WEDDINGTHE10TH October, 202610TH October, 2026MagazineSPECIAL EDITION CELEBRATING LOVE

HIGHLIGHTA Love Worth CelebratingOur Little MomentsHer Signature SmileHer Light & SparkThe Perfect Fit10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 1THE.WEDDING

10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 2THE.WEDDING

If my memory serves me right, the first time I ever saw YOU was in 2011. I had come home for a brief holiday just before my final exams in Senior Secondary 3. My dad had recently been posted to All Souls Church, Bodija, and I was learning to settle in and mingle with people. I remember standing on the north side of the church alone, then I noticed this lady standing with two younger girls, whom I believe had approached her for some directions about Sunday school. The only thought in my head was “Who is this lady and why are the girls so comfortable around her?” The next time I saw her, she was walking down the aisle (not as a bride) to sit next to her family (the family I initially thought were her cousins). When I finally finished secondary school, my timid self struggled to make friends. I would rather hide in my room but stay glued to my windows to check out people instead of attending church services. I would see YOU attend church services with your sisters and would always conclude that you were a “cousin visiting” and would probably leave one day. Eventually, I got cornered by the President of the Youth Forum then (Sis Damilola Ojo nee Oguntula) to serve within the media unit of the church, where I met a mutual friend of ours, Tomilade. You were friends and would regularly talk. I remember always having a reason to walk away immediately after service to avoid getting caught in the chit-chats.You10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 3THE.WEDDING

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Fortunately, just a year after Dad’s transfer to All Souls Church, Bodija, the Youth Forum Anniversary Committee decided to drag everyone to Olumirin Waterfalls (Erin-Ijesha) in Osun state. As usual, I had made up my mind not to attend. I came up with several excuses, which included school (University of Ibadan), but the truth was that I was just timid to meet people. It took my brother, Older Sister, andTomilade’s attendance to convince me to attend. That decision birthed this union. On that fateful day, we arrived quite early at the Olumirinwaterfalls. Two timid guys (Tomilade and I) stepped off the bus with a plan to return once everyone had left, so that we could avoid the crowd. But luckily, YOU saw us, decided to say Hi and for the first time, we had a conversation. It was brief, but it was so good that we found ourselves climbing to the 7th floor while tailing our amazing tour guide, Rosemary. I should remind you that I have a phobia of heights. lol. As expected, after that trip, we did not continue the conversation until YOU found me on Facebook and sent a request. I gladly accepted, and we would chat about everything on there. As time went on, I met with Oluwamayowa, Aderinsola, andsomehow dragged Rosemary into the mix. We became known as Church Siblings in All Souls, and the connection grew so strong. I remember we had regular hangouts at our homes, regularly switching between each home to have conversations about life and to eat good food. On our birthdays, we would post amazing messages (I still have them on my Facebook page), celebrate with cakes and gifts, and sometimes hang outwhenever we were all on holiday at the same time. We attended Camps together, sat together and sometimes picked outfits to wear to events together.THE BEGINNING10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 5THE.WEDDING

Weirdly, for some reason, I was not so close to YOU, but we had our special bond, though. We both loved the fizzy drink called Sprite and called each other “My Sprite Love”. You were so free with me and could do anything to me that others would not dare. I disliked people touching my hair, but that rule excluded YOU. If anyone needed to get anything out of me, YOU had the password to make me do it. YOU would boast on my special days that my wife would have to contend with YOU whenever she eventually turned up. Oh, YOU just had a way around me. I believe that is one of the reasons our friendship grew beyond distance. And so, when my dad was appointed to the Cathedral, we never lost touch. It was quite heartwarming for me when YOU visited to congratulate me on my induction into Veterinary Medicine, the same day YOUreturned to Ibadan from Ilorin, having completed your NYSC As life spiraled away, we both got demanding jobs. Yours was in Lagos, and mine was in Ibadan. Oh dear, we would always find a time to talk about the demands of our jobs and the plans we had for the future. I remember one of those events particularly. You were still stuck at work after closing hours, and I was catching a rest with my calendar of deadlines when we had the video call conversation. I believe it lasted more than an hour. An hour of ranting, filled with laughs and taunts, but good enough to restore our energy and choose to grow rather than give up. Those kinds of conversationshappened about three times a year, but they were always so hearty and relaxing. Our friendship made it so easy for us to be vulnerable with each other. So, we talked about everything: relationships, struggles, aspirations, family, responsibilities, and other things. At every opportunity we got, we visited each other. The last would be some weeks before I relocated abroad. We knew it would probably be the last time we physically met, but we still relished the moment.10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 6THE.WEDDING

4Happy Birthdaymy home

1st Sept, 2026Special EditionPage 14THE. BUSSY EDITION1st Sept, 2026Special EditionPage 1THE. BUSSY EDITIONI Love You

