Heather Haynes and Andrew “Drew” Toliver met on campus at Clark Atlanta University in 2007. “I was walking from class and noticed him sitting outside on the promenade and complimented him on his eyes,” Heather, who is now a global marketing manager at Netflix, remembers. She told him that she wanted her kids to have “those eyes” one day.
Drew, who works as a fashion production coordinator and personal trainer, was quick with a quip in response: “Well, when are we getting started?” The two have been together ever since. “His Brooklyn charm matched my New Orleans wittiness,” Heather jokes.
They got engaged on National Black Love Day (February 13) in 2021, even though Heather had always told Drew that she didn’t like holiday proposals as they seemed too cliché to her. “I always wanted my proposal date to have its own standalone meaning, so that we can celebrate it,” she explains. “Even though it’s the day before Valentine’s Day, I think it’s dope that it’s honored as National Black Love Day.”
“It’s hard to surprise Heather, but I tried,” Drew says. “Her dream was to get engaged on the Brooklyn Bridge, but it was one of the coldest days of the year, and it was snowing. So I quickly pivoted to under the Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo Park. I had a photographer and my mom camped outside with Heather’s family on Zoom.”
After the engagement, the couple settled on a date and a place, picking April 22 in New Orleans. “We wanted to give our guests a true New Orleans experience with lots of options for activities so it was during French Quarter Fest Weekend, which is one of the best times for tourists to visit New Orleans,” Heather says. “The city is so wonderful and vibrant during festival season.”
From the start, Heather and Drew were intentional about every aspect of the wedding weekend itinerary. They kicked it off on Thursday with a “Welcome to NOLA” cookout hosted by the bride’s family that featured signature New Orleans dishes. On Friday, the ceremony and reception were held at Felicity Church, a restored church that now serves as an event space uptown.
The couple handled most of the details themselves, but they did hire Fresh Johnson as their day-of coordinator. “In hindsight, hiring Fresh as the full wedding planner would have been a better decision,” Heather admits. “But Fresh and her team and Chris from Felicity Church stepped up and made sure that the day ran smoothly.”
Going wedding dress shopping with her mom and mother-in-law in New York City was the best part of the prep process for Heather. “I am wedding dress sample size, so I was able to try on a lot of options from trunk shows that were in town,” Heather says. “I always wanted a chic and timeless gown to match the gown my mother wore, but I was excited to see myself in a variety of styles.”
She had bookmarked Galia Lahav dresses for years, so when her stylist pulled a dress by the Israeli designer that matched the description of what she was looking for, it was a dream come true for the bride. “I told her to do whatever she needed to do to make it happen,” Heather jokes. “Including me forgetting I had a budget, getting a custom gown created and rush-shipped from Israel to make it in time for my big day.”
Because her dress was so detailed, Heather decided to keep beauty and glam understated and classic. “I really wanted all of the focus to be on the dress,” she says. She borrowed her mom’s diamond studs for her something borrowed and her something old. Her something blue was her garter and her something new were her Rene Caovilla Margot Swarovski white jewel sandals and, of course, her dress.
