Inside Jeezy And Jeannie Mai's Atlanta Wedding
Jeannie Mai found a second chance at love with rapper Jeezy, born Jay Wayne Jenkins. Fans of "The Real" cohost may remember her story with her first husband, Freddy Harteis. Harteis and Mai were married in 2007 and divorced in 2017 (via People).
In late 2018, as her divorce from Harteis was in its end stages, Mai decided to take another chance at love. In August 2019, she confirmed her relationship with Jeezy, who she met when he appeared as a guest on "The Real." The two quickly formed a deep connection and once the relationship was public, the two gushed over each other every chance they got. "The things I've been criticized for my whole life and in my past relationships, 'Jeannie you're too deep, you think about things too much,' 'Why's everything got to have a purpose?' I'm not one for small talk or small conversations.' I want to know: 'Why do you think the way you do? What brought you to look at things the way you do? Who are you? Who's important to you?' And I found my equal," Mai explained to her cohosts (per Oprah Daily).
Mai and Jenkins announced their engagement in April 2020.
Jeannie and Jeezy originally had other wedding locations in mind
Jeannie Mai and Jay Jenkins, AKA Jeezy, wanted to get married in Lake Como, or the South of France originally. Like many couples getting married in 2020 and 2021, however, COVID-19 restrictions presented complications in bringing their vision to life.
"We were really looking forward to having all of our friends and family there to celebrate," Mai told Vogue. "But we had to change all of our wedding plans due to COVID. After Jeezy's mother unexpectedly passed, we quickly learned that life is too short. And at the end of the day, Jeezy and I really just wanted to become husband and wife. So we decided to turn our original wedding into a mini-mony, where we exchanged our vows in front of our immediate family and a few close friends."
Still, they kept the health and safety of their guests at the forefront of their celebration, requiring negative COVID tests from travelers two days before the event. They also provided rapid tests for the day-of to make sure everyone was of good health before they were shuttled to the secret wedding location.
Jeezy and Jeannie turned their home into a dream venue
For Jeezy and Jeannie Mai, they loved the idea of a cozy, intimate setting that getting married at home presented and how practical it was given their situation. Their at-home wedding began in their garden, where guests were required to turn their cell phones in before the night's events began.
"Everywhere you went, there were tall glass candles lighting your path," Mai told Vogue. "And, we had a live band, Trap Jazz, perform our favorite songs."
The wedding began with Mai and Jenkins' family members making their way down the aisle. Jeezy's father laid a single pink rose on a seat reserved for Jeezy's late mother, Sharon Denise Jenkins. The wedding was officiated by author and pastor John Maxwell. Jeezy walked down the aisle to "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Kem, while Mai walked in to "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees.
"The most sentimental part of our ceremony was the exchanging of our vows," Mai told The Knot. "Listening to Jeezy's words of devotion melted my heart. And I have never in my life felt more proud and certain than when I proclaimed my commitment to him in front of our family and God."
Jeannie's dress was a custom-made masterpiece
When it came to her dress, Jeannie Mai had a strong vision. "I envisioned this gown before it was even made," Mai told Vogue. "I can't believe it turned out so perfect. It's the most beautiful gown I have ever seen."
To make it happen, the bride worked with her stylist and the Galia Lahav atelier. "I collaborated with my stylist Lisa Cera and the Galia Lahav atelier to custom design the layers and the perfect hue. The finished product was everything I envisioned," Mai shared. "For hair and makeup, I wanted a sleek and graceful finish, along with a bit of drama, so Lisa and I worked on a handmade headpiece with a 15-foot Galia Lahav veil. My hairstylist, Kristen, impressively sewed this into my hair."
Jeezy worked with his favorite tailor, Teofilo Flor, and stylist Kris Shelby to create the perfect champagne blush suit (per Entertainment Tonight).
There was a beautiful moment that was a nod to Jeannie's Vietnamese background
Jeezy and Jeannie Mai worked on a lot of little details to make their wedding day perfect. After Mai's walk down the aisle, the couple engaged in their take on a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony, which was led by Mai's brother.
"He led Jeezy and I in a ritual performed at Vietnamese weddings," Mai explained to Vogue. "In this ceremony, we honored our parents by pouring tea as a gesture to welcome Jeezy into my family, and me into his. Then we paid our respects to our parents and ancestors by bowing four times, each one symbolizing a significant gift in the life that they have provided us with."
The beautifully symbolic moment was followed by the couple exchanging their vows. It was important to the couple that the moment be about more than just them.
Jeannie and Jeezy made sure to give back
In planning their nuptials, Jeannie Mai and Jeezy reflected on their privilege. With so much going on in the world, the two wanted to give back.
"It's not just the recent events that make me mindful about our distinct cultures," Mai told The Knot. "For Jeezy, everything — from his upbringing, experiences, struggles and his position in this white-centric country — is a learning curve for me; and, vice versa. Part of the foundation of our love is constantly discovering our respective identities and gaining an understanding from our experiences."
The couple created a charity wedding registry on the site to support Stop Asian Hate after an uptick of attacks against the Asian community. "There's been a devastating and severe uptick of violence against people in the AAPI community in the last year leading up to today," Mai said. "For the past year, Asian Americans have tweeted, posted and cried out for help. It's no longer enough to say, 'I'm not racist.' We need to be anti-racist, and that's harder."
The couple plans to continue advocating for both Asian Americans and African Americans. "What bonded Jeezy and I most is our passion to serve and take care of our communities," she added. "We will spend the rest of our lives continuing to stand up against injustice, racism and hate."