Love is in the air, and that Wedding seasonMember of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Chapter and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Alpha Chapter, showed up and showed off at their wedding ceremony! Rachel Crouch, who is a Delta, and Kimberly “Kim” Burks, who is an AKA, tied the knot in an elaborate ceremony that only members of the Divine 9 could have planned.

Since some of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. left Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. to form their own organization in 1913, there has been a pretty serious rivalry between the two sororities. Although there is some competition between AKAs and Deltas, it is all love rooted in sisterhood and service. Rachel and Kim’s wedding is one of the most significant expressions of that love, for two have been united as one.

The couple are now officially Mrs. and Mrs. Burks-Crouch and they had a wedding filled with dancing, laughter and fun at Chicago venue Charcoal Factory, where members of both organizations came together to celebrate sisterly and romantic love. The couple are both graduates of Howard University and were friends in college, but their romance didn’t begin until Kim, a Chicago native and educator, approached Rachel, a Washington DC educator, and artist who specializes in paints and varnishes luxurious college clothingon her birthday three years ago.

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According to Kim, the couple had a crush on each other for twenty years, but the crush unexpectedly developed into love. “Over the years, it was like we knew we were interested in each other,” the bride tells Black Love. “All of our friends knew we were interested in each other, but neither of us ever really pulled the trigger. Plus, Rachel was always in a relationship, so we were always just friends.”

Kim says she “kind of crashed Rachel’s birthday party” in 2021 and called Rachel beforehand to let her know she was coming. The two bonded during the celebration, but it wasn’t until Kim was getting ready to leave that she made her move.

“We stood in the doorway and I kissed her,” Kim says. “I think the next weekend I came back to DC and we spent the whole weekend together and have been together ever since. But in the fall we made it official; I asked her to be my girlfriend.”

Rachel, in turn, tells Black Love that she “had a crush on Kim from the first moment I met her.”

“I always went to the club when I knew she would be there,” says the owner of 1982 Gallery. “I secretly admired her and had a crush on her years before I knew she liked me back! We saw each other at homecoming and with friends in DC, but due to our other relationships, we didn’t connect. She crashed my birthday party in 2021 and we’ve been talking every day since.”

It didn’t take long for Kim and Rachel to know they had found “the one.” For both of them, there was a special moment when they realized they had found their woman. For Kim, that moment happened on Thanksgiving 2021, when the couple were talking across the room.

“I think we were talking about how we would refer to each other as ‘partner’ or ‘friend,’ and I was like, you know, none of this feels right to me,” Kim explains. “‘I want to call you my wife, like you’re my wife,'” she recalls thinking.

“At that moment I knew that one day she would be my wife.”

For Rachel, there were a series of moments that made her feel like Kim was the one for her.

“I looked over at Kim so many times and thought, ‘This is it, I want you for the rest of my life,'” says Rachel. The educator adds that it was Kim’s selfies in the car that made an immediate impression.

“This is going to sound weird, but I remember every time Kim sent me a car selfie,” Rachel explains. “I was immediately blown away by 1) how I want to spend the rest of my life with her and 2) how beautiful she is. I know this is random, but she sends me car selfies after she’s had her hair done. The moment she thinks she’s the most beautiful, the first photo she sends me when she gets in the car is when I want to be the person she sends her first car selfie to.”

The couple got engaged on November 11, 2022, almost 20 years after they met in 2002, and celebrated their wedding on May 19, 2024. Their proposal was as dreamy as their wedding day. Kim was blown away when Rachel proposed to her at the Godfrey Hotel.

“She suggested we go to this cute igloo at the Godfrey Hotel,” says Kim. “I was dressed all in white and had no idea what was going to happen. We went into the igloo, turned on our music, danced, laughed and took loads of selfies. We were chatting about our future when Rachel handed me one of the Ring Pops I’d given us for Valentine’s Day. While I was laughing, opening it and talking about how it was stale, she completely surprised me with this heartfelt proposal. I was completely blindsided!”

