Candiace Dillardreallydidn’t want to cry. And then she saw Chris Bassett’s eyes across the room.
TheReal Housewives of Potomacstar was doing her best to control her emotions on Saturday as she prepared towed Bassett in front of 260 friends and familyat the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. But as strong as she was, nothing prepared her for the moment she started walking down the aisle and locked eyes with her soon-to-be husband.
“When they opened the doors, I only saw him,” Dillard tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I was connected to Chris’ eyes. And he was crying, so I was weeping. There’s an ugly cry moment where I had to stop and scrunch up my face. To be walking towards the man who is going to be your husband? That was such a powerful and incredible feeling.”
Dillard and Bassett’s nuptials were a long time coming for the pair, who met while working at a restaurant together in D.C. and dated for nearly two years before he proposed in May 2017.
For the ceremony, the grand Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium was decked out with décor fromSocial Supply Events, including a mirrored walkway, boxes of white roses, floating chandeliers and a custom-made gold mirror arbor flanked withEdge Floral Event Design‘s cascading flowers.
“They all just showed out,” she says. “They got my vision perfectly. As far as the look and the aesthetic of the venue, I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”
Cocktail hour and a reception followed, with a feast of hors d’oeuvres and a seated dinner fromSpilled Milk Cateringthat included lamb chops, a summer watermelon salad, short ribs and a sea bass with dill — an option that referenced their wedding hashtag (#cbasswithdill).
As for the raspberry almond wedding cake? That was fromButterCream Bakeshop.
“The food was friggin’ amazing,” Dillard,a former Miss United States, recalls. “Delicious. The presentation was art deco, a little victorian — it matched all the themes I wanted in the wedding. And the cake was so, so good. We got nothing but great feedback from our guests on the food. So mission accomplished.”
Music fromWe the FixandDJ Tryfekept the guests moving. “We definitely danced the night away,” Dillard says. “I had a good sweat going on so I knowIdanced. My feet are still in shambles, so my body is telling me I had a good time.”
There were speeches throughout the night too, including ones from her dad and stepdad (who both walked her down the aisle) and one from Dillard’s mom. Bassett’s two best men, his brother his best friend, also gave speeches. “I wish we had maybe an extra hour at the reception, because all the speeches were amazing. I didn’t want them to stop,” Dillard says.
“That dress was everything I wanted it to be and then some,” Dillard says. “I knew I wanted a ballgown and I tried on several, but they just weren’t doing it. But Karen made it happen. It had the perfect drop-waist bodice, because when you’re a short girl wearing a ballgown, you have to be careful about it cutting you off on the wrong lines. And it was so light. It looked heavy, but I was really able to dance and jump around and move in it. I loved it.”
A a second dress — a halter with cold shoulder sleeves and a mini poof skirt in a metallic flower sequence fabric — made its debut at the afterparty.
RELATED VIDEO:The Real Housewives of PotomacGo Makeup-Free for PEOPLE
Now that the wedding is behind them, Dillard and Bassett —a restaurateurand father of three — have a honeymoon to plan. They’ve got some time, the two not planning on heading out on the getaway until January, when they can get some good vacation time scheduled.
“We’re thinking either Greece or Dubai, though we’ve also gotten some good suggestions in the Amalfi coast and Thailand,” Dillard explains. “What’s important for us in a honeymoon destination is that we’re able to immerse ourselves in a culture. Not just the food and the libations, but also being around the people and watching how those countries live. So all those places check those boxes.”
And in the meantime, they’ll be reminiscing about their big day for years to come.
“It feels so crazy,” Dillard says. “As soon as Chris and I walked back down the aisle together, the first thing I said to him was, ‘Can we do it again?’ And that’s how I feel about it now. I’ll remember it forever.”
The Real Housewives of Potomacairs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
source: people.com
