Sometimes, we approach life with certain goals and plans. In Ojay’s case, love showed up and made his plans better by adding Reni to the picture.
It all began on a seemingly ordinary day when Ojay walked into an office to follow up on a job application. Sitting at the front desk was Reni, the intelligent beauty with a heavenly smile who unknowingly changed the course of his life. What started as a casual chat blossomed into a beautiful love story. They reconnected on Instagram, and one DM led to another… and soon, it was love in the air. Now, they get to spend the rest of their lives together, and we are so excited for them. Their pre-wedding photos radiate with so much love and beauty, and each frame will make you smile.
Enjoy their pre-wedding shoot and love story below:
How we met
By the bride, Reni:
I met Ojay in September of 2018. I was working at a mental health facility, just immediately after my Youth Service. That month, I was asked to cover for the admin for a few weeks as she had just left. Ojay came for a follow-up interview at the facility when I met him at the front desk for the first time. He sat at the reception waiting to be called in by the operations manager.
I decided to engage him in a conversation. I asked for his name and told him mine; we discussed for about 30 minutes, and I must say, I was impressed. He told me about a foundation he had just started – (The IdealMan Initiative), an initiative focused on boy child development, including advocacy, mentorship, and education. I thought he was doing something great and told him I would like to connect him with a senior friend who was doing something similar. Just before he went to his interview, my attention was needed upstairs for a few minutes. By the time I returned to my desk, he had gone. There was no exchange of contact. Days after that, thoughts of him kept coming to mind, and I felt the urge to find him.
I kept feeling the urge to search for him and I finally obliged. I remember going to the front desk to check the book register to make sure I got the correct spelling so I could search for him on Instagram. I had searched Instagram but did not find him. Then, a week after that, I remembered him again and decided to try again. I found the IdealMan Initiative on Instagram, and through their page, I found his handle. I sent him a DM, and he asked for my number. We got talking regularly from then on and became good friends.
I left Abuja and went back to Lagos in January 2019. Ojay and I remained really close, and it was very obvious that he was already catching feelings. On May 23rd, 2019, Ojay asked me to be his girlfriend via WhatsApp video call, of course I said yes lol. Ojay asked me to marry him on December 23rd, 2022, three weeks before I traveled to the United States for my graduate studies. And as God would have it, Ojay also got admitted to the United States for his master’s program. We ended up in the same school, and our love story continues.
How we met
By the groom, Ojay:
I still remember meeting Reni in 2018. I was in between freelancing and starting my consultancy company when I received a follow-up email to an application I had made for the position of a Business Development Manager at a mental health facility. I didn’t get the role, but I got a blessing. For some divine reason, Reni, who was a staff member there was sitting at the reception. We got talking and I shared about a non-profit I had just started at the time (The iDealMan Initiative). I was like, who is this fine intelligent girl with heavenly smile. I didn’t think much of the meeting until Reni sent me a DM on Instagram to give me an information I had asked for, I asked for her number and that is where the story started.
We kept talking, hanging out a few times, and over time my likeness for her increased. Barely 3 months into our friendship, Reni moved back to Lagos (she thought she could run away with my heart, hahaha). I visited Lagos that same month to see family, and her, and about 5 months later, I asked her through a WhatsApp videocall to be my girlfriend. We started dating, keeping in touch, sending surprise gifts and growing in love.
I became a regular visitor to Lagos, travelling twice and sometimes 3 times to see her. My family and friends knew that this love had overtaken me. Love surprises here and there, virtual dates, and lots of joint prayers with her made me realize that she is God’s blessing to me. We were making future plans, but some how things were not adding up. In addition to the long distance, she wanted to return to school abroad and I wanted to build my business in Nigeria, but sometimes, God has other plans. We kept our long distance relationship, while praying for things to align.
In December 2022, I asked her to marry me, this was 3 weeks before she left Nigeria (I was not going to let her go with my heart again, lol). In less than 2 months, Reni got admitted into another University, I also applied to the school and God showed us His mercy. 7 months later, by some strange string of events, we ended up in the same school. It is 2024, we are married and our love story continues.
Credits
Bride @reni_alugo
Planner @eventsbyglitz
Photography: @teslim_tunde
Studio: @thebk_space
Groom’s outfit: @feany_apparels @nakkedapparel
Bride’s outfit: @imanol_fe15
