Weddings, one of the most universally practiced and culturally significant milestones in human history, serve as the formal introduction to the institution of marriage. As with many traditions, people often personalize the ceremony of reciting nuptials in front of family and friends.
Taylor Tankson and Kareem Wallace, cofounders of Brooklyn-based lifestyle brand Tribe & Oak, kept the personalization strictly business by keeping every vendor local and community-rooted for their big day, supporting the companies that have been part of their own small-business journey.
Unions of love and business don't always blossom overnight.
"We met through friends. He knew I was from Detroit, so he started sending me all of the worst things that happened in Detroit," said Tankson. "He would send me those memes on Instagram, and that kind of cultivated a friendship. And then friendship led to us dating."
The couple met in NYC in 2018, began dating in 2020, and started Tribe & Oak in 2021.
For a brand with Tribe in its name, what better way to exemplify family-first energy than by including their day-one businesses?
The New York City wedding industry is an economic engine that hummed along to the tune of approximately $1.6 billion in annual consumer spending in 2025, across venues, catering, photography, entertainment, florals, planning, fashion and other wedding services. Intentionality and adherence to concept can be challenging with a plethora of vendor options that NYC offers from the cake to the venue.
These are the companies that Tankson and Wallace used for their wedding:
Food: Taste of heaven Black- and family-owned
Drinks: Brooklyn Tea, Black- and family-owned
Cake: Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery, family-owned
Venue: Bathaus, woman-owned
Hair: Courtney.j (Courtney Jamilah), woman-owned, and ShamekLloyd (Shamek Lloyd), Brooklyn-owned
Tribe & Oak has been rocking with their wedding's vendors since bootstrapping their business in 2021. They said it made sense to use their dearest friends and amazing Brooklyn-owned businesses for all of their wedding needs.
Their very Brooklyn-based home fragrance brand has grown and their products can be found on their website and at pop-ups across the city, but also at stores including Nordstrom online, JFK Terminal 8 and Alchemy at the Oculus.
The food was delicious, the drinks unique and refreshing, the cake stunning and the couple presented as a well-coiffed, beautiful duo, giving red carpet vibes for their big day.
Saying "I do" in front of friends and family, while working with your favorite businesses, brings new meaning to wedding goals.
