While Ashley and Femi attended Morehouse and Spelman around the same time (2005 to 2009 for him, 2006 to 2010 for her), they never actually crossed paths in Atlanta. They ran in similar circles, but those relationships wouldn’t connect them until 2019. Femi first laid eyes upon his future bride, ironically, while she was celebrating another bride in her own showstopping gown by Lace & Beads.
“I was scrolling through a few Instagram Stories of another SpelHouse wedding in Cape Town when I saw this beautiful woman in an incredible dress. The light was hitting her just right, and that smile stopped me in my tracks,” Femi says. “I said to myself, ‘Who is this?’ From there, I went down a rabbit hole trying to find her page, and honestly, I’ve been captivated ever since.”
He’s not kidding. Femi describes his effort to catch her eye as “consistent.” He liked five years’ worth of Instagram photos, which he has no shame about, and started leaving heart-eye emojis on her Stories. She initially didn’t catch what he was throwing.
“I am oblivious to flirting,” she admits, believing he was another friend from the SpelHouse network she’d crossed paths with. “Utterly and completely. It wasn’t until after a few months of DMing that the heart eyes started and I was like, wait, am I reading too much into this?”
She continues, “Of course, I went to the group chat with screenshots to see if I was tripping. During a virtual girls’ night on Cinco de Mayo in 2020, Sister Circle found out we had been chatting in DMs for months, and they said, ‘Girl, wake up, this boy likes you!’ So we crafted a plan to get out of DMs and into text.”
In May 2020, they went on their first date, smack dab in the beginning of the COVID pandemic, meeting up at the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey. “A short hike, some music, a little champagne, and good conversation,” he says of the day. “Just pure energy and ease.”
It went well, because after that first outing, they went on a date every week for two months straight. They were locked in.
“There was just a peace I felt with her,” Femi notes. “Like I didn’t have to perform or pretend. She made it easy to be myself, and that kind of comfort is rare.”
Part of what solidified their connection was being there for one another in moments of grief. Even before their first date, she learned that he had lost a close friend, and she reached out in a thoughtful, sincere way. “That really stuck with me,” he says. And when her father passed from complications due to COVID, he returned that same sincere care. For Ashley, the loss of her dad while she was getting to know Femi was exceptionally difficult for the obvious reasons, but also because he’d always been a part of important decisions she made. What is a more important decision than choosing the right life partner? “His opinion was paramount, and I wanted to ensure he felt good about my choices and supported whatever partner I ended up with,” she says.
To her surprise, her late father would indeed let her know how he felt about Femi. Rain is how Ashley feels her father’s presence. It was raining during their phone conversation right before he took his last breath. It began raining after she touched his casket at the graveside during his burial. And it rained the day she realized Femi was the one for her.
“We were on FaceTime from around 10:30 p.m. until about 4:30 a.m., just like in person, constantly laughing and smiling, asking questions, great conversation,” she recalls. “Femi said something that felt good and sat in my spirit. Not sure why it was different from any of the other great things he said over the last few hours, but it made me pause. I looked at my phone, and the time was exactly 4:21, and it started raining audibly.
Her father, whom she refers to as “Big Silv,” passed on April 21st. 4/21.
“It was already raining in New Jersey where Femi was and it wasn’t supposed to rain near me in the city. At that moment I knew — Femi is the one, Big Silv just confirmed it,” she says.
Femi decided to integrate water into the special moment when he proposed to Ashley. On October 23, 2023, he popped the question at the Renault Winery in South Jersey. “A place surrounded by water because I knew how much that symbolism meant to her,” he shares. “Ashley and her dad shared a deep spiritual connection through water, so I wanted that element to be part of the moment.”
They were enjoying a wine tour when the folks at Renault, who were in on the plan, asked if they would take part in a promotional photo shoot for a free bottle of wine. She was down. And so was he — on one knee that is. “By the time Femi started professing his love and got down on one knee, I was completely overwhelmed and could not believe what was happening,” she says. “He put the ring on my finger, and I heard folks cheering! I assumed it was other guests from the winery. It wasn’t. “Family and friends were secretly watching from a distance,” he says. A nice touch.
“I was overcome with emotion all over again, realizing that some of the people I love most in the world came to celebrate our love with us,” she says. “Femi and I talked about getting engaged, and I knew he was a private person, so despite my extensive circle, I knew our engagement was going to be just us, and I was okay with that. He pulled off the most incredible surprise. He kept our moment intimate but also thoughtfully included our family, and I am so blessed.”
The couple celebrated their love with those same people and many more, holding two celebrations: a traditional Nigerian wedding on Valentine’s Day 2025 (she’s Urhobo, he’s Yoruba), and a white wedding the very next day, both taking place at the dreamy Crystal Plaza in Livingston, New Jersey. The festivities were brought to life by Ashley’s company, BlackOp Productions. Both parties speak fondly about the first look at one another and the beauty of seeing people they care so much about take part in honoring their journey. It was a dream come true.
