If you looked in the dictionary for the word, “steamy,” the images from today’s engagement session are sure to come up. In this case, pictures are most certainly worth more than a thousand words so I’ll keep mine short :) Enjoy “A Day in the Life of Asisat and Benjamin.” Joshua Dwain of Joshua Dwain Photography does it again with these absolutely stunning images. If you haven’t checked out his website by now, you need to do it right now!
Bride: Asisat Adeyemi
Groom: Benjamin Odufuwa
Occupations: Asisat is a Public Health Officer. Ben is an IT Consultant.
Wedding Date/Location: December 24, 2011 in Ikeja, Nigeria
The Meeting ….. “We met at a college party in Washington, DC on December 27th, 2003. I actually saw a picture of him in my cousin’s party album a week before meeting him and was head over heels. I told myself, “Goodness, I have to meet this guy,” and immediately asked my cousin if he would be attending the party we were supposed to attend the following weekend. When she told me there was a chance he might attend, I immediately begin to pre-game everything down to my hair, outfit and what I would say if I met him. When that night came and we went to the party, I kept a look out for him all night. When he finally came in, my heart was beating so fast. He was talking to someone and I immediately reacted by cutting into the conversation. This was so unlike me. I’m usually the girl that is against making the first move on any guy but, for some reason, I just felt the urge to approach Ben. Anyway, as soon as I cut in, I asked him “Why [are your] eyes so low?” (Ben has these attractive sleepy eyes). He answered with a giggle, then asked me what my age was. I responded. We were literally glued to each other the whole night. Dancing, talking, laughing, etc. The connection has been strong ever since and the rest is obviously history.”
The Proposal ….. “My engagement was really special. Well, Ben currently resides in Nigeria and I live in New York. I will never forget that day. It was Monday, March 7th 2011. I was interning at a hospital and I’d been trying to call Ben all day but his phone wasn’t [ringing]. This wasn’t too abnormal [because] sometimes the connection in Nigeria can be a little off. So, I just ignored it and went about my day. I got home that evening and my friend Jessica called me and said she wanted to go out for dinner. I really didn’t want to go because I was really tired and hungry and couldn’t wait for her to commute to my house, but she was pretty persistent, which was weird…..Anyway, after keeping me waiting and claiming she was in traffic, she finally arrived at my house. She seemed a bit too happy and, at this point, I was cranky and hungry after waiting for her for so long. We got into the car and she told me she felt for PF Chang (Ben’s and [my] favorite restaurant). I gave her an “Are you crazy?” look because PF Changs was somewhat distant and I already had my mind on a local restaurant. We then continued to drive and I noticed Jessica was driving extremely slow. Like 25 mph. She was really trying my patience that night. [When] I asked her why she was driving so slow[ly]….she said her wheel alignment was bad…..I also noticed she was receiving constant calls from someone asking her about her whereabouts. I found that to be a bit strange but ignored it….We finally arrived at our destination and Jessica was very persistent about sitting in the back of the restaurant. I was just too hungry to care about our seating. When we finally got a seat, Jessica requested the best bottle of Zinfindel….Now that was just too strange since she was the driver and…this was a Monday evening. We proceeded to order our entrees which was a bit of a wait. In the process of waiting I remembered texting Ben and telling him how I miss him and how I was currently at our favorite restaurant ordering our favorite dish. During all this, Jessica was still receiving calls from this strange person. The food finally arrived and my order was all wrong. Talk about upset and hungry. I felt like I waited too long. After waiting for what felt like a lifetime for the waitress to come out with my new order, I just heard a deep male voice from behind me asking, “Did someone order Chang chicken?” I automatically recognized the voice. Ben immediately got down on one knee and I just kept screaming, “Is it you? Is it really you?” I then touched his face in disbelief asking him what he was doing in town. Ben just kept telling me to sit down so that he could propose. When I finally sat down, Ben proceeded to pop the question and went into details of how much he loved me. I couldn’t bring myself to say “Yes” but [kept saying] “Omigosh.” I finally said “Yes” and we are here today planning our wedding.”
The Theme ….. “The theme for the engagement session was “A Day In The Life of Asisat and Benjamin.” I called Joshua of Joshua Dwain Photography and told him that I wanted a hotel room scene. He immediately recommended a hotel in Long Island City, NY (Ravel Hotel) that gave us a beautiful view of NYC and the Manhattan Bridge. I also told him that I wanted him to capture us in our natural state, i.e the morning scene when I’m waking up in Ben’s t-shirt and Ben is in his relaxed white t-shirt attire. Joshua loved the idea and added that since we were doing a room shoot we should just pretend as though this was a regular day for us. So, we took some shots in bed [and] the hotel room balcony; then, we changed into a more casual look for the dinner and night scene. Joshua and Anye Frith really added some sexy and steamy shots, which was a great idea. Ben and I like to describe our relationship as somewhat timid and tamed in public, but wild behind closed doors. So these shots really captured the real US behind closed doors. Joshua and his wife did an excellent job. Our family friends were quite entertained.”
The Photographer ….. “I’ve known Joshua since I was a freshman in high school. He is a brother to my friend Jessica. I’ve always known he had talent; so, when he decided to take his passion to the next level, I was always one of his biggest fans. Selecting Joshua to take our e-sessions was already a sealed deal before I even got engaged. Ben was with me 100% when he saw Joshua’s work.”
The Challenge ….. “Well, since my wedding is taking place in Nigeria and I currently reside in New York, I found it challenging communicating with different vendors on a daily basis. It was also very challenging and risky to make decisions over the phone since I could not be there at all times, but everything worked out.”
The Fun …… “I would have to say the whole preparation is fun once you step out of the box and look at everything from the outside looking in. But picking out my wedding dress was so much fun and emotional. It felt surreal. I would also say taking my engagement photos. This just allowed us to take some time out of the planning and have some fun times.”
The Anticipation ….. “I just look forward to when the Pastor says ‘I announce you as husband and wife. Mr. and Mrs. Odufuwa.’ That will be like music to my ears. I also look forward to being happy on that special day surrounded by family and friends. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment and I plan on enjoying every second of my wedding day.”
{Loving You Is So Easy}
He says ….. “I love her strength in this relationship. She is truly my backbone and I love her ability to be still and patient no matter what the circumstances may be.”
She says ….. “I love Ben’s confidence in himself and in our relationship. His reassurance to always make sure I am comfortable and happy at all times still gives me butterflies.”
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Thanks so much for sharing this with us can best of luck on your upcoming wedding this week! Be sure to head over to Joshua’s blog to see more of his stunning images.
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