The Bride Was Her Own Wedding Planner for a Celebration of Southern and Nigerian Traditions
Actors Pepi Sonuga and Zachariah Rogers had their own cinematic meet-cute behind the camera. In November 2021, Zach stepped in to work as a video assist operator on Pepi’s show Queens for only a day. “There are usually hundreds of people on set at once, but I remember seeing Zach clearly,” remembers Pepi. “We passed each other and locked eyes for a few seconds. I always joke that I don’t know how I knew he was handsome because he had a mask on and a snapback, but somehow I still felt something. There was a charge I couldn’t ignore.”
The two were seated next to each other later in video village and introduced themselves. “Something funny happened—the entire cast and crew around us went quiet, almost like they were watching a scene unfold,” Pepi says. As she went back to filming her own scene in front of the camera, the group chat with her costars began teasing about how the pair were perfect for each other. “Looking back now, those texts feel like gold. They were calling Zach my husband as a joke, and that’s exactly who he became,” Pepi continues. “It means so much to me that we have a full record of the day we met. We went on our first date the same week we met, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We are connected by a sense of purpose, by shared values, by culture, and by a vision we each held individually and then discovered we could build together."
Just a few months into dating, the pair went ring shopping—just for fun—and Pepi fell in love with a blue sapphire. She realized that maybe a diamond wasn t her dream engagement ring. “Diamonds are beautiful, but they didn’t feel like a full reflection of who I am. I’ve always felt a little quirky, a little unexpected, and I wanted something that honored that,” she says. On a later shopping excursion, she decided a yellow sapphire would be her perfect center stone. Zach took note and had a ring designed based on all the details Pepi described over the years before proposing in Mexico in January 2024. “It turned out exactly how I imagined—dainty, unique, and completely me,” shares Pepi.
When it came to planning their wedding, Pepi and Zach wanted the celebrations to reflect their Nigerian and Southern roots and bring their loved ones together from around the world. “My family is based in the UK and Nigeria, so no matter where we held the wedding, it was going to be a destination for them,” shares the bride. “We rooted the celebration in Tennessee, where Zach’s family lives. It felt like the most thoughtful way to bring our worlds together.” Hosted over the weekend of July 12, 2025, the celebrations would include a traditional Nigerian wedding at The Brookside in Knoxville, followed by a Western wedding the next day at the Nichols Heir Estate in Sevierville. “The venue felt like a dream, surrounded by nature, with a sunlit garden overlooking the mountains where we held our ceremony, a wooden gazebo for cocktails, and a grand hall for the reception that felt both regal and full of heart,” says Pepi of the estate. “It gave us the exact feeling we hoped for: a blend of heaven and home.”
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 Jewelry 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.”
