Slutty Vegan founder, Pinky Cole, and Big Dave’s Cheesesteak founder, Derrick Hayes, tied the knot in Atlanta on Saturday, June 10.

The ceremony took place at The St. Regis Hotel with gospel artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard opening the ceremony and R&B artist Montell Jordan officiating the wedding.

”It’s a fairytale, a Cinderella wedding,“ Pinky Cole told People. “Just the other day, my mother saw me in my dress for the first time, and I never thought I would see myself in a wedding dress. It’s a dream come true because I’m doing something that no one in my family has ever done. To be the first to have a wedding is a big deal. I’m breaking generational patterns and creating a new one.”

The two restaurateurs met in June of 2020 and became engaged in July 2022 at Essence Festival of Culture. The couple has two kids: daughter D Ella Hayes, 1, and son Derrick Hayes Jr.,11 months.

How a team of Birmingham businesses helped with the big day

Cole and Hayes have never been shy about supporting other Black-owned businesses, so when time came to plan for the Big Day, they booked a couple of Birmingham based businesses.

The Sharp Standard and K&J’s Elegant Pastries were tapped to help plan the eventful pink night. The venue, décor, dresses and almost everything was a shade of blush, light pinks and rose gold. A shade of pink was everywhere — in true Pinky Cole fashion.

The Sharp Standard is a premiere event planning business based in Atlanta that is known for creating luxurious weddings. The owner of the company, Brittany Sharp, previously had her business in her hometown of Birmingham before moving it to Atlanta.

Cole’s best friend and bridesmaid attended another wedding planned by The Sharp Standard, and was amazed by the beauty and detail of the event. The friend called Cole from the ceremony to tell her how she needed to use The Sharp Standard for her future nuptials.

“Initially she was going to have it in Jamaica, but she reached out to me 5 weeks ago to have the wedding in Atlanta,” Sharp said.

Sharp was more than happy to take on the challenge and plan Cole’s big day. “When it comes to entrepreneurship, Pinky has paved the way for millennials. So for her to ask me to plan the biggest day of her life, it’s such an honor. I’m on such a high because they could have chosen anyone else.”

Kristal Bryant of K&J’s Elegant Pastries has long had a relationship with Pinky Cole. Bryant previously made a cake for Cole’s grand opening of the Woodlawn location of Slutty Vegan. Bryant was excited to create an elegant cake for the wedding.

Bryant had four weeks to create a nine tier cake that stood taller than 3-feet. Bryant wanted to make sure the cake represented a luxury-sleek look by decorating it with floral sails, and of course, the cake had different variations of pink accents with colors like mauve, nude, blush and gold.

Similar to Sharp, Bryant felt honored to be asked to create the cake that will always be remembered on Cole’s Big Day.

“Out of all the people that are in Georgia, for her to call me in Alabama, it’s an amazing feeling to know that I’m trusted,” she said. “It feels good to know my work speaks to that caliber of events.”