The way actress Pepi Sonuga met her fiancé Zachariah Rogers, or Zach, she describes as being by chance. The pair met on the Atlanta set of her former ABC series, Queens (which she starred on alongside Eve, Brandy, and Naturi Naughton for one season).
“Zach was filling in behind the scenes for a friend that day. I was a series regular, playing a character called Lil Muffin. Normally, I’d have a few scenes a day, but this time, I only had one. So we always say, ‘One day, one scene,’ because if Zach had turned down helping his friend, or if my scene had been pushed, we never would’ve met,” she recalls.
The meeting took place in front of Pepi’s co-stars, who quickly took to their cast group chat to tease her about the “googly eyes” they were caught giving each other in real time.
“There was definitely an instant connection,” she admits. “We went on a date that same week, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”
The two fell hard for each other. “She was all I could think about,” Zach shares. “I loved her joy and outlook on the world. And when I looked at her, I didn’t just see beauty. I saw a wife.” For Pepi, Zach was one of one. “Zach was unlike any man I’d ever known. He was incredibly intentional with me, and I found myself wanting to grow just by being around him,” she says. “I looked up to him in certain ways. He had so many qualities that made me excited about the future and inspired a real desire to build a life
together.”
That desire was a shared one. So in 2024, while on a cruise in Mexico to celebrate his birthday, Zach decided he was ready to make things official. He hatched quite the plan.
“He lost his room key,” she says. “It was a big deal since your key acts as your credit card and ID on the ship. We spent the entire day searching, retracing our steps, and talking to staff.”
Stumped by the whole thing, Zach recommended they check out the ship’s event center that evening to get help with their lost key. “Once we were there, the host got on the mic and announced that a lost key had been found, and if no one claimed it, drinks would be on the house. I joked, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if it were your key?’ Then they called his name and told him to walk over to his girlfriend and kiss her like it was the first time.”
Pepi played along as the DJ started playing Marvin Gaye, and she prepared to pucker up. “But instead of kissing me, he got down on one knee,” she says. “He had planned the entire thing with the ship’s crew. I was completely surprised.”
The couple is in the process of putting the finishing touches on their wedding, which will take place before the end of summer. They look forward to infusing a lot of love, and culture, into their celebration. Make that, celebrations. “We’re actually having two weddings,” says Pepi. “First, we’ll celebrate with a traditional Nigerian ceremony, and I’m really looking forward to honoring both my Igbo and Yoruba heritage. We traveled to England last year for my cousin’s wedding, and Zach was taking notes the entire time on what to expect [laughs].”
But they are most looking forward to life after the wedding(s), when they can embark on their next chapter together.
“For me, saying ‘I do’ is about honoring everything we’ve built and everything we’re stepping into,” Zach says. “It’s not just about the wedding day. It’s about every day after. I’m excited to build, grow, and walk through life with her by my side as my wife.”
As the big day draws closer, the couple shared their stunning, old Hollywood-inspired engagement shoot. See the lovely images, and learn more about their road to the altar, below.
“Even though we’re both in Hollywood, we’re deeply focused on building a strong foundation rooted in family. What we have goes beyond what we do. We’re still driven and ambitious about our careers, but it’s comforting to know we value the same things,” Pepi says. She’s photographed in a gown by Grace Loves Lace. “Los Angeles, and Hollywood in particular, isn’t always a place where family is a top priority. It can feel like a gold rush town. So thank God my job took me to the South!”
“There was something about how she carried herself, the way she loved, and the light she brought into every room,” Zach says about realizing Pepi was his person. “I remember one night, we were just sitting together, eating stuffed crust pizza of all things, and I thought, ‘This is it. This is who I want to build forever with.’”
“I’ve always been drawn to old Hollywood glamour, and honestly, what Zach and I share has always felt a little old school in the best way,” Pepi says of the theme for the photo shoot. She’s photographed wearing Norma Kamali. “He also reminds me of those classic leading men, the kind of handsomeness that transcends decades. So I thought it would be special to drop us into that world for a day.”
“Our incredible photographer, Obidi Nzeribe, captured it perfectly. We didn’t want a classic engagement shoot. We wanted something more stylized and cinematic, something that felt like art,” she adds. “These are some of my favorite images we’ve ever taken, and I know they’ll become heirlooms for our family in the generations to come.”
The couple are set to wed this summer and Pepi is “beyond excited.” They are having a traditional Nigerian wedding and then a white wedding the next day. “I also can’t wait to honor Zach’s culture. We’ll be incorporating the tradition of jumping the broom, and we’ve had a beautiful custom broom made just for the occasion,” she says.
“It means so much to us to blend our backgrounds in a way that feels meaningful and joyful,” says the bride-to-be. “We’re excited to build a life together and raise children who are deeply rooted in both sides of their heritage.”
“This will be the first time my entire family is together in one place. Since I left Nigeria at such a young age, I went from being constantly surrounded by family and community to living in a very individualistic culture here in the States,” says Pepi. “While migration brought me too many blessings to count, one of the hardest parts has been the distance from that communal love, especially during birthdays and holidays. So my upcoming wedding is a kind of dream come true for me. It’s a healing moment for my inner child, having all my loved ones together in the U.S.”
“Our biggest hope is that every single person who shows up feels the love, intention, and sacredness of what we’re building,” she says. “We want it to be joyful, soulful, and unforgettable.”
The beauty is captured in a dress by Leau and a coat by Retrofete.
What is Pepi most looking forward to when it comes to saying “I do”? “I’m most excited to start this next chapter with my best friend,” she notes.
“We have so many dreams and plans, and once you find your person, it’s like you can’t wait to begin,” Pepi adds. “Sometimes there’s even a grief that comes with wishing you’d met sooner, just so you could’ve had more time together already.”
Zach seconds Pepi’s glee over starting this next chapter hand in hand. “I’m excited to build, grow, and walk through life with her by my side as my wife.”
Credits
Photography: Obidigbo Nzeribe
Styling: Venetia Kidd
Makeup: Bobbie Riley Beauty
Hair: Shaylin Jones