Welcome to the Traditional Nigerian Engagement and Wedding. We hope you have fun with us! -----------------------------------------------------

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“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” - Maya Angelou Summer of 2015, with a heavy backpack and an overpacked suitcase, a young girl from China traveled halfway across the globe from her hometown Xi'an to New Jersey. Nervous but excited, she was ready to make her 2-year international study experience memorable, so that she could return home 2 years later with a Master's degree and lots of stories to tell. However, little did she know, life had prepared something far more adventurous and meaningful - a “notebook” love story! Soon after school started, she began to make friends - starting by knowing her dormmates and neighbors. On labor day weekend, she went to the apartment next door and made a new friend named AJ. “He was a bit nerdy but very tall and friendly”, that was her first impression of him. Gradually, they became very good friends. They would study together at different libraries on campus, have dinner at the Busch campus dining hall, and go to friends' parties together. When she had night classes, he would always somehow “conveniently” run errands nearby and be able to pick her up. As time went by, their friendship got stronger and he finally “passed the probation period” and became her “emergency contact”. After graduating from Rutgers, he moved to Cincinnati, OH to pursue his Ph.D. degree, while she stayed in NJ to finish her Masters's program. They decided to start a long-distance relationship. After a turbulent 4 years, filled with lots of laughter and tears (mostly hers), their relationship passed the test and their hearts grew closer. They are now both residing in NJ where their love story began. Surrounded by loving families and supportive friends, with each other by their side, they cannot wait to continue their life adventures together.

Labor Day weekend 2015 marks one of the most important weekends of AJ's life. AJ, cooking dinner at Buel Apartments at Rutgers University, heard a knock at the door. Little did he know that God would provide him with the woman of his dreams - Jin would be at the opposite side of his door. With a simple smile and a "Hi, my name is Jin, "AJ was smitten. He was so smitten that he chatted with her about everything that made him AJ while over a dinner of Jollof Rice. Then, he took her around Piscataway, showing her around before bringing her back. He knew God gave him an opportunity, and he had to go for it. AJ wanted to see her more, so he invited her to study sessions and parties, culminating in coming home for Thanksgiving in 2015. During Thanksgiving, his family embraced her so much that by Christmas, people wanted to see Jin more than him! Over the following months, the love blossomed with family dinners and trips to Baltimore and Washington, DC. A long-distance relationship tested their love. AJ moved to Cincinnati to pursue a Doctorate in Biomedical Informatics and was worried that this distance would be too much for the relationship. But, instead, it only made them closer. A pivotal moment would be in February 2016, when Jin drove from New Jersey to Cincinnati, going all night just to see him. Happy, startled, and a good man, he brought Jin in before driving her back to New Jersey. On that drive, going through Pennsylvania Turnpike at night with stormy snow, he promised God: If they made it through, they could make it through anything, and she would be the one to marry. Promise made, promise kept. Throughout the years, they went on multiple vacations, trips, and dates, and the constant was that he loved her for all she was and all of what she would become. Whether in Louisville, Nashville, Miami, Columbus, or New Brunswick, AJ always showed his love and affection for her through surprise visits, adventure, and care. No matter the occasion, the emotion, the time, or the place, AJ always loved her and would be captivated by how she impressed and loved the people around him and supported him throughout all aspects of his life. AJ put the timer to propose to Jin by dropping hints to the crowd at his birthday party on May 21, 2021. In June, he hopped on a train to New York, telling Jin she would never regret getting him on that train. Little did she know, that was a planned trip to the Tiffany's. AJ secretly arranged to ship the ring off to the family house and showed all of his family members the ring before proposing to Jin. Finally, when it comes to the day of the proposal, AJ planned to give Jin the best day ever. First, he took her to their favorite beach. Then, he made up an excuse to make a stop at Rutgers before heading home and popped the question at the Kirkpatrick Chapel. Surprised and happy, SHE SAID YES! Back home, little did she know there would be more. AJ, with the help of their friends and siblings, planned a surprise proposal party celebrating their love and engagement. It was indeed the best day ever! Now a new chapter of their love story is waiting to be opened, they cannot wait to see what the future holds.