The first time Jazmyn and Sydney crossed paths, it was 2014, and they were students at Howard University. What could have been a romantic first encounter didn’t really play out that way. After a quick introduction from a mutual friend at a party, they were pulled in different directions and barely got to speak.
As fate would have it, they ended up having a class together a few months later, but the timing was not right. They were both seeing other people. So friends is what they were, and what they’d stay for years.
Another party, this time a day party in 2019, also offered a promising moment. Across the country in Los Angeles, where Sydney was living, and Jazmyn was visiting from New York, they were brought back together by another mutual friend who was hosting the gathering. They talked for a while, exchanged numbers, but again, the timing wasn’t right. Jazmyn wasn’t interested in a long-distance relationship. Things fizzled out.
But the third time is the charm.
After in-person moments fell flat, Sydney decided to slip into Jazmyn’s DMs in 2020. They were both single at the same time, and conversation would prove that they knew what they wanted in life and from one another. So, after expressing that he’d always been taken with her “but wanted to come correct,” he opted to invite her on an unconventional date: a week in Tulum. A fellow travel lover, the invitation was enticing, but Sydney did the smart thing of asking around about him first, focusing on connecting and Facetiming with Sydney before making a decision. The answer would eventually be yes, and as they arrived for that getaway, they realized the chemistry was instant. The time was not only right, but perfect.
“When the initial excitement of dating someone dies down, and life kicks in, you get to see a person’s layers peel back. We realized no matter what was going on in life, we had a solid foundation. We were truly friends in love before anything else,” Jazmyn says about how she knew she had found her person.
“I was taking inventory of where I was in my life. Who I was and wanted to be. What I wanted to do with my life and who I wanted to do it with,” says Sydney. “When I parsed all of that down, it was just very clear to me that I wanted to spend my life with this woman.”
In May of 2024, Sydney decided to take action to make that happen. After the couple had talked about their interest in returning to Europe, agreeing on a tour of the Amalfi Coast, and a fun photoshoot “since we are not good about taking intentional photos on trips,” Jazmyn says, they headed to Italy. On the second day, while perusing Positano, he made his move, getting down on one knee as the photographer he hired snapped him asking her to be his wife.
That moment culminated in their wedding day, in November 2025. The couple exchanged vows on a stunning stone terrace surrounded by a beautiful waterfall at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. The perfect intro to forever.
“I’m with my best friend,” Jazmyn says when asked about her hopes for the future. “Every day I have the privilege of being present in a love that I don’t have to second-guess. I don’t really have to look forward because every single day I have that.”
Learn more about what drew the newlyweds to each other, their favorite moments from their big day, and the beauty of that unforgettable moment in this week’s Bridal Bliss.
These accessories, including a beautiful set of blooms as a bouquet, were a part of Jazmyn’s arsenal for her wedding day.
The bride’s loved ones, including her bridesmaids and mom, as well as the mother of the groom, were all smiles as they got ready for the ceremony.
Sydney’s favorite fellas were on hand to help him get ready for his special day.
Sydney rocked a look from Black designer House of Gray, formerly Grayscale. Inside the jacket were two photos of Jazmyn and poems for her sewn into the look.
Jazmyn stunned in a dress by Vera Wang for her nuptials.
Talk about a brotherhood! Sydney’s groomsmen understood the assignment.
As part of the decor, the couple detailed the places their guests traveled from using both vintage style and modern picture frames for each table. Love it!
This may just be our favorite first look of the many we’ve seen. The pure joy in their faces makes clear the love between these two. “The whole day was blissful but my favorite moments as I’m thinking of them now were seeing Jazmyn in her dress at the first look and my first glance at everyone who showed up for us,” says Sydney.
“On the morning of, I woke up at 3:33. I knew it was God inviting me to spend some quality time with him and take in the day before I had to be on a schedule. I did just that,” says the bride. “I went back to sleep and then got up with such a deep calm and rest. There was rain in the forecast for the day which was odd for SoCal given the time of year and it had been perfect 70s and sunny in the days prior. I couldn’t let that rattle me though. As I moved on with my morning, getting my hair and makeup done and getting ready with my bridesmaids, one of them pointed out a rainbow outside. The rain had stopped, the sun came out and there was a gorgeous rainbow in the sky. The rest of the day was as perfect as that moment.”
With the waterfall behind them, and their supporters in front, the couple made it official. “The energy from everyone was a genuine happiness for us and I can’t describe that any other way than I felt the love,” says Sydney.
“One day I looked up and realized no matter what life threw that this relationship was constant— a very safe place,” Jazmyn says.
“We work so well together it’s like we met in another life,” Jazmyn notes. “It was solid when other things weren’t. I realized this is the man I can spend my life with.”
At the reception, the couple danced to the sounds of crooner Black Party. They also enjoyed a violinist (@grandmastervic) who played trap instrumentals throughout the reception and at the wedding ceremony.
The happy lovebirds addressed their guests, who certainly helped make the day special. “It was just the most surreal feeling and that carried through the entire day into the night,” Sydney says of seeing all the people who showed up for them.
The newlyweds are pictured dressed to impress for their reception. “I just knew that she made everything in my life better and when I was able to articulate and admit that to myself I’d say that’s when I consciously knew,” Sydney says of realizing Jazmyn was the one. “I never had to force anything. I had to put in effort, but not force and that was very freeing. Someone that I saw was doing the work for themselves in every area of their life and was a partner to me doing the same in mine.”
In case you want to get a little white dress for yourself like this look, Jazmyn stunned in a reception dress from Fjolla Nila.
The DJ (@djchubbeswagg), Nipsey Hussle’s former tour DJ, spun tunes the couple couldn’t get enough of at the reception. “We partied all day and night!” says the bride.
In addition to this lovely cake (@jandlcakes), sweets were in abundance at the reception. That includes some yummy churros (@thedoughlife) on hand.
“No matter what, I have confidence that we’re committed to creating a life that suits us both every day,” says Jazmyn about what the future holds for the couple. “I’m excited to keep growing in love together. We always joke that the honeymoon phase never left from that first date in Mexico and it’s even intensified,” Sydney adds. “I’m excited to see how our love evolves as we grow through more stages of life together. I’m excited for all the places we will travel to together and new experiences we will have together.”
Vendors
Wedding Day Photographer: @tessamarieephoto
Wedding Venue: @calamigosevents
Wedding Day MUAs: @beatbydej_ @alexischanelmua
Bride’s Hairstylist: @crownedbythyler
Groomsmen Barber: @_taycuts
Coordinator: @k.roseevents
Planner/Stylist: @jsteventdesign
Florist: @popofblooms
Rentals: @trio_event_rentals
Signs: @mjayne_balloons
Photo Booth: @aboothlastnight