Have you ever heard a tiny voice in your head nudging you toward something? Well, sometimes, that voice could be leading you straight into the love of your life.
For Oyinda, it all began one fateful day at an international summer rugby match that led her to Louis. His warm smile and those dazzling brown eyes were simply hard to ignore. Despite Oyinda’s best attempts to keep Louis in the friend zone, fate had other plans. What started as a casual friendship soon blossomed into something deeper, and now it has become a sweet Nigerian-Gabonese fairytale. Today, they are blessing us with sweetness from their pre-wedding photos, and we can’t help but swoon. Their photos are the perfect reflection of their beautiful journey to forever an you’ll love every frame.
Enjoy their pre-wedding shoot and love story below:
How we met
By the bride, Oyinda:
The Suite 98 story is where we met and how it all began. Our journey wouldn’t be complete without Suite 98, located in one of the vibrant stadiums in Europe. We met at an International summer Rugby match. I was stationed in suite 98, hosting the VIP guest of this box. It was a long day with an energetic and loud atmosphere. A voice in my head told me to step out for some fresh air in the corridor, and I brushed it off. Then it got stronger and I decided to leave. As I was walking down the corridor, out of nowhere this man appeared in front of me with the biggest smile and big brown eyes and said, “Hello, how are you?”
I was surprised how anyone could have so much energy at this time of day. I waved and kept walking as I made my way back to suite 98. Shortly after this man appeared in my box asking me about the Wi-Fi settings. I remembered my manager had mentioned earlier that the Wi-Fi was down and being fixed by an external telecommunication company, which Louis happened to be part of. Turns out that he was lurking in a corner to see where I was heading. He followed me into Suite 98, pretending to work on his laptop, and then casually asked for a piece of paper and pen. When he handed it back to me, he simply said in that French accent; “TEXT ME!!”
And that’s how our love story began on 31st August 2019.
I collected the paper and put it in my Jean pockets and didn’t think much of it until 3 days later I wore the same trousers and found the paper he gave me. I informed my flatmate what happened to encouraged me to message him and it was the last weeks of summer “ you never know”. I messaged Louis eventually and he responded almost immediately saying he’s been waiting for my text and he wanted to see me again and we began texting but I didn’t use to respond because he used to send me the cheesiest messages that you could find online. Then he called me for the first time saying why aren’t you reply me and I told him bluntly I don’t like your messages at all then he said wow. Thanks for saying this. I’ve been translating my messages online from French to English, please pardon me.
I appreciated the honesty and finally agreed on a date. I remember the immense effort he put into the date. He was an absolute gentleman. He picked me up on time dressed to the nines. He played Burna boy and all the Afro beats on Spotify he could find in the car to and fro. We dined at a quaint family owned Greek restaurant away from the city center and Louis stepped away from the table briefly and a waitress named Maria cames to me and said wow… you make such a lovely couple and I said Nehh this is our first date and she replied please give him a chance.
Louis returned back to the table and we talked got to know each other and our similar interest, our love for family, tradition and especially traveling to discover areas of natural beauty. He told me he would love to see me again and his intention for a relationship and I told him no thank you I’m not looking in that direction. Soon afterwards especially on Sundays, Noë would throw pebbles by my window, show up with boxes of chocolates because I didn’t sound right on the phone. Or ask me if I’ve been to a certain remote area and following No, he’ll show up with a whole road trip itinerary on weekends. While this was going on I kept reminding him that he was my very good friend I even got him a card to say so lol
In three months he became my best friend, we spent time in library where he’ll work on my CV and job applications. He even came to pick me around 3am to drop me off at the train station when I had a job interview in another city still I couldn’t see. Finally in November I hit a rough patch and an old friend told me to write down how I felt through my vulnerability and share the notes with someone I trust and who did I give it to Louis…. He was there to pick me up and gave me a hug and I looked at him like wow oh my goodness he’s everything. How didn’t I realize all these months and trust Louis to tell me I KNOW
Shortly after our relationship began proper, Covid- 19 hit and I got stuck in Lagos, Nigeria for 9 months while visiting my family. It was the first time we’ve been apart since we met. We never missed a day of talking communication which I think brought us closer. I found myself on one of the first flights out of Lagos on 1st October 2020 as the travel space opened gradually during the lockdown and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Travelled the world together, enjoying the joys of life, sharing challenges and managing everything in between.
Credits
Bride: @samiiie__
Planner: @bmluxeevents
Makeup: @darkenedmer
Photography: @thetomiwaajayi
For more weddings, love stories, pre-weddings, and wedding planning tips & inspo,
visit www.bellanaijaweddings.com
The post Oyinda and Louis Moved From the Friend Zone to Forever Lane! appeared first on BellaNaija - Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.
from BellaNaija https://ift.tt/3LF9bID
via IFTTT