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manolo doreste Shaunie O’Neal and Keion Henderson
Shaunie O’Neal and Keion Henderson are married!
That basketball wives The star officially tied the knot with her pastor fiancé in a tropical island ceremony on Saturday, PEOPLE exclusively confirm.
Nearly 200 guests attended the Anguilla wedding, which took place at the Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club. The romantic outdoor ceremony took place at the 10th hole of the golf course, where the bride entered while singer Yolanda Adams performed. The bride’s three sons walked her down the aisle to her now-husband.
“I just lost my father in February,” O’Neal tells PEOPLE. “So I really struggled with how to get down the aisle. Losing my father while I was planning this wedding was a lot, so my sons gave me up.”
Having her five children (with ex Shaquille O’Neal) to support her was “everything” for the happy mother, who describes her family as a “package deal” when it comes to relationships.
O’Neal wore a sparkling dress designed by Jean Louis Sabajai in collaboration with fashion stylist Eric Archibald, paired with a dreamy veil, also by the designer. She accessorized with David Yurman jewelry and Jimmy Choo shoes. The beaming bride’s updo was perfected by Diamond Johnson with her makeup look by Alaina Saulsberry.
Henderson wore a cream Dolce and Gabbana tuxedo while the groomsmen were dressed in Atelier Houston.
Bishop TD Jakes officiated at the wedding, which was planned by The Happy Couple with The Britto Agency/Global Brand Strategist and captured by photographer Manolo Doreste and videographer Michael Tamzil. The couple exchanged wedding rings from Jason from Beverly Hills.
The choice of location was easy for the bridal couple, who had “immediately fallen in love with him” on a previous trip.
“I think after that first visit we knew this was the place we wanted to get married,” O’Neal, 47, tells PEOPLE. Henderson, 41, made Anguilla’s rich history and welcoming residents “proud to connect with the island” and “start their journey” there.
During the reception, the couple’s friends and family ate Anguillian-inspired dishes, including locally sourced fish and crayfish, all surrounded by pink flowers created by Black Orchid.
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Guests spent the evening dancing to Isley Brothers music and jukeboxing in a custom-built tent in the resort’s clubhouse and D Richards Restaurant before Spinderella took over DJing for the late night hours after party.
Thoughtful details were considered throughout the ceremony and reception, including an Eleven/11 toast (a meaningful symbol of the newlyweds) with McBride Sisters Brut Prosecco.
Though extravagant and certainly larger than they initially anticipated – Shaunie tells PEOPLE their original guest count was only 50 – the evening was special and intimate. “We wanted our guests to have a weekend of fun,” says O’Neal. “We just like to have fun and love each other and we wanted to do that with our friends and family.”
The couple dated for two years before announcing their engagement last November. For both O’Neal and Henderson, the connection was undeniable from their first date, a six-hour date in a hotel lobby.
“I was in California preparing to preach. … She finally agreed to meet me,” Henderson tells PEOPLE. O’Neal had gone out to dinner with a friend earlier that night and had told her husband-to-be that she would go out with him “if she had time after dinner”.
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So, over the next six hours, they bonded over family and faith. “But then I accompany her to her car, hug her from the side and let her get in the car and drive off,” says the groom.
“He didn’t even try to kiss me!” interjects his bride.
Henderson says she caused him “complete chaos” for weeks after he gave that first hickey. However, he made it up to her at the perfect time: “I showed her the kiss I would have given her the day I met her,” Henderson tells PEOPLE of their first kiss as husband and wife on Saturday.
Henderson was a perfect fit for her family long before saying yes, his bride says. “It was amazing just stepping into our lives and filling a void that had been there for a minute, in a space where I was just here with myself because I didn’t have anyone,” she says. “They love him, which makes me love him even more.”
The feeling is mutual for the groom. “She is unbelievable. She is just the most laid back, hilarious and fun loving person. She’s a woman of faith,” enthuses Henderson. “She can cook, she can dress, and She can sing!”
As for the Hendersons next, “We want to build a legacy together,” says O’Neal. For her, the next chapter is about “growing, developing and becoming,” she says.
