“I knew he was the one after our first Christmas together, and I found myself itching to tell him the words ‘I love you,’” says Danielle. “I couldn’t believe my feelings for him were growing to that level, so I kept swallowing the words instead of expressing them, but it was killing me to keep them in. That’s when I knew that this man had me sprung!”
“My wedding dress was designed by Watters and I found it at Pearls’ Place in New Orleans,” says Danielle. “I’d gone to every dress shop in Mobile, Alabama and tried on dresses without any luck. Finally, I decided to follow in my sister’s footsteps and make the 2-hr drive to New Orleans and visit the famous Pearl’s Place. I only tried on three dresses at Pearl’s Place before I slipped on this one and immediately knew it was the one.”
“My hair was styled by Mwanna of J. Maurice salon in Mobile, Alabama,” says Danielle. “My makeup was done by Kyra Alexander of Make’em Stare Hair, Nails & Makeup.”
Ademola’s surprise proposal really moved Danielle. “I began listening intently, and as he went down on one knee, my heart was racing,” she recalls. “It all became a blur. The ring was perfect, and this was the man I loved, and I couldn’t believe this was finally happening after four years.”
“My dress was amazing!” Danielle says. Agreed!
“Before my Grandmother passed away a few years ago, she gave me a beautiful blue rosary bead and asked me to be the keeper of it, saying that she wanted it to always be the ‘something old, something blue’ for the brides in our family,” says Danielle. “My sister used it first, and then I finally got to use it in my wedding. It was wrapped around my bouquet as I walked down the aisle.”
“I chose her to be my wife because we share a lot of the same values but most importantly she kept me accountable and made me want to be a better person,” says Ademola.
“I did 90-percent of the wedding planning since I was living in Mobile, Alabama and Ademola was in Chicago,” says Danielle. “He did help find and coordinate our Nigerian vendors because, of course, they needed his stamp of approval.”
“What I love most about him is his strength and confidence,” says Danielle.
“He’s a MAN,” says Danielle. “He works, he provides and he makes things happen. And I love watching him do that. I also love just listening to him talk. He’s not a big talker, so when he opens up that means he has something important to say, and I just hang on to every word.”
“My bouquet was made by my best friend (who is not a florist, by the way) and she did a phenomenal job,” says Danielle. “Being a bride was exactly what I dreamed it would be.”
“I simply adore my husband,” says Danielle. “I’m crazy about him.”
“Simply put, she is my Proverbs 31 woman,” says Ademola.
“I walked down the aisle to ‘The One He Kept For Me’ by Maurette Clark Brown,” says Danielle. “It is a beautiful song that perfectly described how I felt about our relationship. My cousin sang the song and she tore the roof off the church!”
“My step dad walked me down the aisle and handed me over to my biological dad at the altar, who then gave me away to my groom,” says Danielle. “I wanted both of the father figures in my life to have a role in this big day and it was so special to have them both participate in this way. I couldn’t have had it more perfect.”
“My hair story is funny because from the very beginning Mwanna, my hair stylists, suggested that I rock my natural hair for the wedding, but I refused,” says Danielle. “I insisted on a complicated crochet hair style with extensions. The night before my wedding, we attempted the hair style and 8 hours later, we were still in the salon trying to “fix” it and it was a total disaster – no fault of Mwanna’s, I have to say. It was then that I realized that I had no other choice but to wear my God-given hair. Turns out it was the best choice!”
The flowers girls floated down the aisle to prepare the couple's guests to greet the bride.
“Looking into this eyes at the altar, I felt excited,” says Danielle. “Like, this is it, we are doing it. I was so happy and completely overcome with joy.”
“Our Nigerian ceremony was a Yoruba traditional engagement ceremony,” says Danielle. “It was indoors at the Alabama Cruise Terminal. Our church wedding was a traditional full mass, Roman Catholic wedding.”
“We used a book provided by the Catholic Church that gives options for vows and scriptural readings,” says the bride. “We took about three weeks to read through this book together over the phone and pray over each scripture to determine which one we felt spoke most closely to us. We also wanted to make sure we selected scriptures that would minister to our guests.”
Here come the newlyweds!
“I had the best groom a girl could ask for, so with that peace of mind, knowing that I was making the right decision, I could enjoy feeling like a bride,” says Danielle.
“When Danielle left Chicago, I decided to visit her after a few months of her being gone,” says Ademola. “After that first visit to Mobile, it was a reminder of what I was missing without her in my life, and that’s when I knew she was the one.”
“I was looking and praying for true love at the time I met Danielle,” says Ademola. “I have always told my wife that she is an answered prayer.”
“My dress was PERFECT my belt was PERFECT my makeup was beautiful, my hair was LAID and my veil was the cherry on the cake,” says the bride.
“My husband is authentically him at all times and I have a deep respect for that,” says Daniella. “He never puts on airs for anyone. He’s incredibly wise and can see things that I don’t and always has a way to solve a problem. He’s incredibly driven and disciplined. And he’s FINE!”
“I felt joy like never before,” says Ademola of his emotions on his wedding day. “Baby we did it!”
“I wasn’t looking for a husband at all when we met,” says Danielle. “Isn’t that how it happens though. In fact, I was touting that I was dating God at that time. My focus was on my career, growing personally and strengthening my walk in Christ.”
A sweetheart table fit for a king and queen.
“Our first dance song was India Arie’s ‘Beautiful Surprise,’” says Danielle. “Early when we started our friendship, Ademola sent me this song to listen to.”
Danielle's sorority sisters were on hand to help her celebrate in style.
“Our wedding reception had a Mardi Gras theme since we got married during Mobile’s Mardi Gras season,” says the bride. “Many don’t know that Mobile, Alabama is actually the home and originator of Mardi Gras, not New Orleans.”
The couple couldn't get enough of each other on the big day.
We we wonder which luck lady caught the lovely bouquet.
“I didn’t go with a florist because my best friend offered to make all of my centerpieces and bouquets,” says Danielle. “This was a financial blessing that saved me a tremendous amount of money!”
Sweet kisses and sweet delights.
“DJ Juzang of Mobile Alabama deejayed the wedding,” the bride reveals. “He does not have a website. We organized a traditional Mardi-Gras Second Line, where everyone files into a single line and then dances around the room, forming a circle, waving napkins and handkerchiefs in the air or Mardi Gras umbrellas to Mardi Gras brass music.”
“The overall theme was the blending of two cultures,” says Danielle. “Ademola’s traditional Nigerian-Yourba background and my rich southern, Alabama heritage.”
Join us as we congratulate the newlyweds! Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Email us now!
