Made Two Families One at Malibu Wedding
Made Two Families One at Malibu Wedding-For Gloria Govan, co-founder of Inclusive Wellness, and Derek Fisher, the former NBA player and current coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, the family has always been a part of their love story. In fact, they were introduced over drinks by Gloria’s brother in NYC in the spring of 2016. “Derek asked my brother permission to have my number the next morning and we began to text each other for months,” shares Gloria. “Once Derek returned back to L.A., we ended up hanging out over the summer. The rest is history.”
Two years later, Derek popped the question at home with their children present. “He planned a day out of pampering with my girls, and later proposed in our backyard at our house that same evening,” reminisces Gloria. “The kids met me at the door and walked me through a candle-lit pathway to the backyard where Derek was standing while waiting for my arrival. He knew how special it was to me to have our kids involved.”
While the Covid-19 pandemic got in the way of the couple’s original plans to marry, their amazing team of vendors was able to help them plan a stunning wedding in less than eight weeks on July 17, 2021, at Cielo Farms in Malibu. “Thankfully, a lot of vendors and details remained the same from the previous date,” explains Gloria. “I think it made it so much easier to get it done so quickly. Overall, the wedding planners and florist made it very easy, and handled a lot of last-minute drama.”
The new venue was the perfect fit for the couple. “My vision for the wedding was a barnyard intimate feeling. I wanted to make sure I kept it elegant and sophisticated without it becoming too stuffy,” explains the bride. “[Cielo has] the perfect amount of privacy without feeling claustrophobic. I loved how green and lush the property is, and the barn just adds a special touch. Cielo helped provide that twilight feeling and the Malibu mountains at sunset were the perfect way to spend the evening.”
The basketball star looks dashing in a custom blue suit by Octavius Terry for his wedding day. While Gloria described the groom’s style as “simplistic,” he stayed sharp with an orchid boutonniere and prepped for the day with “a good old-fashioned hot towel and shave by Derek at Mr. Scissors.”
The groomsmen stayed in step with Derek by also sporting custom navy suits from the same designer.
Gloria chose a stunning lace gown designed by Monique Lhuillier to walk down the aisle. However, finding the perfect dress took a little work for the bride. “I had tried on several dresses, none of them really spoke to me,” she recounts. “I had given up and let the bridesmaid take over in trying dresses on. As I was helping look for options, I noticed the lace on this dress. It just stood out to me. So, I tried it on without expectations and the sample size fit me like a glove. I kept it on the whole time the bridesmaid finished trying on dresses. And finally, I was like, ‘I think this is the ONE!’”
Her accessories helped Gloria honor the tradition of something old, new, borrowed, and blue. In addition to beautiful diamond and pearl drop earrings, “my bridesmaids, mother-in-law, and mom gifted me the rest of my jewelry the day of my wedding,” the bride shares. “I wore my grandmother’s watch that is over 80 years old. My diamond cross necklace was gifted to me as my ‘something new,’ and lastly, my ‘something blue’ anklet.”
For her beautiful look, Gloria had her hair swept off her face for the ceremony with a lovely hairpiece and kept her makeup minimal. “I knew I was going to be crying on my wedding day so I wanted to make sure we did something very soft and neutral,” she explains. “A look that would last through the night, [and] didn’t require a lot of touch-ups.”
Gloria let each of her bridesmaids pick out a burgundy dress from the Dessy Collection that fit their own style. To finish off their looks, the bride carried a bouquet full of orchids, while the bridal party touted petite arrangements of roses.
Before the ceremony, the couple decided to do a first look and spend time together before they said “I do.”
If you want to have more wedding venues to choose from, maybe this article can help you: Wedding Venue You’ll Love
Click on Instagram or TikTok for more product details where available or contact the team for more information about products not currently on our website.