The Bride Was Her Personal Wedding Planner for a Celebration of Southern and Nigerian Traditions

When it got here to planning their wedding ceremony, Pepi and Zach needed the celebrations to mirror their Nigerian and Southern roots and produce their family members collectively from around the globe. “My family is based in the UK and Nigeria, so no matter where we held the wedding, it was going to be a destination for them,” shares the bride. “We rooted the celebration in Tennessee, where Zach’s family lives. It felt like the most thoughtful way to bring our worlds together.” Hosted over the weekend of July 12, 2025, the celebrations would come with a conventional Nigerian wedding ceremony at The Brookside in Knoxville, adopted by a Western wedding ceremony the following day on the Nichols Heir Estate in Sevierville. “The venue felt like a dream, surrounded by nature, with a sunlit garden overlooking the mountains where we held our ceremony, a wooden gazebo for cocktails, and a grand hall for the reception that felt both regal and full of heart,” says Pepi of the property. “It gave us the exact feeling we hoped for: a blend of heaven and home.”

The bride deliberate the marriage herself, figuring out that her artistic drive and type-A persona could be completely suited to the job. “Honestly, I knew I would have helicoptered over anyone I hired, so I decided to go it alone,” Pepi laughs. “For over a year, I dreamed up every element. From the crest on our stationery to the floral palette, the pacing of the weekend, and the colors and fabrics for the Nigerian outfits, every detail was chosen with intention. Most days, I was like a mad scientist in my cave, fully consumed with planning, and Zach would slide food and drinks over to me from the door like I was on lockdown. We still laugh about it.” Since Pepi was conscious she would want a accomplice when the marriage arrived, she employed coordinator Emma Claudio to assist with the ultimate particulars—and to run the present over the weekend. “She helped refine some of the design elements, took the reins on logistics, and made sure the entire weekend flowed beautifully,” says Pepi. “It was such a gift to hand over the pieces I had built to someone who genuinely cared.”

As the couple was planning for each a Nigerian and Western wedding ceremony, they needed to put further time into crafting their style seems to be for every occasion. For the Nigerian ceremony, the couple every wore two seems to be representing Pepi’s shared Yoruba and Igbo backgrounds. “In Nigeria, tradition says a child is from their father’s village, which makes me Yoruba,” she explains. “But my mother has been such a central force in my life, and has shared the beauty of Igbo culture with me for as long as I can remember. It was deeply important to me that I celebrate her heritage as well.”