How We Met
Olabode and I met in 2013 when we were sophomores at Auburn University. We had overlapping friend groups but hadn’t spent much time together before our first date. I’m usually not one for nerves, but on the afternoon of our first date, I got so nervous that I made up in my mind I was going to call him and say that I was too sick to go out with him. However, some of my close girlfriends who know me far too well called me on my bluff and showed up to my house to pick out outfits and made sure I actually went on the date. I’m glad they did. After dinner, he drove me 25 minutes one-way to get an Oreo Blizzard from Dairy Queen before they closed. We began officially dating a month later and frequent ice cream dates are still part of our relationship.
After undergrad, Olabode and I began a cross-country long-distance relationship. We both started graduate school, which led to us living in different states to achieve our professional goals. Ultimately, we knew that dating from different states would be challenging, but that we could still pursue our careers and relationship at the same time. In summer 2018, after three years of long distance and almost five years of dating, I moved to Michigan, where we both currently live and work. Finally living in the same area as my best friend has been the greatest blessing and has made us incredibly grateful for the small things in life. Having ice cream after a long week or being able to see each other for birthdays are things I never realized I’d love so much. Despite long distance being hard, we’ve learned so much about ourselves and relationship during the process.
how they asked
Olabode and I have always talked about traveling the world together and have always had Paris on our radar, but hadn’t made the trip. So after he was in the UK for work, he took a train from London and we had to meet in Paris for a weekend. Little did I know, prior to our trip, and after asking my parents for their blessing, he’d been in contact with my closest girlfriends (whom he calls “The Proposal Posse”), who helped me pick out a dress for what I thought was going to be a fun, casual photo shoot in Paris (I know, I know, I probably should have got the hint, but I didn’t). Y’all, he even messaged my boss, in the event I couldn’t get that Friday off of work!
On the second day of our trip, the photographer picked us up with a driver and began asking us about our story and how we met. When we arrived at the Trocadéro overlooking the Eiffel Tower the photographer said that she needed to check the lighting and asked us to move to a few different spots. Finally, she found the “perfect lighting” which was his cue to propose. As soon as he started to rub my hands, I knew what was happening. He began to tell me how incredible the last few years have been and how excited he is to share many more together.
We hugged, laughed, and after he proposed, I turned around to see our driver standing behind me with 50 of the most beautiful roses I’d seen in my life. Olabode even worked with the photographer to drape the roses in a gold ribbon to match my gown. How thoughtful is he?! Just when I thought things couldn’t be any more perfect, he surprised me with an engagement photo shoot around Paris and brunch overlooking the Eiffel Tower. He has always been sweet and intentional, but this experience has truly been one of the most magical and memorable moments of my life. We’re truly grateful The Lord has allowed us to find each other and ecstatic to grow old together, with many ice cream dates to come.
