[button link=”http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=MunaluchiBridalMagazine&loc=en_US” size=”small” variation=”teal” target=”blank”]Get Munaluchi In Your Inbox![/button]
When an occasion is rife with great style and infused with amazingly rich culture, it is sure to be a winner. When that occasion is a wedding – a time to celebrate the union of two people in love – it becomes even more special. Chinyelum “Chi Chi” Umejei and Ifeanyi Olele had a wedding with all these features and far more. It’s no surprise, really, considering that their engagement session was a gorgeous precursor of the wonderful things to come: full of light and fun, and a celebration of their Nigerian Igbo culture.
Every joyful detail of the wedding was captured by the talented Keith Cephus Photography and put together by A’Sheka, the creative mind behind Twice the Spice Events.
Now, it’s time to get acquainted with this couple and the journey that has brought them to this beautiful destination. It’s an interesting and unique journey, for sure. You could say that the stars were perfectly aligned ……
The Bride: Chinyelum (Chi-Chi) Umejei
The Groom: Ifeanyi Olele
The Careers: Chi-Chi, Pharmacist; Ifeanyi, Physician
The Wedding Date: November 26, 2011
The Location: Wedding: Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Virginia Beach & Reception: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Norfolk, VA
The Meeting …. “[I] grew up in Virginia Beach, VA and Ifeanyi grew up in Los Angeles, CA and met when Ifeanyi came to Hampton University for his Masters degree and [I] was already there for pharmacy school. Even though we were at the same school (Hampton University) and had mutual friends, we didn’t know of each other. We met via Facebook when I added him as a friend….by typing common Nigerian names and Ifeanyi accepted the friendship and sent me a message with his number. That night we spoke from 10pm-8am and found out that his father and my uncles knew each other and went to the same high school in Nigeria.” Click here to view their awesome engagement session.
The Proposal …. “Ifeanyi was visiting me in Arizona, and at my place. While I was at work, he called and told me to let him know when I was heading home so he can start making dinner. When I got home, I had to knock on the door since he had my key. When he came to the door, he told me to look at the laptop with the Facebook homepage and asked me what it meant to me. I answered, “This is how we met.” He then took me to different stations in the house that he created depicting our lives over the years. He does romantic things like that sometimes so it wasn’t unusual; but at this point, since I had just come back from work, still in uniform, and hungry (by the way I didn’t smell any food at this point), I was thinking, “he must have had way too much time on his hands today.” When we finally got to the final station, he told me to close my eyes. When he had me open them, he was on one knee with [a] ring box open. All I could do was scream really loud “OH MY GOD!!!” over and over again. He had to tell me to quiet down before the neighbors thought I was being attacked. I was totally caught off guard because it is hard to surprise me. Lol! When I finally calmed down, I said “Yes, I will!””
The Theme ….. “We love the theme of royalty and elegance using coral and gold with accents of gray. The Nigerian culture is so rich and beautiful. Our motherland is home to many kings and queens. In essence, we [wanted] the theme to resonate throughout the wedding. We [wanted] this to be a classy affair for our guests. We loved creating our website because we had the opportunity to relive some of our memories through photographs and our stories of how we met and the proposal.”
The Challenges ….. For Ifeanyi – “Not being in VA to meet with the vendors face to face. I like to know who I am working with on projects and that fosters an atmosphere to really bounce ideas off each other. Another issue was my medical school requirements which took a huge chunk of my time in wedding planning.” For Chi Chi – “The time zone difference made it difficult for me to discuss business matters; the long trips home from AZ to VA and instead of hanging out, the short trip is packed with numerous wedding appointments.”
The Infusion of Culture ….. “In the Nigerian culture, we have 2 weddings: a traditional wedding and a “white wedding.” Our traditional wedding was on Thanksgiving Day (November 24, 2011) so we had family come in from Nigeria. During the white wedding, which had about 700 guests, various cultural elements were represented like “breaking of the kolanut” which symbolized prosperity and we also changed into traditional attires twice during the wedding reception and had our family and friends dance us in.”
The Most Unforgettable Moment ….. “All our family and friends in the United States and outside of the country meeting and interacting with each other. These are people who have supported us over the years in all our successes and failures. We are looking forward to growing old with each other and starting our a family.”
{You Make Loving You So Easy}
Ifeanyi is clearly smitten with his bride. He had this to say about her …. “I was intrigued with Chi-Chi from the first time I met her. She is God-fearing, career-oriented, classy, nurturing, fierce, and compassionate. Those are the reasons why I fell in love with her.”
For her part, Chi Chi knows that she has found the perfect piece to her puzzle … “I fell in love with Ify’s moral character and honesty. He has a big heart and doesn’t just say something unless he truly means it. Ify has a gentle soul and complements me in areas where I am weak.”
Dr. and Dr. Olele, your wedding was beautiful! May your marriage be even more beautiful. Never forget how wonderfully the beginning of your journey was orchestrated and always be intrigued by each other. Congratulations!!!
Click on any thumbnail below to view the entire gallery.
[nggallery id=291]
VENDORS:
Cake – E & E Special Events
DJ Demeji
Florist – Palette of Petals
Ice Sculptures – Ice Art
Lights & Decor – Ampa Events
Makeup Artist – Candice Rauch
MC – Chief Uche Nwokeafor
Photographer – Keith Cephus Photography
Reception – Crowne Plaza Hotel
Transportation-Rolls Royce, Royal Coach Transportation
Wedding Planner – A’Sheka Jordan with Twice the Spice Events
Wedding Singer – Ms. Avianna Acid
[divider]
[fancy_header3 variation=”teal”]View More Weddings[/fancy_header3]
[raw][blog_list thumb=”small” showposts=”4″ category_in=”1331″ disable=”content”][/raw]
l love the bridal color, nice wedding.