A Sweet, Nigerian-Inspired Wedding at the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia

Tirzah Enumah (29) and Doug Jones (32) wanted to keep their nuptials classy and elegant but also low-key. The couple held their ceremony and reception at the stately Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia, across from where they had taken their engagement pictures in the park nine months earlier. “Our ceremony location ended up choosing us,” Tirzah says of the day’s rain plan. Storms caused the couple to move their outdoor ceremony under a tent in the hotel courtyard. “That just made the ceremony feel all the more intimate.” During the ceremony, the father of the bride provided some comic relief. “He forgot to silence his cell phone, so when he was walking me down the aisle, it rang, and Doug answered it,” Tirzah says. “We all laughed so hard.” For the reception, the couple had subdued decor, allowing the mansion’s beautiful ballroom with its gold walls and vintage mirrors shine. “The Mansion is already a stunning venue,” Tirzah says. “We didn't need to add much to make it perfect.” As a nod to the bride’s Nigerian roots, several Igbo traditions were incorporated into their wedding. Two of her uncles led a libration ceremony and prayer, where they poured whiskey onto the ground and honored ancestors by saying their grandparents’ names. The caterer also served goat kebab appetizers. “It’s not a celebration in Nigeria without goat meat,” Tirzah says. A “money dance,” where guests showered Tirzah and Doug with small bills, also occurred during the reception. “We didn’t formally plan this out, but the Nigerians there came prepared to do it anyway,” Tirzah says. “They just started putting money on our heads as soon as the dancing started, and then all our American friends and family joined in.” —Marissa Hermanson