jumping the broom

We are so thankful to begin this next step in our lives with you, our closest friends and family, by our side. We hope the day is a reflection of how we've held each other these past 3+ years - with laughter, gratitude, celebration, tenderness, and joy. We feel so blessed to create this memory with you, our village, that will carry us for a lifetime. To have something we look back on fondly when we’re far into the future reminiscing about the “early days” before the kids, before the house, before the life we will build together. And yes, we even want this memory for those times it will be hard to remember why we love each other. When we hurt, disappoint, or otherwise are not the person the other needed us to be. This day will be our reminder of the purity, the passion, and the clarity of purpose with which we make this vow to have and to hold one each other for the rest of our days. And so, we approach our wedding with much excitement! Anticipating the moment we say "I Do" and allow our love to expand its wings and take us away on this new adventure we, as people of faith, call “holy matrimony”. This commitment, this institution, this life-changing ride more commonly called marriage. Thank you for being part of our special day and helping us write the first story we'll share as husband and wife. With love, Candace and Ochuko

I'll admit that I had an idea "the question" was coming soon. We'd talked about our futures together in a non-hypothetical way for a while so when my family announced their plans to visit our home one weekend to cook on Friday and then celebrate the family dog (Rick James's) birthday on Saturday, I took it as a sign that IT just might happen! Friday arrived after what felt like an eternity and I was confused from the jump. First, Rick was nowhere to be found. Next, the fam told me they weren't staying the night anymore. At that point, it was that night or bust for a weekend proposal. Still, I kept hope alive and bet on Black (love) to make a way by the end of the night. After hours in the kitchen, my bro and I finished cooking. Fried chicken, mac and cheese, white beans, collard greens, cornbread, and fried oreos....We weren’t messing around. Everything was done and smelling like God's favor, only for Ochuko to suddenly be nowhere in sight and supposedly running errands (insert side eye). In my head, I hoped he was preparing a grand entrance followed by a proposal, ugly cries, and food-induced coma to seal the deal. Glorious gluttony of heart and stomach?! YES, this man knows my love languages! But after 25-30 minutes of waiting, there was still no Ochuko. Finally, he came in the door empty-handed and even worse, unable to give a clear account of his whereabouts. Suspicious and annoyed, I accepted that night I'd sadly not get to see "what dem knees do". I tucked in my feelings and ate the meal, feeling a sense of connectedness and newfound understanding of the fried fowl before me. For at that moment, it was clear that we both knew...in our own ways...why the caged bird sings. I laid me down to sleep, bothered but still holding out hope that joy would come in the morning...

I knew what I was doing. The plan was always to propose on Saturday. I could tell she was annoyed with me from the prior night, which normally would be a bad thing. Luckily, her mood perfectly set up my plan. That next morning, I announced I was taking her to Jack London to cheer her up since she seemed a little down. Impressed I'd noticed, she headed upstairs to get ready and agreed to dress up a little since the place was nice. We left for Thai food in Oakland. Little did she know, while we ate, our friends and family were at our home (with a key I'd given my friend the night before) and readied our home for the big moment. When we returned from lunch, I walked Candace into our home, and to her surprise, they'd transformed our living room into a proposal site. Rose petals led us from the door to a giant heart made of rose petals and candles. And of course, some of our closest friends and family on both levels of our home and lining the stairway, cameras in hand to capture the moment. I led Candace to the middle of the heart, dropping down to a knee before asking her "the question". As you can guess since you're reading this on our wedding site, she said Yes! Our friends and family doted on us the rest of the evening. We enjoyed Nigerian food and desserts, libations, and busted a few moves from what we remember (see note on libations). We got what we wanted: an intimate moment with our village shining love and congratulations our way. We did it our way, and it was just right for us.