Real Fusion Wedding in {Brooklyn}: Farrah + Abiola – and the Bride Wore BLACK!

Farrah and Abiola are anything but conventional – and that’s the way they like it!

Having first met on the dance floor, and then, going through an interesting chase, Farrah and Abiola decided that it was time their hearts stayed put with each other and ceased the pursuit. :) Abiola was so convinced of this that he proposed to Farrah not once, but twice! I did say they were unconventional, right? ;) Read the story of this interesting couple in their own words. Their very uniquely beautiful  was photographed by Amber Knowles of The Amber Studio. Look out for the bride bucking all the rules as she looks ravishing in black, and the 21st century vow reading by the couple – no papers and pens here. :)  Also, be sure to check out this super stylish couple on our partner site, Ebony.com.

Bride: Farrah Desir
Groom: Abiola Oke
Occupations: Bride – Senior Executive Director of Construction @ YMCA ; Groom – Associate Vice President at Citigroup
Wedding Date: 04.07.2012
Location: Causey Contemporary Art Gallery, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

How They Met ….. “Okay, so this is how we met. Before we actually go into “The Story,” we’ve already sent the script out to a studio of which, Channing Tatum, Ryan Gosling and Sarah Silverman (Farrah’s choice; don’t ask) have agreed to play our roles. Yep. Keep a look out. ;)

Farrah and Abiola first met on the 15th of July, 2004 while both attending an after-work event at theChina Club. Abiola spots this beautiful girl near the dance floor standing with a friend and her cousin, Constance. Abiola decided to go ask her for a dance. He found Farrah very attractive and inviting; so, they enjoyed a few dances together that evening. Many years, later Abiola would eventually discover that the only reason Farrah agreed to dance with him was because he was African and wore a suit; since she hadn’t dated an African man before, she thought it’d be interesting. We’re assuming that if he were American it’d be an entirely different story.

Shortly thereafter, Abiola and Farrah stayed in touch and decided to go on a date. On their first date, Abiola took Farrah to see Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Farrah thought Abiola had an interesting sense of humor. In hindsight, the movie selection was a big risk and could have been a deal breaker, but he felt comfortable with her and her with him.

After subsequent dates, Abiola continued to pursue Farrah for 4 months to no avail, until his friend AJ told him not to call her again. Abiola heeded and suddenly, the tides turned and Farrah became the pursuant. So, one day, Farrah asked Abiola to meet her at a local Starbucks near the Empire State Building for coffee to which he obliged. They sat drank and discussed a long life together and that’s when it all began.”

A TALE OF TWO PROPOSALS

Proposal 1 ….. “Following the couple’s brief breakup during the summer of 2007, Abiola was determined to make sure that Farrah would never get away again. He knew she was the one and made sure that this was the year he’d propose to her. He initially decided to propose to Farrrah during their vacation trip to Costa Rica with her birth stone, Opal. However, due to the sudden nature of the trip, Abiola didn’t have the time to plan the proposal the way he envisioned it. He decided to do it when they returned.
So, on a night that could best be described as “turbulent,” Abiola and Farrah engaged in a heated argument, right before entering a restaurant for dinner. The argument was so intense that they both lost their appetites and decided to go home without eating. Silen, the entire way home, Abiola began to get that burning desire in his heart again. Immediately, they entered the house, Abiola got on one knee, unexpectedly to Farrah and asked her to marry him. In tears, Farrah said, “yes.” Pressure creates the most precious stones.

The couple then began shopping for a ring. After a long search, Farrah decided that she was bored with the entire process and decided that she didn’t want one. Additionally, she didn’t feel that any of the rings spoke to her, so they decided to put it off the ring search and focus on buying a home and developing it to their hearts content. We both felt that the ring would eventually come to us when the time was right.”

