Diotima Designer Rachel Scott and Chaday Emmanuel Scott’s Brooklyn Wedding Was a Love Letter to Their Caribbean Roots

After the couple decided to get married, there was no question that Rachel would create the wedding looks for both of them. “I wanted to wear pieces that were entirely crafted by hand,” she says. “Having the energy and love of the people I collaborate with for Diotima was important for me.”

Her first look was a white and ecru starched crochet strapless gown that she wore with white Alaïa crystal embellished ballet slippers, white and black diamond drop earrings that her stylist Marika-Ella Ames loaned her, gold and silver rings that she borrowed from her mother, and a small evil eye amulet that her friend designer Burc Akyol made and affixed to her gown right before the ceremony.

Chaday wore a cream wool suit and white shirt that was pieced together with decorative hand stitching in white, with a black bolo tie, a gold bangle that her grandmother loaned to them, a vintage lapis and diamond ring that was a gift from Rachel, and black Prada brushed leather loafers. Meanwhile, their friend and collaborator Joey George did the couple’s hair. “I wanted my hair to feel like me, so he did a take on my classic hair look but better,” Rachel says. “And for Chaday, he did an asymmetrical look with five braids coming forward on one side.”

The ceremony took place at 6 p.m. on the top floor of 53 Scott in Brooklyn, with a full view of the city skyline on a spring evening. The unofficial dress code of the day was Diotima, with friends taking part in the ceremony all wearing the brand. Qween Jean, who officiated, wore a Hibiscus crystal mesh dress, while Rachel’s best friend who read during the ceremony wore a black macrame top with cascading fringe and a black crystal mesh skirt with a beaded fringe hem.

Rachel’s young nephew and ring bearer greeted everyone joyfully while walking down the aisle at the start of the ceremony. Chaday then walked down the aisle with her grandmother, and Rachel followed with her father to “Wisdom Eye” by Alice Coltrane. Qween Jean welcomed guests with words on love and community, while Chaday’s uncle Che Emmanuel and Rachel’s best friend Shinae Lee both read poems by Audre Lorde. “We wrote our own vows and both read a piece of poetry to each other,” Rachel says. “Chaday read a piece, again by Audre Lorde, and I read a piece by Angela Davis. It was a windy day and during our vows the wind picked up furiously—it was magical. I felt an incredible amount of joy and excitement, and the love in the room was oceanic.”

After the ceremony, guests gathered for a cocktail hour, featuring signature rum and tequila drinks, before moving downstairs. The dinner was held at one long table that filled the entire space, and the sculptural tropical arrangements on the table were held in fresh clay vessels, crafted that day by designer Laura Hughes. The meal, by Habibi the Restaurant, was a mezze selection that included hummus, baba ganoush, labneh, a second course with grilled meats, an okra dish, lobster, prawns, and fish, and finally baklava for dessert with a pistachio cake. “Between courses, there were a handful of speeches, some planned, some impromptu, from friends and family members that ranged from emotional to hilarious,” Rachel says. “The commonality with each speech was a focus on love: the love Chaday and I have for each other, and love as the foundation for how we operate in the world and build our communities individually and as a couple.”

After dinner, the couple changed looks. Rachel wore a white and cream macramé gown, and Chaday switched into a black blazer with white decorative hand-stitched seams, a black crystal mesh tank, and black laminated basketweave trousers with one white starched crochet doily affixed to the leg. The party moved back upstairs for the reception portion of the night, which was a mini ball as a nod to Chaday and the work they do with ConnekJa. The ball was hosted by Fatima Jamal, and guests ranging from Rachel’s mother to Christopher John Rogers participated in a runway walk at one point. There was also a burlesque performance by Ivy Fischer, and a full Jamaican bashment party with music by DJ Kye.

“[Looking back now,] our wedding feels like the best wedding I have ever experienced!” Rachel says. “I am sure that may be the case for every bride, but for me, it really captured everything I could have imagined and more—and it was very much us.”