Danielle Brooks iz married now! The Orange Is The New Black actress tied the knot to fiancé Dennis Gelin in a fairytale wedding in Miami. On Thursday, she debuted her wedding photos on her Instagram. And while the custom Christian Siriano princess gown captured our gaze, it was her second look wedding look that made us stare a little bit longer.
The second wedding gown was designed by Alonuko, a black-owned bridal brand based in the UK. Brooks told Vogue it was the gown of her dreams with a floral, nude-toned, mesh top and a custom embroidery, white-flowered design. Representation is everything to Brooks and having a Black woman designer for her wedding dress was important to the Tony-award nominated actress.
“It was also important to me to highlight a Black designer,” Brooks told Vogue. “I feel like when it comes to the wedding process, Black creatives aren’t highlighted enough.”
Brooks said Alonuko founder, Gbemi Okunlola flew from London to make sure she had her dress on time. “Wearing her dress made me want to get married every day, I loved it so much,” she said. She went on to shout out the designer on her Instagram.
“ Thank you for your talent and professionalism,” she wrote in the caption. “Brides, hire her!!! Thank you for adding to my special day!”
The couple’s daughter, two-year-old Freeya Carel, was their flower girl.
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About the designer
Okunlola is a Nigerian designer who created Alonuko in 2013. The brand specializes in luxury womenswear and bridal wear. Okunlola’s motto is “a woman should work with their qualities within, to edify her beauty without.”
Alonuko is based in London and hosts initial consultations in their London studio. But the company also offers virtual consultations to its international clientale.
View Alonuko’s latest bridal collection here. The Coming To America collection will be released in March 2022. Along with the launch, there will also be a U.S. tour in Houston, Atlanta, and New York to showcase the collection.