Proposal 2 ….. “Fast forward to 2011, 1.5 years after Abiola and Farrah bought their house and spent many days and nights renovating their home; the time had come. During a late night pillow-talk session, Abiola told Farrah that he really would love to see her wear a ring to signify to the world that she was his. Farrah decided that the only condition to wearing one would be that she design the ring and of course Abiola agreed.  Farrah eventually found a boutique jeweler which she was pleased with and began the design process. After many weeks, Farrah finally designed the very ring she never knew she wanted. (Might we add that she’s an architect?)

It was the week of the Super Bowl and Farrah & Abiola were scheduled to pick up the ring the Tuesday of that week. Abiola, fully mindful of the gunshot style of the 1st proposal decided to make things a little more special this time around. He decided to call the jeweler and ask them to tell Farrah that the ring wouldn’t be ready until Friday. Farrah was tense, nervous and anxious, as she couldn’t wait to see how her design turned out.

The couple had been working on completing some work on their house prior 6th Annual Super Bowl Party and Abiola saw this as a great opportunity to take Farrah out to dinner to take a break from the house work and propose in a more memorable way. Prior to the dinner Abiola called Farrah’s Father and mentioned that there was something he should’ve asked him a long time ago to which Mr. Desir responded, “No, Farrah is not available.” After a few laughs, a request of his daughter’s hand in marriage and blessings, Abiola was ready to go.

Dinner was at DANIEL, one of only five Manhattan restaurants with The New York Times’ coveted four star rating. Farrah had no idea and was impressed with his choice of restaurant. Abiola was nervous, even though he knew what the answer would be; he still wanted it to be perfect. He was so nervous he forgot his sports jacket at home. Luckily, the venue provided loaners. The hostess and all the servers were aware of what was to transpire.  Abiola relieved himself from the dinner table after the first course and went to hand over the ring to the Maitre D’. The ring was to come out with dessert. Abiola was sweating. It was dessert time. Finally Farrah ordered a chocolate mousse cake and it was the big moment. The waiter placed the ring in a mound of sugar and unveiled it to Farrah’s surprise. Initially, she didn’t even notice there was a ring in the sugar mound, because she was upset that the chocolate mousse cake was white and not brown. Then Abiola got on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage AGAIN, and of course she said “Yes”, to much amusement and applause. It was done!”

Wedding Details ….. “The planning of this wedding was actually a pleasurable one. Farrah and I both have very similar tastes so it was very easy to agree on things. The most important aspects of the planning for us were unconventionality and having a great time. By that I mean, we really wanted to dance the night away, which we happily did. Farrah wore a black dress which was an expected surprise to many guests :-) Another pleasantry for the guests was experiencing the Nigerian custom of spraying money; a moment where the bride and groom dance, whilst guests spray them with money.”

Cultural Fusion ….. “The incorporation of cultural elements was one of the most important aspects of the wedding for us. Abiola is Nigerian and Farrah is Haitian. We did this by having the wedding ceremony in Yoruba cultural attire and the reception in western clothing. The menu was a fusion of both Yoruba and Haitian dishes. Additionally, the music was certainly a blend of sorts.”

Most Unforgettable Moment ….. “This is an easy one. The most memorable part of the wedding day was when we were introduced as husband and wife. We walked in elated to French band M83’s Midnight City. Every time we hear that song, we smile. It never gets old as we both cheese typing this. :)”

{You Make Loving You So Easy}

He loves ….. “I love her open mindedness and unconventionality; it would be conventional to state one thing, don’t you think? :-)”

She loves ….. “I love his charisma!”

Vendors:

• Ceremony & Reception Location: Causey Contemporary Art Gallery
• Planning: S&N Dream Events and Consulting
• Wedding Dress: Vera Wang
• Bride’s Shoes: Cesare Paciotti
• Make-up Artist: Evguenia Kleimenova
• Hair: Mint
• Photography: The Amber Studio
• Florist: Opalia Flowers
• Wedding Cake: The Cake Ambience
• Cheesecakes: BiteMe Cheesecakes
• DJ: DJ Ming
• Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren
• Groom’s Shirt & Bowtie: Tom Ford
• Groom’s Shoes: Barney’s
  

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