"This is tailor made love, fit like a snug" The TL;DR of my story is this: We met while waiting in line for burger at a church event. It was at Portugal Cove, St John's, NL. Not the most fairytale meeting you’d think of, but just stick with me, it gets good. God does all things well, doesn't He? It was summer of 2017, I was invited to a barbecue event for young adults at Bethesda Pentecostal (St John's, NL), the church I was attending at the time. That young adult event was significant for two reasons: 1) Before that day, I had never attended any of the young adult events, so it was my first time. Neither had Omolade and I ever met, nor heard of each other, even though we had been attending the same church for some time - I, for at least 10 months and she, for even longer. 2) The day prior to the event was my birthday, and I remember my sister asking me over a call that "Ta ló wà lójú ọpọ́n?" (Like "who is the special one now?"). It was a casual topic of discussion which we both laughed about but, in hindsight, I'm convinced God was listening to that call. The events that followed confirm that. From the get-go, Omolade has consistently exuded grace, empathy, friendship, & love. I mean, she's a masterpiece, I keep telling her that! It really doesn't take a whole day to recognize sunshine. Indeed, God has worked things out for us. For that which is ours will always remain. I've been asking "Omolade, how did we get here?" She doesn't have an answer to that, neither do I. What I do know is that the best things that happen in our lives evoke feelings (of gratitude & joy) that cannot be explained; most times, the best things in our lives are simply the "best," superlative & nonpareil. And every perfect gift is from God. As Omolade and I start our forever journey, we continue to give glory to the name of God for what He has done in our lives. We have prayed, we have waited, and the things we've prayed for are coming to life. We are excited to take the next step. God does all things well. Or doesn't He? - Akin

Akin already told the story of how we met so I'll fast forward to the proposal episode. It was the year 2018. Naomi Cousins, a friend and also a photographer, reached out and said she needed a model for a photo shoot for her website. I was pumped to model, because, why not? Then Naomi came back and was like, "Are you & Akin still together? Maybe we could do a couple's shoot." I went to tell Akin about the idea and, initially, he said he wasn't interested. I guess that was because he wanted to look the part, since this was a well-thought out plan between him and Naomi. I wasn't privy to their plans. A few days later, we talked about it and the young man said yea, why not. At this point, I was like, wait, us, on an open public site. This is when I started to backtrack, but Akin was excited and then I got excited as well. It was contagious. The day came, February 22nd, 2018. I got dressed and we got to Bowring Park. It was coooooollllddd! But you know, I was excited to take pictures. So we started the photo shoot. The first few shots were just me, and Naomi just kept taking pictures. Joe was present and doing his thing with the footage. Naomi directed us to the pond with the swans. I was hesitant because water, concrete, ice, winter hazards. But these lovely people told me the pictures would be worth it. We get to the pond and Akin starts making motions with the swan. At that point, I was petrified because I had heard those things can be violent. So I turn around to tell Akin to stop and he's on one knee saying the most beautiful words and asking ME to be HIS wife. Of course, I was shocked. I had zero clue this was the plan. Well, you guys get to watch the video. I said yes and was shaking for a while after. I know it wasn't the cold this time. It was because I had just said yes to the most amazing man I have ever known. Here's to many more years and poetry and love. I'm so glad I went to that summer barbecue event. It definitely changed my life! - Omolade

To watch this video, please copy and paste the link below into the address bar of your web browser. https://youtu.be/q3P5aDhAQLA

Naomi Cousins, Photographer Joe Kisusi, Videographer "Your kindness means a lot." Many thanks to Naomi Cousins and Joe Kisusi for our engagement pictures and video. With their combined efforts, they were able to sculpt my rough thoughts for the proposal into a finely tuned photo session. Naomi did a good job with choosing the location and also in getting Joe to handle the footage. Naomi, for choosing a spot close to a pool full of swan and ducks at Bowring Park, thank you. Joe, thank you, the video you made turned out amazing and we couldn't be happier. ❤ Akin