We first met in November 2022 at a conference in Alabama, U.S. We were both there to present our research. He was already deep into his study and was sharing some exciting results. I had just started my PhD journey and was presenting an aspect of the research I planned to do. Even though we were both part of the same scholarship program that brought us to the conference, we hadn’t met before. Our first meeting happened at the airport, when one of the program honorees came to pick us up and drive us to the venue, which was also where we stayed. From that moment, we started talking and quickly found things in common. We even visited a museum together! When it was time for us to present our work, we found out we were sharing the same poster board—what a surprise! That day, he also won one of the awards for best presentation! Later that evening, I felt led by the Holy Spirit to ask him if he knew how to format a research paper, specifically how to number the pages correctly (Roman numerals for the intro pages and regular numbers for the rest). I had a paper due right after the conference and needed help. He said, “Yes,” and invited me over so he could show me. Funny thing is... he didn’t actually know how to do it! 😂 But he started researching it right away when I arrived—clearly, God had a bigger plan. That night, we ended up talking for hours, not just about research, but about the goodness and faithfulness of God. We talked so much, we only got about two hours of sleep before the next day’s conference session! After the conference, we kept in touch and began officially courting in January 2023. And now, here we are—getting married in November 2025, exactly three years after the day we met. God writes the best stories. And we’re so grateful to be living out this one together. 💛

We went for a conference in Alabama in November 2022 where each person was to give presentations on our research. I was to be picked up from the airport by a fellow honoree who offered us a ride to the Hotel. I met Miriam when I got the car, and her first official communication was accusing me of not responding to text messages which she sent to me. I was surprised as I never got a message from her. To prove her point, she showed me the messages on her phone and there she realized there was a mistake with the number. On the day we had our presentation, we happened to have presented opposite each other as we shared the same board. During the conference, she asked if I could number a research paper and I offered to help her with it since I had done that before. It turned out that I had forgotten the process as it had been a while I numbered a document as she requested. I had to look up the process online to figure out where I got it wrong. I guess the impression she had then was “why claim you know it.” For the rest of that evening or do I say night, as the chat ran into the night, we discussed each other’s line of research, religion, and relationship with God. This is how we met. After the conversation we had at the airport on arrival, we drove to the hotel with all four occupants in the car conversing. On arrival at the hotel, we stayed in the car for some time as we arrived earlier than the expected time for check-in. For most parts of the conference, Miriam and I either attended the same sessions or met during short breaks between sessions. During the conference, I mentioned to her that I attended a conference at the same hotel a few months back and I knew some of the locations that were suggested as resort centers. She asked if I could accompany her to the Legacy Museum in Alabama, which was close to the hotel, but I was reluctant to go there as I had visited the museum before. Later that day, I called Miriam over the phone to find out what she was up to. It turned out she was on her way to the museum. I went over to join her, and we spent most of the day walking around the first part of the museum. She got so emotional seeing the artifacts and reading about the slaves and how slaves were marginalized. We had a great time at the museum. The night before the end of the conference, we had dinner at a restaurant beside the hotel. This gave her an opportunity to talk about food and the kind of meals served at restaurants. On the last day at the conference, we went to the second part of the museum after we checked out of the hotel. I observed how much she enjoyed this part of the museum also. We returned to the hotel on time to get our bags and headed to the airport. While waiting for our departure, she asked if I could join her to attend an event sometime in the first week of December. She called it a Christmas event. At that point I thought to myself, “We just met, and you are already inviting me to an event?” I told her I could not promise but we would see how it goes as I would have to drive for over 2 hours 30 minutes to get to her apartment before we set off on another long drive to attend the event. After the conference, we stayed in touch periodically. Most times she initiates the conversation before I respond. After attending the Christmas event, our rate of communication increased: we spoke more often over the phone and communicated via text messages. As part of my “get to know”, we visited the Museum of the Bible, and she was so thrilled with the exhibitions and the decent-led tours. Seeing Bible versions that were centuries old, from various groups and denominations got her talking. I realized I had a religious-minded lady right beside me.

