Modern Meets Tradition in Nigerian Wedding at the Hutton House in Medicine Lake, Minnesota

Ruth and Chika’s Nigerian nuptials at the Hutton House were a beautiful testament to their love, with modern decor and nods to their Nigerian roots throughout.

In 2015, the couple’s love story began “in a distant, faraway land…” as Ruth describes it, jokingly, “in Lagos, Nigeria.”

While interning in Lagos, they quickly became good friends and bonded over their shared cultural backgrounds and similar interests. Ruth claims to have introduced Chika to programming (they agree to disagree!) and after 3 months, they returned to their separate colleges to complete their degrees.

Throughout 2016, Ruth and Chika kept in touch periodically but at some point, they lost contact. It wasn’t until 2017 when Ruth was Facetiming a friend that she saw Chika in the background! At the time, she was living in the United States and Chika was still home in Nigeria. She called out his name, re-sparking their connection, and by October of 2018, they started a long-distance relationship.

In December 2019, Ruth flew to Nigeria to reconnect with her long-distance lover. The trip solidified their love. They knew then they had found “the one”. Two years later, Chika officially relocated to the US and in 2021 (after 3 years of dating) asked her to be his wife!

Ruth and Chika celebrated their love and culture with friends and family at their wedding at the Hutton House in Medicine Lake, Minnesota. Their families and friends arrived dressed in their best traditional outfits. Ruth’s cousins even wore their colorful Asoebi outfits! Filled with dancing and so much love, they couldn’t imagine a more perfect day!

More sweet details await below!

Couple: Chika & Ruth Ineh-Okonkwo
Occupations: Chika is a Software Engineer & Ruth is a Business Analyst

Quick Facts:

Wedding date: September 11, 2022
Wedding location: Hutton House – Medicine Lake, Minnesota
Bridesmaids & groomsmen gifts: Ruth gave her lovely Bridesmaids personalized bags with silk pajamas, heated water bottles, fluffy slippers, and charming necklaces befitting their personalities. Chika had personalized lapels for the guys and gifted them their bow ties.
Gifts for one another: Lots of love!
Ceremony entrance song: A mix of various Nigerian gospel songs.
First dance song: “May I Have This Dance” by Francis and The Lights, featuring Chance The Rapper

Tell us about the proposal:

Chika: Ruth wished for a private proposal, but knowing her deep connection with family, it was clear I should include them. Despite being in another state, I collaborated with her cousin to arrange an Airbnb. I arrived at 6:30 a.m. to decorate with her cousin, keeping it a secret while chatting with Ruth. Her sister convinced her to get her nails done, fitting in with plans for her parents’ 30th anniversary.

With the venue set, we concocted a plan. We told her there was a party hosted by her brother, and though she was a homebody with a headache, her dad convinced her to rest and then go.

Time ticked on, and I started worrying she wouldn’t come. Her family and I waited, and finally, her dad persuaded her to step out. But she started suspecting, messaging me about my location. She dressed up and sent a picture, asking how she looked. I casually complimented her to allay suspicion. Finally, after hours, she left home.

Arriving at the venue, our favorite song played, setting the scene. As she entered, she recognized the setup. She exclaimed, “Babe, you’re here?” scanning for me and spotting her mom too. Walking down an aisle of rose petals, she murmured, “You look so good!” With her words calming my nerves, I knelt and asked her to marry me.

She said, “Of course, babe.” Her family joined, showering us with congratulations. And so began a new chapter in our story.

The ceremony…

Here comes the bride…

Wedding style, attire, and shopping experience:

Ruth: I had two outfits, the wedding dress memo was minimalist with clean lines. I went shopping with my mum and the dress was the first one I tried on! It was designed by Martina Liana.

After trying it on, I knew it was the one, but was open to trying on more dresses. I went for a second shopping trip and couldn’t stop thinking about the initial dress and eventually said yes to it. We made a few adjustments to the dress to add detachable sleeves and raise the back.

My second outfit was custom-made by an amazing Nigerian designer, LuxbyLammy and the memo was glam, it was a gold glittery dress with a high neck. Overall the shopping experience was not stressful.

Chika: I wore a suit from Black Tux, my memo was also clean and structured. The first outfit was a White Tux, and black suit pants with a bow. Shopping was easy. I had a virtual consultation before going into the store to try on the Tux for fitting.

My second outfit was all black to complement the gold dress my wife was going to put on. You can never go wrong with black! It was a black fine cotton dress shirt with suit pants which had some embroidery details on the side.

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding?

We had our families show up in their best traditional outfits. Ruth’s amazing cousins and friends showed up in their “ASOEBI” outfits and danced out with her during her second outfit change. Ruth danced to a song made for her and her Father in their local dialect called “ukuwani” paying homage to their roots

Reception space & decor…

Sweet details…

Mr. & Mrs…

What is your best memory from your wedding?

Oh, this is a tough one. We doubt we can say just one thing, we had so much fun. From Ruth’s brother being the flower man to her grandma as the ring bearer to our first dance-off where Chika killed the show by showing a perfect “gbese” dance move, to Chika being carried up by the boys and singing to an empty bottle, or our sparkler exit with the crowd cheering us as we walked out holding hands and more in love. It was all very perfect.