Joslyn Pennywell found her knight in shining armor. She said her fiance, Kibwe Trim, is a dream come true.
On March 19, the two will tie the knot in front of their family and friends and everyone tuned into Lifetime.
The pair from Van Nuys, California, were chosen to be among eight couples featured on “My Great Big Live Wedding.”
Celebrity wedding planner David Tutera surprised them with the announcement that he’s going to entirely plan their wedding.
Joslyn said when she was younger, she watched “My Fair Wedding” and hoped Tutera could design her big day.
She had no idea her wildest hopes — for her groom and her wedding planner — would come true.
For Kibwe, the experience is proof that good things come to people who are disciplined, determined and dedicated.
He grew up in Trinidad, a small Caribbean island, watching a lot of TV and nursing what he thought were impossible dreams.
Kibwe got a college scholarship and moved to the U.S. then went on to play pro basketball internationally. In 2013, he started DreamChaser International, an nonprofit that offers scholarships and mentoring for at-risk youth. He wrote a book, “From Nerd to Pro” and gives inspirational talks.
Joslyn is originally from northeastern Louisiana. She attended Boley Elementary in West Monroe and graduated from Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jonesboro. Her family still lives in the area.
The couple met a few years ago at The Parlor, a sports bar on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. They were watching daytime football with their friends. Joslyn was in the restroom when a woman randomly asked her to take a picture. As she and the stranger were leaving the bathroom, the stranger asked 6-foot-10 Kibwe to take a photo, too, because he was tall.
Joslyn said she grabbed his hand and led him over for the photo, then they went back to their groups of friends. They kept making eye contact, then she approached him.
They’ve been together ever since.
A stranger somewhere has their first photo. Joslyn laughed that they’d love to get a copy.
She’s accustomed to being in the public eye. She was on “America’s Next Top Model” in 2008 and has continued her career as a model, actress and producer. Kibwe said she naturally started working with him at DreamChaser.
Half of the couple’s wedding registry will go toward helping others. Dream Chaser is working on a “One Word, One Globe,” campaign. The idea is to raise $10,000 annually to help young people in 10 deserving countries. They want to start with the first country in August, but that depends on fundraising efforts.
Together, they have organized drives, run athletic camps, spoken at schools and volunteered their time. In April 2018, they did an Easter event with Blessed Beyond Measure in Monroe.
Kibwe said they met on Nov. 16 a few years ago. His birthday is May 16, hers is Jan. 16. Sixteens are important to them. So he made dinner on July 15, then waited until after midnight to pop the question.
Initially, the two kept the engagement quiet. They wanted to wait and be more public with it when they went to visit his family in Trinidad over Thanksgiving, but that trip fell through. (Kibwe did a second public proposal with her friends.)
Joslyn has met her future in-laws over video chat, but she’ll be meeting most of Kibwe’s family and finally get to hug them when they come to Los Angeles for the wedding.
It makes the event even more special to her. She said the whole experience is blessing, from the groom to the whole fantasy planning experience.
Joslyn won’t see her dress until fittings the week of the event. Both said handing over the wedding planning is a little nerve-wracking, but Tutera has met with them a few times to make sure things are on track. They trust him implicitly.
For both of them, the whole wedding is about dreams coming true.
Tune in
Joslyn and Kibwe will get married March 19. The show will start at 9 p.m. CT.
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