“We had live drummers, blessings from our elders, and a joy that felt so much larger than us,” says Femi. “The love in that room was electric. A perfect blend of faith, culture, and community.”
Check out the best from both days, and learn more about the bride and groom’s adoration of one another, in this week’s Bridal Bliss.
“Her gown was designed by Nigerian designers, covered in hand-beaded crystals that really shimmered and caught the light with every move she made,” says Femi of Ashley’s (first) traditional gown. “She was captivating.”
Femi was Mr. Cool on their traditional wedding day.
Ashley’s bridesmaids, who looked stunning in their own right, couldn’t get enough of her beautiful, beaded ensemble.
Everyone was in their element for Femi’s big moment. Spray the man!
The bride was all smiles with her mom and siblings ahead of the ceremony.
“I always wanted her to feel safe with me,” says the groom. “She has this delicate, radiant energy that deserves light, love, and care, and I wanted to be her ray of sunshine.”
Femi is captured, joyously, alongside his own parents and loved ones.
The first time Ashley and Femi laid eyes on one another for their traditional celebration is a moment he won’t soon forget. “That first look at her… whew. Seeing Ashley dressed in her Yoruba and Urhobo attire, regal, radiant, and grounded in our heritage.”
“It was breathtaking,” Femi says of her attire.
“She does so much for everyone else, I really just wanted to take care of her,” Femi says of falling for Ashley. “The more we grew together, the clearer it became that she was my person.”
The couple tied the knot, both the traditional and white wedding, at The Crystal Plaza in Livingston. “It was a stunning space that brought our collective vision to life,” Femi says. For day one, they opted for plenty of green and black in the space, and embraced plants as decor over traditional florals.
It’s giving power couple energy!
Ashley boogied down with family as the ceremony began.
How cute is this illustrated program for the traditional?
Femi made his entrance by dancing with his favorite fellas (and one fabulous lady).
Later on in the ceremony, after prostrating for the bride’s family, Femi and his friends prostrated for his family before Ashley was ushered in.
Ashley came in veiled, alongside her friends, who also danced with her.
Ashley is seen kneeling in front of her mother and family, receiving prayers from her, as well as from her friends and bridesmaids.
If you thought the orange look was great, they also did their big one in purple.
“Our love truly stands on the shoulders of those who came before us — my parents, his,” says Ashley. “There is an unshakable power in Black love; radiating endurance, grace, and joy. Our union is both a love story and lineage — a continuation of everything beautiful and resilient that made us who we are. Our Nigerian heritage binds us and our families together deeply and intentionally.”
The next day, the Ashley got all dolled up again for her white wedding, wearing this lace off-the-shoulder gown.
Femi also ditched the color for a traditional black tuxedo, and looked great!
“Our first look on day two will stay with me forever,” Ashley says. “After years together, I thought there were no surprises left in the way he looked at me, though I knew every detail of his face. But that day, something shifted. In his eyes, I didn’t just see the man I loved. I saw my husband.”
The wedding party was deep! It included some of their favorite folks from their days at Spelman and Morehouse.
Ashley’s father was there in spirit, and they left a chair for him open, with his picture, next to her mother for the wedding ceremony. “My dad was my everything,” she says.
“At the white wedding, watching her walk down the aisle will forever be one of the most beautiful moments of my life,” Femi says.
“Her gown was designed by Steven Khalil,” says the groom. “It wasn’t what I was expecting but I could not have married her in another gown. It was perfectly her and it fit that body like a glove!”
And that, Femi emphatically did!
Two hearts, one forever.
While they opted for plants for the traditional, white flowers were everywhere for the reception at The Crystal Plaza.
Once introduced, the newest Mr. and Mrs. cut a rug.
All eyes were on the couple as they slow danced for their first official dance as husband and wife.
In place of her late father, whom she would have enjoyed the father-daughter dance with, Ashley danced with her mother and sister.
As for Femi, he got to share some space on the dance floor with the first woman he ever loved.
It wouldn’t be Ashley and Femi’s nuptials if they didn’t change into something in a rich shade. She went for green, and he complemented her in teal and green. They matched in sunglasses because their future is so bright!
The ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Ashley’s sorority, sang and strolled with her during the reception.
“I’m most looking forward to the quiet, everyday magic of marriage — the little moments that become memories, the laughter tucked into ordinary days, the strength we’ll find in partnership, and the peace of knowing we are at home with each other,” Ashley says of what she’s most excited about when it comes to married life. As for Femi, he says it’s all about family and faith in their future. “Building a legacy with God at the center. That’s what I’m most excited about,” he says. “Growing together in faith, in love, and in purpose. Marriage, to me, is about partnership and peace. It’s about creating a home filled with warmth, laughter, and culture. We’re building something that honors where we come from and reflects where we’re going. Every day is another opportunity to write the next chapter of our families’ story, hand in hand.”
