Although Adenike and Leland attended the same high school, were on the same track team, and shared a class together, their love story didn’t’ truly begin until after graduating.
“Apparently, at that time, it wasn’t meant-to-be because we lost contact,” Adenike recalls. It was late 2009 when Leland reached out to Adenike, initially reconnecting over Facebook. Enjoying long conversations over the phone, they began to truly learn about each other, and when Adenike returned home from college that following summer, Leland took her out to Myrtle Beach on their first date – remaining inseparable ever since. Read all about Adenike and Leland’s love story, romantic proposal, and wedding experiences!
Bride & Groom: Adenike & Leland
Wedding Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Wedding Date: Jul 27, 2019
Tell us how you met! Leland and I met when we were at A.C. Flora High school. We ran on the same track team and also had one class together but we rarely share any words with each other. Leland graduated in 2006 and I graduated in 2007. We reconnected on MySpace after we both graduated, Leland sent me a message and we exchanged phone numbers. Apparently, at that time, it wasn’t meant-to-be because we lost contact. Late 2009, Leland reached out to me on Facebook, we reconnected again and stayed in contact. We talked a lot on the phone, getting to know each other. In May of 2010, I came home from college for summer break and Leland took me on our first date to Myrtle Beach and the rest is history. Leland never gave up on pursuing me on Social Media and I never would have thought of falling in love with the Leland Blakely, a.k.a. “Lelow,” the one I knew from High School! God used Facebook to reconnect us together and we’ve been madly in love ever since.
Tell us about the proposal! May 18, 2018, was the day I chose to ask this beautiful woman to be my wife. The week prior I had asked my close friends and coworkers for help. They flooded me with great ideas and places until we finally got it narrowed down to one place. I had everything planned out for that weekend. On the morning of the 18th, I woke up and looked at the weather for the weekend. We had a huge storm brewing, I went into panic mode. I went to work for about half a day I couldn’t wait any longer. I told my coworkers I was leaving early so I can go set the house up. I came home and paced a hole in the floor for about 2 hours until I got myself together. I knew she would be getting home soon so I covered the house in rose petals and candles. I changed clothes about ten times I was in a frantic mess. I saw her pulling up, so I quickly lit the candles and got the camera in place then googled what knee to get down on. I turned on the music and stood in the middle of the living room waiting on my Queen. She walked in the door and had the biggest smile on her face. I waited for her to walk toward me, I got down on my knee and asked her to be my wife. Of course, she said yes followed by crying and a lot of jumping up and down! I was so happy it went well because my heart was beating out my chest!
What was the inspiration behind your wedding day? The inspiration behind the wedding was a Royal wedding. I wanted to be extra and act like a Queen and I did. My favorite color is purple and my husband’s favorite color is red, so we decided to combine both colors together along with gold and Javetta, our wedding decorator made it happen. I am Nigerian, so it was only right to add my culture to the wedding by having the royal wedding of my dreams.
How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? For the ceremony, I kept it simple. For the reception, I wanted to go all out. I had separate seating decor for our bridal party. I didn’t do anything DIY, I’m not that creative, so I left everything to my decorator.
What were the florals like at your wedding? We had real flowers, Javetta surprised me with that. I wasn’t expecting that! The bouquets and centerpiece match the theme color for the wedding. The flowers match what you will see at a royal wedding.
Did you personalize the day in any way? On the bride’s side, my family members wore Nigerian attire. We also had Nigerian meals and the DJ played Nigerian music. Our guests on both sides of the family had a great time and enjoyed seeing Nigerian cultures.
What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding? My favorite part of the wedding was when my husband and I danced in and secondly was when my husband removed the garter from my thighs. My husband and I absolutely enjoyed dancing and having a great time with our guests.
How did you choose your wedding day look? I wanted an ivory ball gown with sparkling and a tiara. I found my wedding dress at Bridals by Lori. It was everything I could imagine. I didn’t have to do anything extra to it. It was like the dress was made just for me. My dress was made by Eve of Milady. I fell in love with their wedding gowns collection when I started following them on IG. My husband’s outfit was by Connaisseur Paris. We wanted to have the all-white look. We knew we will look fresh in it!
What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day? Our first look! It was everything. The look on my husband’s face when he first saw me…it was magical. He shed a little tear. And for me, it was like I fell in love all over again. He looks super handsome. The man of my dream.
Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day? I will advise to make sure you do what you want to do. Don’t let anybody make the decision for you. It’s your wedding day, so make it about you and your spouse. Make sure to have a wedding planner. At first, I wanted to do it by myself then I started stressing out too much. Thank God for our wedding planner, it was smooth planning. Also, always remember to put God first in your marriage.
Vendors:
Photographer: John Sekyere
2nd Photographer:B Laws Studios
Event Planner: The Diva Wedding Planner
Event Designer: Couture Events
Event Venue: Doko Manor
Hair Stylist: Wake up by Coffee
Makeup Artist: Makeup by Joe Tijani
DJ: Knight Ryders Entertainment
Tuxedo and Men’s Attire: Connaisseur Paris
Dress Store: Bridals by Lori
Second Shooter: B Lawz Studio
Cake Designer: Bonnie Brunt Cakes
Lighting: Illuminations
Specialty Foods: RM Enterprises LLC
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