Last Saturday, while most of us were picking out our Oscar-watching pajama sets (and Michael Harriot was frantically looking for his lost invite to Bey and Jay’s Oscar after-party), model Chanel Iman and New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard were celebrating some California love at their nuptials at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel in California.
Iman—best known as a Victoria’s Secret Angel—has naturally developed an eye for what works on her model measurements (though we can’t imagine what doesn’t). But she still relied on longtime stylist Anita Patrickson to pull together the look for her entire wedding party of 12—plus groom—in record time: The couple wed a mere three months after the 24-year-old Shepard’s unabashedly romantic birthday proposal to Iman on the balcony of their apartment, overlooking the New York City skyline.
Good thing Iman said yes, because Shepard had also arranged a surprise 27th-birthday party for his new fiancee, where they then celebrated their engagement with friends and family!
Iman told Brides magazine: “My stylist, Anita Patrickson, really took control and handled dressing the entire wedding party. We’ve worked together for more than five years, so she has a real understanding of what I gravitate toward. ... [I wanted] something that I would like for years to come and that wouldn’t feel dated as trends change.”
While the groom wore Hugo Boss, the bride ultimately chose a pair of classically romantic dresses from the Fall 2018 collection of Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad, telling Vogue: “His pieces always fit and complement my body, and his beadwork is exquisite.”
Murad was mutually thrilled to be part of Iman’s special day, saying: “Chanel is a fashion chameleon. ... She can easily morph from a cool street style [look] to black-tie formal, and I’ve had the pleasure of dressing her in a full range of my designs, from a sexy silhouette with cut-outs to a ball gown with a train. No matter what look she decides to wear, she’s always effortlessly beautiful.”
Iman was indeed a classically beautiful bride, choosing to wear the designer’s floral embroidered and appliquéd silk tulle “Camilla” dress for the ceremony with a matching cathedral-length veil and diamond-and-pearl drop earrings by Neil Lane. The gown took over 100 hours to create and featured a plunging neckline and an unexpectedly traditional touch: a matching capelet. It was a surprising choice, even for the bride, as Iman admitted:
I never really envisioned wearing something like that for my wedding, but the moment I put it on, we all loved it. It’s so chic and unusual but also something that felt a little vintage.
It was a little more demure for the actual vows. ... The fact that it was interesting from the back was something that I really loved, as guests tend to have that view for a portion of the service, something I think often gets overlooked.
Her gorgeous bridal party was full of brown and black girl magic dressed in white—including fellow models Heidy de la Rosa and Maybelline campaign star Jourdan Dunn. Their subtly sexy, goddess-styled chiffon “Aldridge” gowns were designed by bridal behemoth Watters and flattering on every one of Iman’s six bridemaids, and complemented with nude heels from Aldo.
After the ceremony, Shepard swapped his black tux jacket for an ivory version, while his bride changed into a second Zuhair Murad creation: his blush pink “Christie” gown with a deep-V neckline and a blush bow cinching the waist. For the reception, the bride also let her hair down—literally—trading her sleek ceremony chignon for loose waves, pulled back over one ear with a dazzling piece of hair jewelry.
About the addition of color, Murad said, “Brides today are incorporating more color into their various wedding looks, and I love the subtle contrast of the blush tulle underskirt and sash on this gown for a fresh and feminine look.”
Iman agreed: “The pink and the deep V-neckline really appealed to my ‘girlier’ side, and it’s a shape I really love wearing,” the bride told Vogue. “Most importantly, I wanted to be comfortable and able to dance.”
Iman’s dress choice complemented her rose-drenched wedding, designed by acclaimed wedding planner Mindy Weiss—her mother even walked her down the aisle in a rose-colored pantsuit. The color also played well off of the rose gold of Iman’s engagement and wedding rings, which is her favorite metal and the only one she wears—even the chairs in the reception ballroom were rose gold!
With friends Chrissy Teigen, Tiffany Haddish and Gabrielle Union in attendance—and yes, that’s Odell Beckham in the wedding party; Iman and Shepard met at one of his parties—this truly looked like the wedding of the year. If you didn’t get your fill of the gorgeous evening here, Brides magazine has even more of the Shepards’ special day, but for now, let’s just say congrats to the happy couple!