Oh, the big question: why didn’t we start dating earlier? Oh yes, I had the feelings pop up quite a lot of times through our friendship. I would say that YOU were and is still my best friend, but for unknown reasons, I thought our genotypes were not compatible. I had nursed that thought for so many years until April 2024, when we discussed genotypes, and YOUcorrected my “assumption”. Of course, my first reaction was one of shock and disbelief, but eventually, a relief that YOU are great for any man willing to have the most amazing woman by his side for life. I honestly never thought about asking YOU out until November 2024, when the burden was heavy in my heart. I travelled to visit a cousin in Birmingham,and we had our usual lengthy conversation, but I had a life-changing decision to make at that point, and I opened up about it to YOU. After that conversation, I really wanted YOU to be my wife; however, I chose not to ask YOU until I had gotten clarity on the matter, but we started chatting every day after that. So, I prayed hard, and I was instructed to speak about it with my darling Egbon, Mummy Ike. I did after several days of procrastination. However, I also had a fear. I was scared I would lose my best friend if you did not feel the same way. I mean, you have always thought of me as your brother and friend. On January 14, 2025, I summoned courage and told YOU I met someone I really liked and would want to spend the rest of my life with the lady. YOU asked who the lady was, and I told her it was YOU. The silence after that was loud. My heart probably skipped some beats and pounded so loud at the same time. More terrifically, we ended the conversation quicker than normal after YOU promised we would continue the conversation some other time. Oh, the waiting game. Phew! The patience and self-control not to ask for a response to my request. Interestingly, our daily conversations continued without fail, the pictures kept rolling in as usual, the stickers and the bants. It was a tough time for me, but knowing that I still had my best friend was somewhat pacifying.10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 9THE.WEDDING

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10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 11THE.WEDDINGAs life spiralled away, we both got demanding jobs. Yours was in Lagos, and mine was in Ibadan. Oh dear, we would always find a time to talk about the demands of our jobs and the plans we had for the future. I remember one of those events particularly. You were still stuck at work after closing hours, and I was catching a rest with my calendar of deadlines when we had the video call conversation. I believe it lasted more than an hour. An hour of ranting, filled with laughs and taunts, but good enough to restore our energy and choose to grow rather than give up. Those kinds of conversationshappened about three times a year, but they were always so hearty and relaxing. Our friendship made it so easy for us to be vulnerable with each other. So, we talked about everything: relationships, struggles, aspirations, family, responsibilities, and other things. At every opportunity we got, we visited each other. The last would be some weeks before I relocated abroad. We knew it would probably be the last time we physically met, but we still relished the moment. Oh, the big question: why didn’t we start dating earlier? Oh yes, I had the feelings pop up quite a lot of times through our friendship. I would say that YOU were and is still my best friend, but for unknown reasons, I thought our genotypes were not compatible. I had nursed that thought for so many years until April 2024, when we discussed genotypes, and YOUcorrected my “assumption”. Of course, my first reaction was one of shock and disbelief, but eventually, a relief that YOU are great for any man willing to have the most amazing woman by his side for life. I honestly never thought about asking YOU out until November 2024, when the burden was heavy in my heart. I travelled to visit a cousin in Birmingham,and we had our usual lengthy conversation, but I had a life-changing decision to make at that point, and I opened up about it to YOU. After that conversation, I really wanted YOU to be my wife; however, I chose not to ask YOU until I had gotten clarity on the matter, but we started chatting every day after that. So, I prayed hard, and I was instructed to speak about it with my darling Egbon, Mummy Ike. I did after several days of procrastination. However, I also had a fear. I was scared I would lose my best friend if you did not feel the same way. I mean, you have always thought of me as your brother and friend.

Exactly one month after, on a day memes and the whole world were out to tease singles, at exactly 6:00 am, I woke up to a resounding YES to doing life together in God. I could easily have passed for a man who just won the lottery. I obviously could not scream because I did not want to wake the neighbours (and because I was speechless), but my knees gave way, and I found myself thanking God for making everything beautiful in His time —a journey of 13+ years of friendship transforming into a beautiful union inspired by God. Oh, my trip to work that day was the easiest, and time flew by like a passing storm. It felt so surreal, but I am certain God laughed out loud when it happened. He laughed at all our conversations about marrying other people, at the days we started our “Sprite Love”, days we wrote lengthy messages online to threaten each other’s partners- to-be, and days we chose to follow our timing rather than His.10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 12THE.WEDDING

202610th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 13THE.WEDDING

Today, Tommorrow & Forever Your heart. Your energy.Your presence. The little thingsThe Best BabyHAPPYyou do. The way you make me feel. The way being with you feels like home.It has been months of growth and loving each other through distance and time. Months of WhatsApp and Telecoms signals interrupting our conversations. Months with God clearly writing our story and garnishing it with a #perfectsliceofheaven2026. Then TODAY, a 10 over 10 day, we finally seal it all. The long journey feels shorter now and the journey ahead is bearable because we have God in this with us. My dearest Wife, it is our day and just like you, my heart is racing but swelled with joy that can drown a ship. I know the future is bright, full of fun and great strides. I know we will build empires and raise nations. I know we will expand and flourish. I know it has its downsides too but with you by my side, we will conquer the World. I love you, Queen Yours, T10th Oct, 2026Special EditionPage 14THE.WEDDING

Scribbles.Made with lots ofTLE