Some weeks later, Miriam paid me a visit, and I made sure she felt welcome. We chatted over everything. We had fun talking that our discussion ran into the night. She left my apartment sometime around 2 AM. During all our visits and outings, I realized she liked to hold my hand and sometimes I stylishly pull my hand away. Before the end of January 2023, Miriam invited me to a church service which was held to conclude a program for the month. After the service, I went home with her, knowing I had intentions to ask her out. I asked about her plans for the future and what she thought about a relationship. Afterwards, I asked her out and she wholeheartedly accepted. She shed tears after she accepted.

I’ve always believed that God would lead me to the right person at the right time. Over the years, He had shown me little glimpses of the kind of man I would marry—but never all at once. Then came the summer of 2022. During an internship, my workplace hosted a Juneteenth family celebration. Everyone came with their loved ones… and I sat alone. That was the first time I truly felt the desire to have someone to share life with. In that moment, I knew I was ready. Or maybe God used that moment to make me see that I was ready. Later that year in November, God showed me again—this time in more detail—the kind of person I would meet and even a sense of when it would happen. I told my parents, “Be ready. I believe I’ll meet someone this month.” And guess what? I did! While planning a conference, the sponsoring team sent us a list of attendees so we could carpool from the airport. I tried to match arrival times with others flying into Alabama. I thought I was messaging someone to carpool with, but I had typed one digit wrong in the phone number! When I finally arrived, another honoree picked us up—and said he was waiting for a friend. When his friend arrived, it turned out to be Chinedu—the same person I had tried to message! We laughed about the mix-up, and I mentioned I needed to go back to the airport because my bag didn’t arrive. The person who picked us up offered to take me back later that day. So we all drove to the hotel—me and Chinedu in the back seat—and since check-in wasn’t ready, we sat in the car and chatted for hours. I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but something just clicked in my spirit. We talked, we laughed, and we became conference buddies. He had been to that city before, so he knew all the fun spots. When I asked if he’d go with me to the museum, he hesitated at first (lol) and me, “I no like to beg man”, but after our presentations, he called to ask where I was—and ran to meet me there. Before heading to the airport, we still had time to visit one more museum. It was the perfect way to wrap up a memorable weekend. At the airport, I called my parents (as I always do!) and told them about a new friend I had met—though I jokingly added that I couldn’t pronounce his last name. 😂 My mom laughed and said, “Okay, spell it for me.” As I spelled it out, she burst into even more laughter! She said, “Is that the name you can’t pronounce? It’s an Igbo name!” Of course, it was easy for her—she’s Igbo! We both laughed so much on that call. Little did we know just how important that “new friend” would become. 💛 We continued talking after the conference, but not too often. When we did, it was deep and meaningful. Later at a family Thanksgiving dinner, someone tried to introduce me to someone else (which I didn’t even notice), and funny enough, the same happened to Chinedu. We both laughed about it on the phone later—little did we know what God was doing. By January 2023, we started seeing each other more. He even visited me in Maryland (about 3 hours away) several times, including one special trip to the Museum of the Bible on my parents’ wedding anniversary. I also visited him once during my church’s fasting period. I was unsure at first—how would I pray, break my fast, find quiet time? But God gave me peace, and it turned out beautifully. He even showed me his lab and office. We talked for so long that I didn’t get home until almost 5 am—and I had to be up for work with barely two hours of sleep! But as soon as I walked through my door, I knelt down and thanked God, because in my heart, I just knew… he was the one. A few days later, Chinedu came to my church during an evening service—we were wrapping up our 21-day fast. After the service, when we got back home, he looked at me and said something I won’t forget… He asked me to court him, but not before asking me a bunch of questions like I was in a job interview! 😂 And now… here we are. Getting married. Full of joy, peace, and gratitude to God. 💛

As you capture beautiful moments from our wedding, don’t forget to tag your photos and comments with our official hashtags: #ChiM | #NeduOdy | #OdyWalksTheAisle We’d love to relive every moment through your posts — let’s make memories together!