This Couple Got Married Alongside a Black Lives Matter Protest in Philadelphia
Kerry Anne and Michael Gordon were initially meant to have their dream wedding on May 26, 2020. But as the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that their original date would need to be postponed, the couple set their sights on a new concept: a “micro” wedding on June 6, 2020. What they didn’t realize, even then, was that the world would be turned upside down yet again, this time in the form of worldwide protests for justice and equality and the Black Lives Matter movement—and that they would eventually become a symbol of hope and love for thousands.
Kerry Anne, M.D., an ob-gyn originally from Jamaica, and Michael, a wireless deployment manager originally from Pennsylvania, are both equally passionate about fitness. They first met at a gym in Philadelphia. “When I met Kerry, I knew that was a person I would love to get to know. Her energy, her aura—there was something about her,” Michael remembers. “I knew that if I had this person around, my life would be good.” To Michael’s “dismay,” the pair started off as friends. It wasn’t until Kerry Anne moved to New York to complete her residency that the two began to develop a romantic relationship, with Michael finally asking Kerry Anne out on a date during a two-week break when she planned to visit friends in Maryland. “It was something unconventional, not something I would ever do,” Kerry Anne explains of making the date a pit stop on her trip. “But he seemed so sweet over the years, and just concerned. I knew I’d know within five minutes if it was worth my time.” The pair started dating almost immediately. “Even now he still amazes me with the things he does.”
Two years later, as Kerry Anne neared the end of her residency program and was deciding if she would apply to jobs in Philadelphia, she knew she wanted to commit to Michael forever. In December 2018, the pair went to Jamaica for Kerry Anne’s mother’s wedding, where her sister dropped a not-so-subtle hint to Michael. Then, it was only a matter of time. “Those first two weeks of the New Year I called her family to let them know,” Michael says. He went ring shopping with the help of his own sister, and eventually set the master plan. On one of Kerry Anne’s few days off, while the couple attended a mutual friend’s birthday party, family and friends gathered at Michael’s home to set up for an engagement surprise party. The plan was for Michael to fake being sick, go home with Kerry Anne, and propose with a garage full of family and friends in the background with the letters that spelled out the question, “Will You Marry Me?” taped to them. There was only a slight hiccup—when the door wouldn’t open. “Once we were on the driveway, he was the most flustered I’ve ever seen him,” Kerry Anne remembers. “He was going crazy that the garage door wouldn’t open and I wasn’t sure why. Once it did open, all I could see was feet. I really was about to turn around and run! But then I just saw him on his knee and completely lost it.” They went inside the house, where Kerry Anne discovered dozens more family and friends who were there to celebrate.
Soon after the engagement, Kerry Anne completed her residency and began her new full-time job, all while planning her dream wedding. But as the date neared, daily reports of the coronavirus pandemic’s spread made it clear they would have to postpone the wedding. “I sat on my couch and cried as I drafted the email to family,” Kerry Anne says. “My heart was overwhelmed by everything.” Still, the couple knew they wanted to get married this summer, wedding or not, as long as it would be memorable.
Originally the location for Kerry Anne’s bridal shower, The Logan hotel had begun offering their garden to any bride and groom whose ceremony had been affected by COVID-19. The venue allowed for 25 guests, just enough for the couple’s immediate family and a few friends to attend. The hotel had two dates available, and the couple decided on June 6. “Even with something so short notice, the goal was still to do something elegant and memorable,” Kerry Anne says. It was important to both Kerry Anne and Michael that they maintained their original theme of “clean and pristine.” The bride wanted everything to remain very “classy, simple, and elegant,” with an emphasis on timeless details. “I spoke to about seven different photographers, one as far as Maryland,” she says. “Florals were also so important; it was probably the biggest part of the bill.” The couple chose to work with Robertson’s Flowers for their flower arrangements, some of which lined the aisle. “I was nervous the chairs would look too sparse and scattered,” Kerry Anne says of the seating that had been set up six feet apart for guests. “But I loved the floral arrangements, especially on the chairs and columns of the garden, and it worked out better than I imagined.” Cellist Aijee Evans played at the ceremony, Reverend Roxanne Birchfield was the officiant, and the couple’s pastor called in from New York for the blessing. Linda McQueen Photography and Sacred Pact Films were there to capture the moment.
As for Kerry Anne’s dress, with two weeks to go and her original wedding dress still overseas, she turned to a local boutique, Sew Pretty Bridal Studio, for a Hail Mary. After a 12-hour shift at work, Kerry Anne went in for a four-hour fitting. “I didn’t even know my style or what I would feel comfortable in,” she says. “After I purchased a dress, I left her boutique around midnight and immediately texted her saying I had a change of heart.” It was ultimately the first gown she had tried on, an off-the-shoulder white dress by Sophia Tolli, that would be “the one.” She paired the gown with Aminah Abdul Jillil heels, and worked with Hair at Ease and Tyra’s Hair Experience for her hair, and MS Artistry for makeup. For the groom, a Michael Kors tuxedo and Kenneth Cole shoes did the job. All the guests were a part of the bridal procession and were encouraged to wear white—masks and hand sanitizer were gifted ahead of the intimate ceremony. Much like how Kerry Anne had planned their original wedding, every detail was set in place, every single scenario accounted for. But it was a moment just before the bride walked down the aisle that the couple could have never prepared for. A moment that caught the attention of nearby protestors—and then the attention of the entire world.