Eight of his 16 siblings helped coordinate the 2016 party where William A. Rochford, 47, proposed to Lisa N. Rochford, 39; both of them work for the city’s Department of Education. The 275-person wedding would also be very much about family: During the ceremony, William’s sister sang, Lisa’s 3-year-old godson was the ring bearer (he made it down the aisle after some toy bribery), and the couple presented a necklace to Lisa’s 5-year-old daughter, Niara, in a special moment after the exchange of rings. At the Brooklyn venue, the couple served Barbadian dishes as a nod to their heritage, and guests danced the night away. The fact that it was a later-in-life wedding for them both only heightened the sense of joy, William says. “Our families waited so long for us to get married; they were so happy for us.”
The Details
Dress: Adasbridal
Suit: David’s Bridal
Shoes: Betsey Johnson
DJ: DJ Nigel
Caterer: Glen Terrace Caterers
Flowers: Marine Florists
Makeup: Nashana Kim Nelson
Ring: Korner Jewelry
Planner: Tamekia Flowers-Ball of Epiphany Blue
Photographs by: Kelly Williams
*This article appears in the summer 2018 issue of New York Weddings.
