Alison Cullen, who works in financial services, and Hubert Point-Du Jour, an actor in Showtime’s upcoming series The Good Lord Bird, had been dating for more than three years and talked about getting married for a while, but they didn’t have a clear vision for their wedding. Hubert asked her parents’ permission to marry her in February, and with their blessing, he was waiting for their third anniversary in April to propose but decided to push that back because of COVID-19.
Once he asked, they planned their whole June ceremony, with immediate family only, in just three weeks. The venue was Alison’s uncle’s backyard in Head of the Harbor, New York. However, the couple didn’t want anything traditional or gifts. “With everything going on in the world, we realized on June 1st that it would be a great idea to combine our marriage with an opportunity to raise awareness and money around issues of racial justice,” Alison says. “We decided to send cards with a photo from the ceremony to all extended friends and families, following the ceremony, to announce our marriage and explain that in lieu of wedding gifts, we encouraged people to donate to our GoFundMe—we are donating 100% of donations we receive.”
Along with posting resources that support racial justice on their website, they used this opportunity to highlight Black-owned wedding vendors for Alison’s dress, their rings, the florals, and the cake. The bride chose a backyard wedding-appropriate Amsale design that was able to ship to her within three weeks, and Hubert wore a tux he already owned.
On the day-of, the two traveled from their apartment on the Upper East Side to Long Island. Alison held a Hibiscus Flower Shop bouquet, and with their cousin-in-law, Jamie, officiating, they exchanged their own vows and Valerie Madison Fine Jewelry rings.
After being officially married, the newlyweds shared a first dance on the grass to The Jackson’s 5’s “I’ll Be There.” To have people safely stay to celebrate, they spaced out tables by households and had pre-arranged picnic baskets for each guest with wrapped appetizers, silverware, champagne with glasses, and cakes from Haitian-owned Bonbon LaKay—a nod to Hubert’s Haitian background.
“We are so glad that we decided to get married this way,” the bride says. “For us, it really captured the essence of what we share as a couple and how we wanted to start our life together.” They’ll definitely be throwing a larger party, when it’s completely safe to do so. And as of today, their GoFundMe has raised more than $31,000, which will go to The Okra Project, The Innocence Project, The Loveland Foundation, and more listed on their website—such an incredible donation to make at the start of newlywed life together.
