Oge and Chinedu, both Physicians in Ohio had a gorgeous summer wedding in Baltimore filled with Nigerian traditions including but certainly not limited to kola nut, the family entrances, the traditional Nigerian attire.
Before planning their luxurious and elegant event, Chinedu proposed to Oge on New Year’s Eve, his heart set on not ending the year without taking the next step. Oge was certainly surprised! Find out how she reacted below.
Wedding Date: Saturday, August 30, 2014
Wedding Location: Baltimore, Maryland
First Dance Song: “Everytime I Close My Eyes” by Babyface feat. Mariah Carey
Favorite Item on the Menu: Salmon
Bridesmaids/Groomsmen Gifts: Bridesmaids received a pampering kit with scented lotions, manicure/pedicure accessories, an evening robe and brooch. Groomsmen received decanter with a matching wine glass set and bow ties.
Tell us about how you met and all about the proposal!
It was New Year’s Eve and I was a resident physician on a busy month in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit filled with long 30 hour shifts, taking care of critically ill patients. We did not see very much of each other that month. I had gone to spend the night at his place after a rough night at work. I woke up in the morning and found him staring into my eyes, so I smiled and laughed, asking him, “Whats up?” He started to recount our relationship and how much he appreciates me. We do this from time to time so it wasn’t out of the ordinary.
He continued with a litany of sweet things and then said, “How would you like to be Mrs. Ejike?” I just laughed and said, “Whatever,” playfully nudging him on the shoulder. He went on saying, “I did not want to end this year without making you my wife.” From under the pillow, he pulled out a ring. I burst out laughing because I thought it was a joke, especially when I saw the size of the ring which was much bigger and beautiful than the one I had told him about – I’m not complaining guys. But then I realized he was serious, so I kept asking him, “Are you serious? Are you playing with me? Are you serious?” Honestly, it took me a bit to believe him. About 30 minutes later when it set in, I burst into tears.
Wedding Style
Wedding dress shopping was actually pretty quick! I went with my baby sister. We looked at two places and at the second store, Demetrios Bridal, the third dress that I tried on was it! Simple and sweet. I went in open-minded and picked what looked best on me and what I felt a connection with. I called my mom to fly in and see the dress the next weekend. She gave her seal of approval and that was all I needed!
With regard to the rest of wedding shopping, my husband and I are both Nigerian, so shopping happened across two continents. I wish I could say that it was as easy as finding my dress haha! But I had a lot of great people around me to help. We aimed to have a simple and classy affair that was lots of fun and infused with our Nigerian heritage.
Culture
We are Nigerian and we wanted this infused throughout our day. From little details like having small boxes of Chin- Chin, a Nigerian cookie in tiny gift boxes on the table for each guest and having mixed cuisine with jollof rice at dinner to changing into our traditional garb and dancing in with our village community, a Nigerian wedding tradition… we tore up the dance floor to some classic traditional and more recent Naija (Nigerian) hits!
There was a traditional Catholic and Episcopal ceremony which included a local priest who is near and dear to the bride’s parents and the Catholic priest from the bride and groom’s current church in Ohio. There were also traditional entrances from both sides of the family. The bride and groom changed into traditional attire later in the evening of a rich royal blue and gold color.
Memories
My best memory by far was our first look. We saw each other before the wedding after we were all dressed up. I love it because it was a private emotional moment that we got to share before the wedding celebration started. We did a gift exchange immediately after, just with us and our bridal party. My best memory by far! I got to soak it all in before sharing our ceremony with our family and friends. I highly recommend this especially for big weddings.
Help a bride-to-be out!
Please get a wedding planner if you can. They have different levels of service depending on your budget, so you do not have to get a full service planner – you can even just get one for the day of. It will still be worth it because on your wedding day, you only worry about being the bride. You do not want to be worrying about all of the little details on your big day.
Vendors:
Photography: Dotun Ayodeji Photography
Wedding Planner: TreBella Events
Ceremony Venue: St. James Episcopal Church, Baltimore MD
Reception Venue + Catering + Cake: The Belvedere
Hotel: Hotel Monaco, Baltimore, MD
Dress: Demetrios Bridal
Bridal Make Up: Beauty by Adaeze
Bridal Hair: Laryssa Somerville, Executive Salon & Suites + KokosHairtique
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaid Dresses: Vera Wang
Florals + Furniture Rental: DaVinci Florist
Videographer: Artsgroup Photography and Cinema
Photo Booth: TapSnap
Vintage Car: Vintage Limos
Wedding Invitations: RSVP and Company
Oh wow! These wedding photos are beautiful. I loved the bride’s gown, her hair, and makeup too.