“I felt an immediate connection with Wale during our first conversation on the phone,” says Bisi. “I don’t know how to describe it, but we talked for hours and laughed and laughed. Then, on our first date my feelings were validated.”
“Wale honestly makes me a better person by challenging me and loving me unconditionally,” says Bisi. “The balance he brings to my life is priceless and he keeps me laughing through all of life’s ups and downs. God has blessed me beyond belief by bringing him into my life.”
“God has blessed me beyond belief by bringing Wale into my life,” Bisi shares. You can tell she feels like the luckiest girl in the world just by the look on her face.
“I actually had two styles for the wedding,” Bisi explains. “I wanted a long side swept style with romance curls that I thought would be complementary with the veil and tiara. Afterwards, for the reception, I changed my hair to an elegant and classic updo style that I thought would be flattering to the sweetheart shape of my dress.”
“I wanted a pop of color,” says Bisi who got a little help from her bridesmaids when it came time to slip into her peep toe coral BCBG heels for the ceremony.
Wale and his groomsman pause for a moment of togethernes and refelection before he heads down the aisle. We just love when moments this special are caught on camera.
“I knew I wanted a colorful bouquet,” says Bisi who insists her florist, Danny Wilson of The Savage Garden, was incredible. “My bouquet was a mixture of coral roses, calla lily, apricot, and peonies with a coral ribbon wrapped around the stems and accented with white pearl pins.”
“I chose Bisi to be my wife because she possessed all of the qualities that I knew I wanted in the woman I would marry,” says Wale. “She is smart, considerate, understanding, family oriented, spiritual and God fearing. I decided the moment I realized that a world without Bisi is not worth living.”
Bisi’s bridesmaids’ dresses were from a David’s Bridal collection. They wore floor length chiffon and charmeuse gowns with rounded necklines in a beautiful guava color. “I already knew that I wanted a guava color for the wedding because that is such a beautiful spring color that complements all types of skin tone,” she explained. “I had such a diverse group of girls that I wanted to ensure that the color, design and material of the gown would favor everyone.” Success!
“I had two maids of honor both of whom were my childhood friends I’ve known for 20 years,” says Bisi. “The bridesmaids were close friends from college and medical school. Wale’s best man was his brother and his groomsmen were his college friends. One of them was actually a mutual friend who I knew from medical school and was one of the first people to meet Wale when we began dating.”
“This may sound cliché, but I knew Bisi was the one the first time I laid my eyes on her,” shares Wale. “I had seen her pictures on Facebook and we had spoken several times on the phone but I didn’t know what to expect on our first date. I enjoyed our conversations and we had great chemistry, but when I laid my eyes on her on our first date, I definitely knew I had found my wife.”
Happy groom Wale picked out these dapper Calvin Klein suits for the fellas because he wanted a modern yet sophisticated look.
“It was also important for us to have a location that would allow us to incorporate both of our religions into the ceremony given that I am a Christian with Muslim and Christian family members and Wale is Muslim as well,” says Bisi. “The ceremony, cocktail hour and reception were all held in the same venue at the King Plow Art Center.”
“We wanted the ceremony to feel very intimate and romantic with lots of graduated glass cylinders and floating candles,” says Bisi. “At the front of the room there were two acrylic columns with orchid blossoms hanging within them.”
“I walked down the aisle to the Yoruba version of ‘Aye Adaba’ by Asa,” says the beaming bride. “There is also an English version of the song, but the Yoruba version was one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard and it also allowed me to incorporate another aspect of our culture into the ceremony. My father escorted me and I am absolutely a daddy’s girl. He is my biggest fan and cheerleader and he beams with so much pride in everything I that I do. It was a very special and emotional moment for the both of us.”
“At the altar, I felt pure joy and happiness because this was the moment I realized that I was finally getting married to my best friend, my dream girl and my soul mate,” explains Wale.
“We did the three-strand cord ceremony,” says Bisi. “We both loved the symbolism behind it and the biblical referencing (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Two of the three strands represent our separate lives and the third strand represents God. The symbolic act, declared that we were combining our two lives into one, and asking God to be intertwined into the center of our marriage. We also wanted something we could take with us and keep forever.”
Reverend Gloria Tate-Reed officiated the couple’s ceremony. “We were looking for someone who was willing and comfortable officiating an interfaith wedding,” says Bisi. “We instantly felt comfortable with Rev Gloria. It was like we had known her for years, and she was willing to work with us to create a beautiful and seamless ceremony incorporating both of our religions.”
Bisi and Wale seal their marriage with a romantic kiss.
The newlyweds were all smiles as they made their way down the aisle together for the first time as husband and wife.
“We were hoping to get some scenic outdoors pictures for the wedding, but it was a continuous rain downpour from the early morning until well after the end of the night,” says Bisi. “We made the best of it!”
Dramatic lighting set the mood just right for the couple’s elegant and romantic reception party. It was a great way to transform the space.
For their wedding colors, the newlyweds chose coral, teal and silver. “We wanted to fuse the bright and fun colors that reflected our personalities with a warm and romantic undertone.” Job well done, guys!
The couple cuddled and rocked to Vivian Green’s “Aint Nothing But Love” for their romantic first dance.
There were two main centerpiece designs used to decorate the tables at the couple’s elegant reception. One featured tall glass cylinders filled with water and submerged orchid blossoms surrounded by floating candles and stainless steel and glass spheres. The second design featured large round bubble bowls filled with crushed glass and stainless steel spheres surrounded by small bouquet. So classy – we love it!
Two hundred guests enjoyed a sit-down dinner in honor of the newlyweds’ wedding bliss.
“We went into the cake selection process very indifferent about how it would look,” the bride admits. “We just wanted the cake to taste good! We were very lucky to have such creative cake artists in the Icing Cake Design Company. They were able to come up with a very unique and modern 5-tier cake decorated with crystals and beads. We thought this would be a cool idea to go with the clear acrylic pillars in the front of the ceremony space.”
“I was never the type of girl to dream about being a bride or what type of wedding I would have,” Bisi admits. “I always harbored all of my dreams and anticipation for having a beautiful and fulfilling marriage and life to share with my dream mate. Experiencing that alone is what made my wedding day so special.”
“Our favorite photos are those of our guests and the photos that capture those little moments or expressions of emotions that speak volumes,” says he bride. “The day goes by so fast it and it’s nice to have a moment frozen in time that allows you to reflect and revisit it many years from now.”
“It is customary for many family members to bring their own party favors for the wedding,” says the Nigerian bride. “Our guests left the wedding with everything from hats, to bags, pens, and coffee cups. Many people were not expecting that.”
Did you enjoy Bisi and Wale’s romantic wedding style as much as we did? Tell us which details you loved best below and don’t forget to leave the newlyweds some extra special comment love. Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Email us now!
