On My Journey to Love, I Found You; Engagement Session in the DMV: Chidimma + Chidiebere -Munaluchi Bride

You have a way of coming into our lives unexpectedly.

You transcend and break all barriers.

You reach the darkest of places, the tiniest of crevices, the sharpest corners,

Then you infiltrate, flood, and surround your light,

For all to see.

To witness.

To inspire.

To share.

You are gentle, you are patient, you are real.

You are indescribable,

You are undeniable,

You are,

You are love…

Love has a way of coming into our lives unexpectedly. This gorgeous couple believes that the way they met was through a divine providence. God has played a major part in their lives and they strongly believe that because of Him, they were able to grow and love through His will. Chidimma and Chidiebere’s paths crossed and they were able to join each other on a single path and embark on an exciting journey to love.

How They Crossed Paths on Their Journey:

You never know who you can meet in the most unfortunate of situations or events. Chidiebere’s late grandmother was called home and his was preparing a homegoing to the Lord in Mbaise, Nigeria. Although death is mournful and saddening event, for Nigerians it is also a celebration of life and triumph of the deceased person’s life. What Chidiebere did not know was that God was also about to indirectly reveal the person who he was meant to spent the rest of his life with…

Chidiebere’s sister, Nneka (who resides in Washington D.C.), met his now fiance’s, Chidimma, father. He mentioned that he had a daughter, Chidimma, that resides and works in D.C. as well and that they should network with one another.

Eventually when Nneka met and got to know Chidimma, she made it a point to introduce Chidiebere to her. She felt that they would be a great match for one another!

“During my visit to the East Coast, on Christmas Day, I contacted her. We exchanged digits, and of course Nneka immediately sought bragging rights. We chatted quite a bit actually. I must say, I felt as though we knew each other already for some time. Chemistry. It was a smooth, animated conversation, filled with occasional sarcasm, sincere laughter and interesting commonalities.”

Their first date was at a restaurant called Station 4 in DC. They went out for brunch which is Chidimma’s favorite meal of the day.

Later that Christmas night they met up at her friend’s place in Baltimore. The three, had a great time as they chatted, watched TV, and connected with one another. Chidiebere recalls the impression that Chidimma left on him from that night:

“The very next morning, I left DC. Every day since, we’ve spoken at least once a day. Chidimma has captivated me in more ways than I could imagine. Her innate humility, her inner beauty, and her joie-de-vivre lights up my heart and gives me life. I like to think that Christ graced the birth of our relationship with His birthday. I pray that as long as He lives, His grace will nurture and grow my love for her.
Quite frankly I could not make up a better story.”

Christmas Day would be a day that Chidiebere will never forget. For that it was birth of Christ that conceived their union and the start of their journey to love.

A Birthday to Remember:

Every year Chidimma makes it a point to celebrate her birthday. It was September 20th, and Chidimma and Chidiebere planned to celebrate at Seaside Beach in New Jersey for the weekend. They chose a hotel room that had a scenic view of the waves on the beach. Little did Chidimma know that the very beach she would be gazing at in the mornings would become a precious memory for her. She had no idea what was in store.

The next morning the couple went to church and then for brunch afterwards. After Chidiebere treated Chidimma to her favorite breakfast food, waffles, he immediately decided to rush the brunch in order to take her for a helicopter ride! Chidimma was beyond excited and thrilled! An hour later they arrived to the helicopter pad and were ready to take flight until the something unexpected happened. Due to the unsafe windy weather conditions that day, the pilot strongly advised for them not to ride that day. Chidibere was upset but Chidimma did not mind at all, “So in my reasonable I-love-my-life mentality, I pretty much got back in the car like, oh well, maybe next time. Chidi decides he wants to go inside and see if he can talk the pilot into flying. What?? I sit there nervously waiting, meanwhile looking up the wind specifications for the pilot’s helicopter model. He wasn’t lying, it was way too windy to fly!”

