Brought Together Through God

Allenmar and Abdula got married on New Year’s Eve at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton, CA. Their faith has been one of the pillars of their relationship. Despite being from different religious backgrounds, they’ve found unity in God. They felt that this venue would be a special way to honor their commitment to each other and God.

Team Work Makes the Dream Work

Allenmar’s team helped her get ready for her big day. Her bridesmaids and bridesmen squeezed together in a hug in their matching robes.

Paul, her Man of Honor, helped her into her beautiful lace sheath dress that she found at Sparkle. As the Man of Honor, Paul wore a traditional Filipino barong in an ombre teal; the color of the wedding.

Allenmar’s neckline was adorned with a beautiful V bar necklace and Miss Dior perfume. She smiled in the sunlight as she spritzed the scent.

The Bride Wore Sneakers

A bride’s choice of wedding shoes is crucial. Some choose strap sandals; some choose cowboy boots. Allenmar’s choice was fashion and comfort as she sported these teal Nike Air Jordans.

Nervous, Happy Heart

Abdula was admittedly nervous but excited for this day. With his friends around him, he got ready near the back of the church. The groom teared up as he read a note Allenmar had written him.

Malibu Muscle

On this occasion, the happy bride’s uncle supplied her very cool ride to the Cathedral of the Annunciation; this ’69 Chevy Malibu.

First Moments in Prayer

When Allenmar and Abdula were still dating, they talked about their future wedding. They both liked the idea of a First Look session but were more traditional. They did not want to see each other but chose to pray together. Especially since people often assume they can’t pray together because of their difference in religion, they wanted Dee and Kris to capture their First Moment as they prayed.

All of Me

The bride surprised her soon-to-be-husband by singing John Legend’s “All of Me” as she walked down the aisle towards him. There wasn’t a dry eye in the church that day.

Allenmar and Abdula are both very accepting of each other’s respective religions. With this in mind, the ceremony at The Cathedral of the Annunciation was filled with Catholic tradition. In addition, they were draped in the Unity Lasso first, to represent the joining of two lives into one. Also in Catholic tradition, the couple presented their sponsors with coins which symbolize how they will take care of each other throughout the marriage. In addition, the couple presents to Mary an offering of flowers to bless their family with children.

As a little girl, Allenmar dreamed of this day. Standing on the steps of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in her lace gown with her husband.

As their ceremony came to an end, Allenmar and Abdula jumped into a Tesla and headed from Stockton to Vizcaya in Sacramento.

Surrounded by family and friends, the day was more magical than they could have imagined.

I Take You and You Take Me

As Abdula is accepting of Allenmar’s Catholic faith, so too is Allenmar of Abudula’s Muslim faith. She told us, “My faith is stronger because of Abdula. I have prayed more with this man than with any other Christian or Catholic person in my entire life.”

The Muslim ceremony called the Nikah was just as beautiful in tradition as the Catholic ceremony. The Imam read from the Quran then asked the couple three times if they willingly accept one another in front of God. In Islamic tradition the two witnesses attested to the bride and groom both saying “I do.” Allenmar was given a mahr (gift) before the Wali in which her father gave her to Abdula.

Teal Extravagance

Rachel Ryland at Vizcaya did a beautiful job with Allenmar’s vision in teal. The golden thrones at the sweetheart’s table were draped with teal silk.

The couple made their grand entrance along a red carpet like the royalty they were on that day.

Matching Dancing Shoes

The couple’s first dance was epic! In their matching Air Jordans, the duo danced a routine choreographed by the bride’s best friend, Aiko Tanzawa. They practiced for two months at Elevate Dance Company, Aiko’s dance studio in Stockton, CA.

Without a doubt, Joe Kalamaras of SJ’s Disc Jockey got this party going and kept it at level 11 the whole night. The videographers at JKapture expertly captured all the action.

When asked what their favorite part of the day was, Abdula said, “My favorite part was when my wife walked down the aisle singing our song. I was an emotional wreck because I was so nervous, anxious, excited, surprised, and so many more emotions.” 

Allenmar said, “It’s hard to pick one favorite part of the day because we worked so hard in specifically choosing multiple (if not everything lol) unique to us….but if I had only to choose two lol, I would say pulling off the surprise of me singing while walking down the aisle and saying our personalized vows would probably be my top two.”

Congratulations, Allenmar and Abdula!