With the emergence of the Delta variant and rise in cases recently due to its high rate of infection, we want to make sure that all our loved ones feel informed and are aware of measures to be taken to make our wedding as safe as possible for everyone. Our venue is indoors and many people are traveling from all over the country, so anything that you can do to make things safer for yourself and others around you would mean a lot to us. Our first and strongest recommendation is that if you are eligible, you get vaccinated. It is free, it is available everywhere, and there is enough research now that these vaccines are safe and effective. Both of us have gladly taken that step and believe that vaccination is the best method, period, to ending this thing. If you are unvaccinated, we ask that you get tested for Covid no earlier than October 6. We also recommend testing if you are traveling from out of state. If you are not feeling well, please stay at home. As much as we want to celebrate with everyone we love, we would rather celebrate with you another time than risk others in attendance getting sick. Lastly, we ask that those who are unvaccinated (or anyone that would just feel more comfortable doing so) wear a mask to help keep themselves and others safe. We thank you all for your understanding and are here for any questions and concerns you may have. Please know that we are requesting these measures out of the love we have for the most important people in our lives-you.

It was the rehearsal dinner for our friends' Rachel and Eni's wedding, and everyone was dressed in their finest Nigerian apparel (to reflect Eni's culture). I remember seeing Mojo with his stylish sneakers and his top knot and thinking, "Oh, he's one of those 'hip Asians'," but nothing else past that. Before dinner, I was talking with my friend Gabrielle and he came over and complimented me on my shoes. Then she remarked that we both had matching top knots in our hair, to which I responded like a completely normal person, "yeah! Top knot bump!!!" Mojo obliged and we did just that. It was a very weird thing, but he was a good sport. We talked a little more while getting food but then he didn't sit with me at dinner, so that night I went to bed not really thinking about it. The next day at the wedding, we talked a little more before the ceremony and then during bridal party pictures, and I thought to myself, "Hey, he's pretty nice to talk to."...but I also didn't really think anything could come out of it since he was from California. At the reception dinner he very clearly made a point to sit across from me, so at that point I also thought to myself, "maybe we'll end up making out behind the barn at some point tonight, that'll be fun." Little did I know that I'd come out of that deal with a lifetime of makeouts. We found a couple more opportunities to talk throughout the reception, among which included me sitting in between Mojo and another groomsman to insert myself into the conversation, and him asking me for "help" launching smoke bombs for the grand exit. Throughout this entire time, all my friends at the wedding were of course watching from afar and very invested. When it was time to leave, I let him know I was going and he asked if he could get my number...but he didn't have his phone, so he ended up giving me his number. I walked over to my awaiting friends, put on my sunglasses, and said, "yeah dawg, that's how you close."

I can't tell you how not-on-my-radar meeting a girl was going into my friend, Eni's, wedding. I was too pumped to celebrate one of my best friends, reunite with some dear college friends, and party into the night. Well, all that changed when I met Shea at the rehearsal dinner. I noticed how attractive she was (cause duh, that is one of the more obvious things in this world) and her fly looking shoes. We talked a bit and I wanted to sit next to her at dinner, but there were no open chairs by her. As the night went on I found myself wanting to talk to her more, and I went to bed that night resolved to spend as much time talking & flirting with Shea as possible at the wedding. For some reason, important things like the fact that we lived on opposite sides of the country didn't register in my mind. The koolaid must have been strong that night. I liked this girl, and I wanted to know more. That's really all I could think about. Obviously that happened, although sitting by her took some extraordinary effort because someone else was sitting across from her at the reception, and I literally picked up his food and made him move. As the day went by I could feel the eyes watching us grow exponentially, but I was in full dgaf mode and relished every chance to talk to her. On one occasion, the bride's mother asked me to figure out how to use the colored smoke grenades for the send off. There's not much to figure out. You point it in the air and pull the string. But I made sure to find Shea and have her help me for a while cause I was really, reeaalllyyy stumped. At the end of the day, I asked Shea for her number but much to my chagrin, I didn't have my phone on me and my hands were full with stuff. Rather than take a chance on my memory, I put my number in her phone, silently prayed that she would text me, and gave her a hug goodbye. Some of the groomsmen were watching and asked what happened. I told them, "you gotta check your ABC's." Always Be Closing.

A cross country move, a nationwide pandemic, and now we're engaged.