Chidiebere was not going to give up that easily. He had a plan that Chidimma was not ready for. She was wondering if he was okay. While he was in the helicopter he took the opportunity to call Chidimma’s father and tell him that he was planning to propose to his daughter on a helicopter ride. His response was hilarious! “Biko [please], you don’t have to fly to propose. Just propose on the beach.” He laughed and it reassured Chidiebere that he was given the go!

He returned to a concerned and confused Chidimma, “I very gently explain to him that I will not under any circumstances fly in these winds, even if he pays me. Besides, the pilot refused to fly. So we finally get to the beach, which was super cute and lots of fun! After a bit of sun-bathing, wading, picture-taking, and car-peddling, we decide to check into the hotel. This is where things change…
We enter the hotel, and he asks me, “Do you love me?” I was like, “Of course, babe.” It was only about 2pm, so he asked the concierge if we could check in early. After getting his information, she said the room would be ready in about 15-20 minutes. Ok, cool. After a few minutes, he hugged me and asked, “Do you love me?” “Babe, yes, I love you!” He laughed, “ Just checking, geez.” The concierge let us know that our room was ready and gave us the room key. We headed to the elevators. As we got close to our floor, he asked me yet again, “Babe, do you love me?”, Chidimma was getting suspicious. She didn’t even answer.

Chidimma: “We entered the room, and there were rose petals leading from the door to the bed, which was decorated with even more roses, petals, swans, and some peach-flavored white wine. Whaaaat? Did we order the sweetheart suite?? I turned around and he handed me a gift, “Here’s your next birthday gift, babe.” It was a t-shirt. I held it up and realized that it said, “Feyonce.” At this point, my mind was spinning! I think I said something incomprehensible and started laughing. Chidiebere got down on one knee before me, and my voice in my mind was yelling, “whaaaaat???” “yasssss!!!” “wow…wow…wow, wow, wow!” all at the same time, so I actually could not hear what my beau was saying at the time.

Chidiebere: “I was pretty excited about how things were unfolding. It was not until I got down on one knee that I was hit with an overwhelming wave of nervousness. But I spoke from the heart, and said, “I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my wife?”

Chidimma: “I finally reconnected with my physical being and said, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” I then knelt down with my best friend and future husband. We laughed and cried and knew that this was a blessed beginning of forever.”

The Unique Engagement Session:

The soon to be bride and groom lived very far apart. Chidiebere lived in Massachusetts and Chidimma lived in DC. And because of this they spend a lot of time saying sweet hellos and long goodbyes. In order to make their engagement session work for the both of them they actually decided to make their photo shoot at the metro and the airport! They chose King St. Metro in Alexandria, VA and the Reagan International Airport in DC/VA. Also the picturesque Georgetown area of DC.

Chidimma’s very talented sister Mache, made sure Chidimma’s make up was flawless and looked her best! Although Chidimma’s hair took up almost the whole previous night, it was well worth it because her gorgeous natural hair complimented her outfits and makeup. Chidiebere looked rather dapper in his suspenders and newsboy cap. The photographer was very flexible and was able to quickly capture every moment of this couple from one location to another. And although it was a gray and foggy morning, it made for some interesting photos, character, depth, and intensity.

Final Destination, The Wedding Planning:

“Wedding planning has been a bit of a roller coaster. Some things have been so easy to plan, while other things have completely thrown me for a loop! I’ve also had to accept the fact that it’s a family affair for BOTH families, and that the balancing act can be quite a challenge. I recently enlisted my cousin as my wedding planner, and things have been going a LOT better since then! Our goal remains the same, which is to have an amazingly beautiful celebration without breaking the bank for it :-)”

The couple is mostly looking forward to all the buzz that will be going around them on their wedding day. And of course the moment that will come and stand before the alter together exchanging their “I, dos” before God.

Chidimma and Chidiebere will wed on September 15, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia!