Score One for the Traditionalists

Brides traditionally bring something old, new, borrowed, and blue to their weddings, but at Riverside Church Thursday afternoon, 10 brides brought something more unorthodox—the fathers of their children.

In an all-expense paid mass wedding, the couples exchanged vows as part of Marry Your Baby Daddy Day.

“My goal is to strengthen two-parent households,” said founder Maryann Reid. Citing statistics that indicate that 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock, she added, “I want to bring black love back into style and turn baby mamas into wives.”
Professional wedding planners, celebrity dress designers, bakers, and an upscale florist donated their services to provide a lavish wedding and reception.

As each bride took her turn to walk down the aisle, friends and family members erupted into cheers and applause. Wedding vows were performed individually in a ceremony that became, with the force of repetition, at times highly emotionally charged.

“There are no words to describe it,” said Jacqueline Martinez, whose teenage daughter served as her bridesmaid. “After 19 wonderful years, we finally tied the knot.”

Following the self explanatory west African tradition of the jumping of the broom, the reception took place at Riverside Church’s South Hall. Cheryl Clark, mother of one bride whose elegant, sleeveless gown revealed a faded tattoo circling her forearm, approved of her daughter’s decision. “I was a single mom,” she said. “I didn’t marry when I had the chance ... so to see her marry was even more special.”

Rev. J. Lee Hill, Jr, who presided over the ceremony, had only one qualm about the event: its name. “It took a little bit to get beyond the naming,” he said, in reference to the slang word “Baby Daddy,” which is frequently used as a pejorative term. “But once you get to the heart of it, it’s about healing families and about kids living in two-parent homes. It was exciting.”

Although not an unwed parent herself, Reid first conceived the concept of Marry Your Baby Daddy Day in 2005, when she staged a wedding for 10 couples in Brooklyn. To date, Reid has organized two weddings with 10 participants each.
But for each couple, the experience remains a highly individual one. Asked how she felt walking down the aisle, 26-year-old Tameka Wells, who has had three children with her partner, replied, “It was like everyone was gone. It was like I was in a room by myself.

And then I looked up and saw my groom.” Beaming, she reached up to kiss her to her husband. “It was like being in a dream that was real.”

Kim Rapkins can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.