When 27-year old Nakyia Whitty uploaded photos from her wedding by the sea, she had no idea they’d ultimately take the internet by storm.
Whitty and her husband Javonte Davis tied the knot on June 11, 2016, after four years of dating, Buzzfeed reports. Following the beach-side ceremony, the new bride began posting photos from the wedding to her Instagram account. According to Buzzfeed, her photos were then picked up by another account, and the rest is history.
The images of Whitty and her bridesmaids on a sandy beach donning crowns of free-flowing natural hair prompted comments of awe and admiration from people across the web. As the photos continued to make their rounds on social media, more and more people became infatuated with the natural beauty exuded by the curly-haired bride and her bridesmaids.
Fans of the womens’ natural hair took to social media to appreciate and gawk over their beautifully luscious curls.
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Whitty’s Instagram account was flooded with messages of adoration too.
Her Instagram photos have since received nearly 5,000 likes.
“I mean, we are beyond honored and humbled to have been seen, appreciated, and loved by so many,” Whitty told Buzzfeed. The newlywed said she was totally surprised at how people reacted to her wedding photos.
“Look what y’all did!!!! Guys! I had no ides my wedding day pictures would make such a splash on social media,” Whitty wrote in an ecstatic Instagram post. “I have had people share with me how they are or were afraid to wear their natural hair out and I’ve given them some sort of boost to want to wear their God given tresses. And I would just like to say that I honestly was just getting married with who and what I love and appreciate in mind for MY photo album.”
Though she hasn’t always been natural, Whitty said she’s fallen in love with her “God-given tresses.” According to Buzzfeed, the bride started her natural hair journey four years ago and planned to have her bridesmaids don their natural locks before she ever got engaged.
With the help of her husband and hours spent watching YouTube hair tutorials, Whitty began to learn what worked and didn’t work for her natural hair.
“We learned my hair together,” she explained. “Blessed to have that type of support. I don’t know how many YouTube tutorials a man can take, exactly, but he definitely exceeded maximum capacity.”
Whitty is still in complete shock at the amount of attention her photos have garnered, but said she’s happy to have encouraged people to flaunt their natural tresses with confidence.
“Wearing my natural hair signifies who I am as a Black woman, who God created me to be, she told Buzzfeed when explaining why donning her natural hair is so important to her.
“I love my natural tresses,” she continued. “I wasn’t always natural, but when I started this journey I began to appreciate and love what I was born with.”