Tolulope and Taiwo's Vibrantly Luxurious Wedding in Texas -Munaluchi Bride

In her last year of medical residency in Arkansas and on her way to a Fellowship in Chicago, Tolulope wasn’t exactly looking for a relationship when her aunt began telling her about a “really nice, and good-looking man” from her work. After some persistence, Tolulope agreed to allow her number to be passed along, and the following conversation with Taiwo would prove to be a pivotal moment in their lives. They spoke for hours, the conversation flowing as if they were “old friends reconnecting again.” A long distance relationship soon began, eventually leading them down the path of happily ever after…

Read all about Tolulope & Taiwo’s love story, Eiffel Tower engagement, and experiences in their vibrantly luxurious wedding in Texas.

Full names of couple: Tolulope & Taiwo
Occupations: Urologist & Project Manager
Wedding date: May 26 & 27, 2018
Wedding location: Getting Ready – Omni Manadalay Hotel Las Colinas, Ceremony – Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, Reception – Irving Convention Center.

Tell us how you met and all about the proposal. Tolulope: “Getting married was something that wasn’t a priority to me for a long time. Medical school & career was all I had on my mind. I was in my last year of Residency and was preparing to move from Little Rock, Arkansas to Chicago for my fellowship, when I got a call from my aunt in Dallas asking if I was still single. Even though my family lives in the Dallas area, I wasn’t really planning on moving back home anytime soon.
Anyways, she said she met a really nice, and good-looking man at work that she would like to introduce me to. My thought process was that this wouldn’t work since I had planned to move to Chicago. I was bound and determined to go to Chicago single and not carry any relationship baggage with me, so I declined her offer; however, my aunt persisted. I eventually gave in and a few days later, Taiwo sent me a text message introducing himself. He expressed his interest in getting to know me, and my response was “I don’t do text messages”! I really believed a guy that really wants to get to know me couldn’t do so via text alone. To my surprise, he called me immediately and we spoke for hours. More like I spoke for hours according to him. This was the beginning of a long distance relationship that I would have never imagined having. Fast-forward 2 years later, I moved to Texas. Shortly after my move, in September 2017 to be exact, we went on our vacation to Paris. This was when Taiwo asked me to marry him at the Eiffel Tower! Through the ups and downs of a long distance relationship, we’re so grateful to be in this moment and can’t wait to build our lives together!”

Taiwo: “I was single and minding my own business when one of my colleagues at work approached me to ask if I was single. I know that question meant that she was ready to hook me up with someone. I wasn’t necessarily looking to get into a relationship but I also wasn’t opposed to being in one if I found the right person. The colleague turned out to be Tolu’s aunt! She said she had the perfect person for me and gave me the phone number to a lady named Tolu. I wasn’t expecting much so I casually sent a ‘hello, how are you, I got your number from…’ text message to Tolu one night and her response caught me off guard. She responded back saying ‘I don’t do text messages.’
“At that point, I knew I had to hear what this sassy attitude lady sounded like, so I called her right away. Tolu talked my ears away for over 2 hours and to be honest, our conversation flowed like we were old friends reconnecting again. We laughed and shared so much on the phone and at that moment, I knew I couldn’t let her out of my life. Though I was hesitant when she told me she was moving to Chicago, I was determined not to let that be a hindrance. I put on the courage to ask her to be my girlfriend before the end of her residency so that I could secure her for myself, and I’m so glad she agreed! The long-distance relationship had its challenges, good and bad times, but thank God for seeing us through it all. I knew she will eventually find her way to Dallas so that we could be closer together. After her move back to Dallas, I knew that was God’s sign for me to take things to the next level so I had planned the perfect proposal, knowing she would want something very romantic and intimate. Tolu had always talked about wanting to go to Paris, so I knew that would be the best location for the proposal. We took a trip to Paris a few months ago and I asked this beautiful queen to be my wife. I honestly didn’t know what her reaction would be, but I am so grateful that Tolu said yes and chose to travel down this eternal journey of love with me. I couldn’t have found a more perfect woman to call my wife and I thank God for using her aunt to bring us together. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you my Tolulope!”

Describe your wedding attire. Tolulope: “I’m a pretty decisive person so my wedding dress shopping experience was pretty straight forward. I knew the style I wanted. I wanted my dress to be romantic, not too heavy so I can dance, and a layers princess bottom. I also knew I wanted a custom made dress so my challenge was finding the right wedding dress designer. I had a consultation with Ese Azenabor and I was sold! I knew she could create the dress of my dreams and she did.
My second outfit was the same. I wanted something unconventional and I fell in love with the idea of a jumpsuit. I discussed it with Ese Ezenabor and after sketching out some ideas, I was already in love.”

Taiwo: “Don Morphy had previously done a custom made suit for me and I knew I was going to return to him for my wedding suit. I was impressed with his quality and it was a no brainier for me to have a custom made suit by him for my wedding.”

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? Yes we did! We had a traditional Nigerian wedding (Yoruba culture) the Saturday before the actual wedding date. This is the tradition where the grooms family officially come to request the bride’s hand in marriage and bring gifts to the family.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Gifts: Bridesmaids got custom clutches from Clutched by Dami along with some personalized items that I custom ordered and the groomsmen got custom bow ties made by Eaden Myles.
Gifts for one another: I gave him a Baume & Mercier Classima watch and he gave me a dozen roses, my favorite box of chocolate and a beautiful necklace and a personalized bracelet from Tiffany’s.
Ceremony entrance song: “All Over” by Tiwa Savage, “Easy Jeje” by Kiss Daniel, “Sofa” by Kiss Daniel & “Iskaba” by Wande Coal
First dance song: “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran

What is your best memory from your wedding? I did not STRESS or WORRY about a thing thanks to my planner! I enjoyed dancing so much. There was so much joy and happiness in the room and I loved my decor!

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? For the bride, walk slowly down the aisle! I wish I walked a little slower and took it all in more. Overall for the couple, have fun. It can be a stressful period as this is the first big thing you’re planning together and a lot of Money and time will be invested, but remember to slow down and enjoy each other. You’re embarking on this forever thing, slow down and enjoy the ride. Oh and hire a wedding planner, it was definitely one of the best investments we made.