Bride: Mary Jane Opuku, 34, Registered Nurse
Groom: Koby Hughton, 31, Developer Analyst
Married On: September 1, 2012
Wedding Location: Los Angeles, CA
Wedding Style: Modern Romance
Making New Friends
Koby and his good friend Richard grew up together in Burma Camp, a suburb in Accra, Ghana. Koby wound up living his adult life in Chicago and he and Richard remained close. One day Richard updated his Facebook profile to show a picture of the two of them hanging out together at Chicago’s Ghana Festival. When Richard’s cousin Mary Jane saw the photo, she couldn’t stop staring at the handsome man standing there with him in the photo. Mary Jane decided to go for it and send him a friend request. Koby accepted and they hit it off famously. “Our feelings for each other grew exponentially over a period of months,” Mary Jane recalls. “And, the rest, as they say, is history.” Although Koby lived in Chicago and Mary Jane resided in California, they kept their love strong by never missing a Skype date.
The Perfect Gentleman
After scouring the Internet researching diamond cuts and styles, visiting multiple jewelry stores and consulting with his family about his decision, Koby was ready to pop the question to his ladylove Mary Jane. He was determined to surprise her with a romantic proposal. He started by asking Mary Jane’s twin sister Mary Ann and her future sister-in-law Alicia to lend a hand. In keeping with tradition, Koby went to Mary Jane’s parents to ask them for her hand in marriage. Her mother was in Ghana at the time, so he asked her via Skype. He was a man on a mission, finally prepared to pull off the perfect proposal. Mary Jane thought Koby was still in Chicago, but he had been in Los Angeles for days prepping the big proposal.
He surprised her at her door that Friday night and whisked her off to a fancy hotel. The room was filled with lit candles and “Superman” by Robin Thicke (her favorite song!) played in the background. “He completely took me off guard,” she admits. “He told me how much I meant to him and that he hoped our love would continue to grow forever. Like the romantic gentleman he is, he pulled out a gorgeous ring and asked me to be his wife.” Six months later they tied the knot in Mary Jane’s hometown. See their stunning wedding photos and share their love!