Bride: Memi Daniyan, 26, Cost Analyst
Groom: Ayodapo Oladapo, 26, Systems Engineer
Married On: August 4, 2012
Wedding Location: Mt. Pleasant Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Wedding Style: Elegant Romance
Just Go For It
When Memi first laid eyes on Dapo, they were sitting in their freshman math class at Morgan State University. He was the kind of guy you couldn’t forget, and despite her best efforts, before long Memi was crushing on the cutie across the room. “All of my friends knew that I had this insane crush on a guy in my math class,” she recalls. Memi was far too nervous to make the first move, so she waited and hoped to build up the courage to walk on over. A girlfriend of Memi’s was a close friend of one of Dapo’s good friends. Unbeknownst to her, their mutual pals began working behind the scenes to make sure Dapo knew Memi existed. “By the time I was ready to say hello to him, he already knew everything about me,” says Memi. “He told me he was waiting for the right opportunity to introduce himself.” They officially became an item a few weeks later and dated for the duration of their freshman year.
My Best Friend
Although their romance fizzled before sophomore year began, they found that sharing a friendship still felt good. “We became very close friends and he was always there for me despite us dating and seeing other people,” Memi tells us. “We were always a constant in each other’s lives.” After two years of being “just friends” something told them to try love again. This time around their bond was stronger than ever and everything just fell right into place. They were inseparable from then on and ready for real love.
Smile for the Camera
When Dapo told Memi their alma mater’s newspaper was doing a special feature on couples who met in college and were still together, she was thrilled to learn that they had been selected as one of the highlighted couples. “Anyone that knows me knows I love taking pictures, so I was super excited about the shoot,” she recalls. Memi got all dolled up for the big day—hair nails and all!—and when they arrived on campus, a photographer was there to take their pictures in the special spots on campus where they first met, had their first kiss, and shared many romantic dates. It was the perfect afternoon. But the best was yet to come. Memi hadn’t a clue then, but Dapo had staged the entire thing. Suddenly they turned the corner and Memi saw all of their family and friends standing there waiting for them. There were over forty people before her and she was overwhelmed with joy. “His friends handed me flowers, and I just stood there crying and shaking as he hugged me and attempted to calm me down,” she remembers. “He proceeded to get down on one knee and ask me to be his wife. It was one of the best days of my life. I was so caught off guard.” Their engagement went viral within their network of friends and family because so many of them were right there tweeting and sharing the news and photos on Facebook. Memi was delighted! Sixteen months later they became husband and wife before nearly 600 guests in a lavish wedding weekend. Share their love!
Photos: KBobb Photography