There were even surprises for Rachel on the night of her proposal. Kim says that Rachel organized an intimate post-proposal dinner with friends, but Rachel had no idea that her twin sister Rebecca, who was at “Black Love” Season 2 with her partner Jai, would be there.

“Her sister and her best friend flew in,” says Kim. “We spent the weekend at the Ambassador Hotel and for the grand finale, Rachel told me we were going to a Target party – shout out to Kahlana (Barfield) – so I had a dress, shoes, etc. ready, but it turned out to be our engagement photo shoot at the hotel!”

Although Rachel had planned her proposal, she was still worried about whether the surprise would work. She tells Black Love that she “so nervous” that she “had panic attacks all morning; paced the house.”

“I kept thinking, ‘Oh my God, what if I get there and can’t find the ring?!’ But the proposal was private. The next day we had dinner with our friends and my friends surprised me by flying to Chicago to join us! Then there was an amazing photo shoot. Kim looked so beautiful. I’m so grateful.”

On her wedding day, Rachel looked elegant and sophisticated in an all-black tuxedo by Givenchy and TI Nathan. Her wife Kim looked effortlessly elegant in her all-white dress by Rachel Gilbert Bride.

Kim completed her look with makeup by a black makeup artist Troye Antonio and hair from the stylist Alexander Brown. The couple obviously had a great time, as shown by the beautiful photos and videos they shared on social media. From the electric slide for the all-round good atmosphere, Rachel and Kim were surrounded by love during and after the ceremony.

Membership in a Black Greek organization is a lifelong commitment, not unlike marriage. More than 20 years after these two women crossed the proverbial burning sandbar and began their crush, they tied the knot—bringing together countless Alpha Chapter sisters from both of their sororities.

When asked about her most memorable moment of the evening, Rachel says, “I think the first look was the most memorable. I was alone, waiting for Kim to come down the stairs. I didn’t even know what a first look was. They explained it to me just beforehand. When I saw her, I was overwhelmed with so much joy, love and gratitude. I couldn’t believe she was going to be my wife forever.”

The connection between Rachel and Kim is obvious, as she also found the first look to be the most memorable part of their wedding.

“If I had to pick one moment, I’d say it was our first look,” Kim says. “That was our private time together, just us. I mean, and of course with cameras, but that was the moment I thought, ‘She’s finally going to be my wife.'”

Kim adds that getting ready that morning with her family in the bridal suite was also a touching memory for her that she will never forget.

“There was a very special atmosphere in my suite all morning,” she says. “My mother, my friends and I were having a party. This self-confidence and the fact that everything was OK were just there – for me it was a pure celebration of love, devotion and partnership.”

It was an emotional evening for everyone involved. Kim and her father Tears wiped away as he prepared to walk her down the aisle. Both Kim and Rachel were overwhelmed by emotions while reciting their vows. Rachel later reflected on the ceremony, writing on Instagram: “I always tell my friends, ‘If you ever see me crying on the internet, GIVE ME A BITCH!’ Awesome! IT’S FOREVER, BABY!!!”

During the celebration, Rebecca, who is also Delta, said sang the “Song of Treasure” with other members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in a touching moment captured on camera. Rebecca says that Singing the song at her twin sister’s wedding was “a moving moment that I will always remember.”

Rachel and Kim worked with a Chicago-based event planner Kia Marie and designers Ameer Roberts to their Vision for life. Hidden Botany And Sweet Pea Design Studio provided the flowers and floral arrangements with The happier one And Brodie Bee Studios Provision of wedding stationery. The wedding cake was provided Cake Life Chicago and wedding photographers Mack Julion And Mari Trancoso provided the photos and content creation. Guests received Smelly matchboxes with an illustration of Rachel and Kim and the wedding date engraved on the box.

““It was definitely the most magical day of my life and it exceeded my every expectation,” Kim concluded.

Congratulations to the happy couple!