Sandra and Benaiah’s royal blue engagement session in Downtown Toronto features lush greenery, sparkles, and most importantly, a whole lot of love! The beautiful gardens and detailed architecture of Osgoode Hall were the perfect backdrops for their elegant, royal theme.
Benaiah’s favorite color is blue, which stands for royalty, so he wanted us to incorporate it, which I thought was really cute!
Sandra
When Sandra needed a key keyboardist for a church celebration, two of her friends pointed her towards Benaiah. Little did she know, she would end up meeting her future husband!
Benaiah shocked Sandra by proposing during an attempted selfie on a trip to Montreal.
They can hardly wait to celebrate their union with those closest to them.
It’s been a long time coming and we’re both happy to just spend the rest of our lives together.
Sandra
Learn more about the couple and see the details below!
- Couple: Benaiah & Sandra
- Occupations: Youth Social Worker / Executive Assistant to VP, Audit & Risk, CAE
- Wedding date: July 23, 2021
- Wedding location: Hazelton Manor Vaughan, Ontario
- Location of Engagement Shoot: Osgoode Hall, Downtown Toronto, Ontario
Tell us how you met
Sandra:
I needed a keyboard asap as my church was celebrating seven years in ministry. So I put it up on Snapchat and Instagram. Three people reached out to me and said they knew someone. Two of them were my very good friends and they recommended the same guy so I told them to give me his number so I can reach out to him. I met Benaiah the first time when we had a rehearsal – that was middle to late August of 2017.
The church program took place in September 2017 and after the program, I told him (yeah I guess I was shooting my shot lol) I liked his person and hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time we see each other. Ever since that Sunday, we texted back and forth until we decided to meet up that Thursday (in the same week). We went out every day after that and then the following Monday he asked me to officially be his girlfriend and I’ve been the happiest girl ever since!
Benaiah:
I saw a post on Snapchat from BayoBond stating that a church needed a keyboardist for a church program, and I asked which church it was, and he said “It’s for my friend Sandra’s church”. At that time I didn’t indicate any interest, but when my other friend, Femi, asked if I would go with him to the church, I did, and that’s when I saw Sandra.
Prior to that day, I had texted her because she sent me the songs for the program. After the church program, I actually stayed back and we talked for a bit.
As faith would have it, we decided to start seeing each other as friends and went on a couple of outings together. All this happened for a very short time as I immediately fell for Sandra and asked her to officially be my girlfriend and the rest as they say is history.
The Proposal
Sandra:
We went to Montreal during a long weekend with my family. I wanted to introduce Benaiah to my godmother and uncle, which both had a huge impact on my childhood. Little did I know I was going to leave Montreal as Ben’s fiancée.
On the Saturday of our trip, we went to Old Port Montreal which we’ve never been to before so I was trying to book a boat cruise for all of us to join, but the timing was off. So I was getting annoyed and he kept insisting we go upstairs. Finally, we went upstairs to where everyone was so we could get some gelato, I mean might as well make the best of what we can right? So after we finished our gelato, I decided to take a selfie with each parent and him. I successfully took photos with my parents, and then when I was trying to position the camera towards Benaiah, I saw the box and was shocked!!
He then got down on one knee in front of every stranger at Old Port Montreal, the place where I was born, and asked me to spend forever with him. Of course, I said YAAAASSSSS!
Benaiah:
For the proposal, I had to be really stealthy and smart. I picked a perfect time and a perfect place to propose to Sandra. We were on a trip with her parents to Montreal and after seeing and receiving prayers from her godmother, I knew at that moment that the time for me to pop the question had come. I waited until we got to Old Port Montreal and in the presence of her parents, I popped the question. When Sandra said yes, that made me the happiest man in this world. I look forward to seeing this through forever and ever.
Describe your engagement session
For our engagement shoot, we wanted to maintain a royal and elegant vibe. Benaiah’s favorite color is blue, which stands for royalty, so he wanted us to incorporate it, which I thought was really cute! As for the location, we chose Osgoode Hall (where the Ontario courts are located) because we are both aspiring lawyers! We both studied law in university and plan to pursue careers in law in the near future. We wanted to add that touch so people can see and know that side of us.
What did you do on your first date?
The very first time we got together, I met with him at a rehearsal and then we went to the movies to watch “IT”. After that, we went to McDonald’s to just talk and get to know each other. According to Benaiah, our first official date was when he asked me out, during lunch at Swiss Chalet.
What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Anything music-related! Sandra loves to sing and Benaiah plays the keyboard as well as the drums, so whenever they see a mic or a keyboard they are always making musical magic.
How has wedding planning been so far?
Wedding planning has been STRESSFUL! Planning with the ongoing pandemic has definitely opened our eyes to a lot of things. We had to change our dates twice because of the pandemic but we’re thankful to FINALLY be getting married.
What are you looking forward to most on your wedding day?
We’re looking forward to being able to celebrate our love and our union with the people that matter to us most. We are ecstatic to finally be Mr. & Mrs. Eche officially! It’s been a long time coming and we’re both happy to just spend the rest of our lives together.
Vendors
- Planner: TemsDelight Events
- Photographer: F10 studio
- Videographer: Grake Shots
- Bride’s Dress: Zalahari
- Make up artist: A On the Beat
- Hairstylist: Debs Touch
- Tuxedo: Stars/Strauss
- Ankara Shirt: Eddie’z Klothing
- Bag: RCQ Designs
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