The first time Kemi and Toyin came into each other’s lives was at a friend’s baby shower, followed by church the next morning. Though they each left a strong impression in the other’s mind they didn’t have the opportunity to communicate save an email during the week that ended where it began. Living in different states it wouldn’t be till eight months later that their paths would cross once again, but this time, byway of divine assistance, a relationship would begin bringing them forever together…
Read all about Kemi & Toyin’s love story, romantic proposal, and engagement session experience – expertly captured by MunaLuchi Coterie Ambassador, Chad Pennington of Sobitart Photography.
Bride & Groom-to-be: Kemi & Toyin
Occupations: Pediatric Endocrinologist & Actuary
Wedding date: June 10, 2017
Wedding location: Atlanta, GA
Location of Engagement shoot: Atlanta Georgia (midtown); Goat Farm Arts Center Atlanta; Intercontinental Hotel Buckhead.
Tell us how you met and all about the proposal. Toyin and I lived in different states. He was in Chicago and I was living in Atlanta. He came to visit a friend in Atlanta and came to a baby shower that I was attending, however we didn’t have an opportunity to speak to each other at that time. Then he came to my church the next day. Again, we didn’t speak to each other but during the week, as part of my duties in the followup ministry at church, I actually had to reach out to him to thank him for coming to church. He sent me an email to ask a question about church and I excitedly responded, but once again nothing happened, so I didn’t think I would see him again especially since he lived in another state.
Fast forward 8 months later, I had a heart to heart with God and asked Him to please kindly allow me to meet my husband the next day at church (a friend told me that that’s how she met her husband). Little did I know, my mother had a similar prayer. So, I went to church expectant. Funny enough, I got to church and there goes Toyin again. That day, a mutual friend in church introduced us to each other. We went to dinner the next day and hit it off from there.
We spent many months traveling back and forth to see each other. On one particular visit, Toyin flew me in from Atlanta to Chicago after work. We went to dinner, saw a Beres Hammond reggae concert and I flew back out the next morning.
14 months into our courtship, I was flying from Houston to Wisconsin for work. Unfortunately, I got confused and drove to the wrong airport and missed my flight. Completely frazzled and unsure of what to do, I decided to fly to Chicago and then to Wisconsin first thing in the morning to get to work by the afternoon. In the morning, I was so focused on trying to get to the airport on time. My bags were packed and I was ready to head out of the door, then Toyin kept asking me if I was ready. I thought to myself “Yes I am, lets go”. He asked again. I said “Yes”. He then asked me to come in the room so that we could talk. As I walked in I realized what was about to happen. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I gladly cried and accepted. That was definitely one flight that was worth missing.
Describe your engagement session. To be honest, we had no idea of what we were going to do. We tried to look at pictures and come up with ideas but we were coming up blank. Thank God for Chad from Sobitart Photography. He was absolutely awesome. He set up a phone meeting to get to know us. He was interested in not only providing a good shoot, but getting something that represented us. He gave us some pointers and direction on what to wear and kept telling us not to worry, that he would work things out. On that day, Chad flew out to Atlanta from New York and canvased the city for us hours prior to our shoot. He literally went above and beyond to find sites for our shoot. That was an unusually windy and cold day in Atlanta, but Chad did an amazing job in directing us. He did everything to make us laugh and get comfortable (because we were both novices). By the end of the shoot, we totally ignored the cold weather and focused on the task at hand. He was patient with us and didn’t stop until he was sure that he was able to capture shots that he knew we would love. We truly had a good time despite the cold and had a great session. He was an excellent photographer for us and helped us to get our sexy on.
What did you do on your first date? Toyin was only in town for one more night after we met. He called me the next day and invited me to a Thai restaurant. I was impressed on how he was able to find a great restaurant in a city the he did not live in. We talked and laughed for hours even after the dinner was finished. He was such a gentleman and called me to make sure that I arrived home safely. I knew that he was something special and he realized the same. We absolutely hit it off from that point.
What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple? We both enjoy traveling, listening to music and going to sports games.
How has wedding planning been so far? Wedding planning has been fun but also very tedious. There are so many details that need to be attended to. So far, the hardest part is getting our invitation list together and choosing the right vendors. We look forward to an exciting ceremony full of laughter and fun.
Tell us what you’re looking forward to most on the wedding day. Walking into the reception hall together and seeing how beautiful everything is and seeing our family and friends from near and far who have come to celebrate with us.
Vendors:
Photographer – Chad from Sobitart Photography
Hair – Plushradiance in Atlanta and Tina from Zerogravity Salon in Atlanta
Makeup – UD from Maoriartistry
Wardrobe – Kemi and Toyin
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