manolo doreste Shaunie O’Neal and Keion Henderson
Shaunie O’Neal and Keion Henderson are married!
The basketball wives The star officially tied the knot with her pastor fiancé in a ceremony on a tropical island on Saturday, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm.
Nearly 200 guests attended the Anguilla wedding, which was held at the Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club. The romantic outdoor ceremony took place on the 10th hole of the golf course, with the bride entering as singer Yolanda Adams performed. The bride’s three sons walked her down the aisle to meet her husband.
“I just lost my dad in February,” O’Neal told PEOPLE. “So I really struggled with how I was going to walk down the aisle. Losing my dad in the middle of planning this wedding was a lot, so my sons let me down.”
Having her five children (along with ex Shaquille O’Neal) there to support her was “everything” for the happy mum, who describes her family as a “package” when it comes to relationships.
O’Neal wore a sparkling dress by Jean Louis Sabajai in partnership with fashion designer Eric Archibald, paired with a dreamy veil also from the designer. She accessorized with David Yurman jewelry and Jimmy Choo shoes. The glowing bride’s updo was perfected by Diamond Johnson, with her makeup done by Alaina Saulsberry.
Henderson wore a cream Dolce and Gabbana tuxedo, while the groomsmen were dressed in Atelier Houston.
Bishop TD Jakes officiated the nuptials, which were 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 of Beverly Hills.
The location was an easy pick for the honeymooners, who “immediately fell in love with it” on a previous trip.
“I think after that first visit we knew this was the place we wanted to get married,” O’Neal, 47, told PEOPLE. For Henderson, 41, Anguilla’s rich history and welcoming locals made them “proud to connect with” the island and “begin their journey here.”
During the reception, the couple’s friends and family dined on Anguilla-inspired dishes, including local fish and crayfish, all amid blush rose flowers created by Black Orchid.
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Guests spent the evening dancing to music by The Isley Brothers and Jukebox in a custom tent at the resort’s clubhouse and D Richards restaurant, before Spinderella took over DJ duties late into the night for the afterparty.
Thoughtful details were incorporated throughout the ceremony and reception, including an Eleven/11 toast (a meaningful symbol for newlyweds) with McBride Sisters Brut Prosecco.
Although extravagant and certainly bigger than they had originally planned – Shaunie tells PEOPLE their original guest count was only 50 – the evening was special and intimate. “We wanted our guests to have a fun weekend,” 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 O’Neal and Henderson, the connection was undeniable from their first date, a six-hour date in a hotel lobby.
“I was in California getting ready to preach. …She finally agreed to meet with me,” Henderson told PEOPLE. O’Neal had gone out to dinner with a friend earlier that evening and told her future husband that she would go out with him “if she had time after eating.”
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So, for the next six hours, they connected on family and faith. “But then I walk her to her car, give her a side hug, and let her get in the car and drive away,” the groom says.
“He didn’t even try to kiss me!” his fiancée intervenes.
Henderson says she gave him “complete pandemonium” for weeks after groping for that first kiss. He caught it at the perfect time: “I showed her the kiss I would have given her the day I met her,” Henderson told PEOPLE of their first kiss as husband and wife on Saturday.
Henderson fit right in with his family long before the “I do,” his wife says. “It’s been amazing to come into our lives and fill a void that’s been there for a minute in a space to just be here with me, because I haven’t had anyone,” she says. “They love him, which makes me love him even more.”
The feeling is mutual for the groom. “She’s amazing. She’s just the most laid back, hilarious, fun-loving person. She’s a woman of faith,” Henderson exclaims. “She knows how to cook, she knows how to dress, and she can sing!”
As for what’s next for the Hendersons, “we want to build a legacy together,” O’Neal said. The next chapter for her is about “growth, evolution and becoming,” she says.