Mar, Hazel’s dreams of “a really long aisle” were achieved by covering the fountain with gold Marlite to create a walk to the altar that extended more than 100 feet. The reflective glow made the couple feel as though they were “gliding on real gold floors,” and the floral arrangements were just as unique. “I didn’t want traditional flowers down the aisle, so our designer created these beautiful oversized shadow boxes with green roses to frame the aisle at the ends,” says Hazel. Conductor Earl Rose and choir director Jason McGee put together a small orchestra and choir to perform some of the couple’s favorite songs. “As my father took my arm to walk me down the aisle, I knew in my heart that the bond he had built with Draymond over the years gave him security in knowing he was giving his baby girl away to the man of her dreams,” Hazel says. Her godfather Judge Greg Mathis officiated the ceremony where she and Draymond exchanged personal and traditional vows, “so it was a very intimate family moment even though we had quite a few close friends as guests.”
Champagne was popped and hors d’oeuvres served before formal portraits with photographer Stanley Babb began at the cocktail reception. When guests arrived in the ballroom, they found it engulfed in green dupioni silk drapes and dotted with emerald suede chairs and gilded glass tables. Jordan Khan Music Company played the hits, a cake by Fabulous Cakes was cut, and photographer Raven Varona set up a portrait booth. The couple’s engagement photos were blown up to 20-foot installations on walls, and green lounge furniture and pub tables were available for guests who needed to take a beat and rest their feet at the after-party. “We kept the party going until about 4 a.m.,” says Hazel of performances from DJ Mark Battle, Joe, Next, Roddy Rich, and DaBaby. A Puff Parlay cannabis bar was well matched by the In-N-Out Burger truck that kept guests fed in the early hours. “Everything happened so fast!” says Hazel, reflecting on the ceremony now. “When people kept telling me it would be over quick, boy, were they right! It was like a whirlwind of dreams, laughter, and nonstop dancing.”
Photo: Stanlo Photography1/54A moment Draymond Jr. will surely cherish forever.
Photo: Stanlo Photography2/54Groomsman Raymar Morgan making sure Draymond’s tie is picture-perfect.
