Skyh Black and KJ Smith.Photo:Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
ActressKJ Smithis officially in the Black!
TheSistasstar, 38, and actorSkyh Black, 35, married in fantastic fashion at The Malibu Dream Resort on Sunday, Sept. 3. The couple, who are sharing all the gorgeous photos from their star-studded affair with PEOPLE, says it was exactly the luxe and love-filled day they dreamed it would be.
“It was perfect. An experience. The Black Experience,” the bride says of the day they’ve been planning for over a year, that included 150 of their closest family and friends dressed in all black, includingEva Marcille,Loni Love,Lil Rel HoweryandSistasexecutive producerTyler Perry.
The Theme
“Our last name is Black, so we always use it as a play on words,” explains the groom of infusing the event with elements of their shared Black culture. “We’re from the South and we have these traditions that are very near and dear to our hearts that our parents and grandparents have shared. Our wedding is an homage to our ancestors with some elegant moments we’ve curated and loved as a couple…And it was better than I imagined.”
KJ Smith and Skyh Black.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
Smith hadn’t always wanted a big blowout wedding. Initially, “I wanted Skyh and me to go off and elope on a mountain somewhere. But then, when we started planning it I got more and more excited about friends, family and loved ones being involved,” she says.
Tyler Perry attends Skyh Black and KJ Smith Wedding.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
Eva Marcille.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
“It turned into a very large wedding ceremony and I’m really happy we decided to do this because we were able to experience it with our family and friends. And we were able to get loved on and give love. Our wedding ceremony was a gift to our friends and family.”
The Style
KJ Smith.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
Skyh Black.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
“Collaborating with them felt like the dream team,” adds the groom. “I’m not a tie kind of guy. I went in an unconventional direction. I wanted something that made me feel good.” And he couldn’t have been happier complementing his bride. “KJ and I are in sync. She is my mirror. We have a habit of picking similar things.”
Skyh Black and KJ Smith.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
The Love Story
The couple were on the same page when it came to location. “Malibu was the place we had our first date, the location where we started this journey” says Smith, who first met Black at an airport after he had landed a recurring role onSistas. “She stuck an iPad in my face and said ‘Hello, who are you, why are you at the show? I’m video-blogging’,” he recalls.
The pair began dating in January of 2021 and were engaged that December. Having Perry as a guest at their nuptials was extra special for the pair, who have now been added to the list of happy couples who have met while working on the mogul’s productions. Says Black, “He gave us our first major starts in Hollywood.”
Tyler Perry, KJ Smith and Skyh Black.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
Says Black, “I learned the history of many wedding-related things because I didn’t know, so when I found out what jumping the broom signified, it resonated with me.”
The Party
But the traditions stopped there, as the pair mostly opted for an unconventional wedding. In lieu of a seated dinner they chose to make it a party, kicked off with the couple coming out and performing Jay-Z, Kanye West and Beyonce’s song “Lift Off”. “I wanted to have fun,” says Black.
Loni Love and Eva Marcille.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
Cast of Sistas.Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
Adds Black, “I wanted to get lost in my bride because this was the beginning of our legacy, and I wanted those memories to last until my last day on earth.”
source: people.com
