It Started with a Barbecue Hangout! Mercy & Elijah’s Pre-wedding Shoot + Love Story

They say oftentimes, what you’re searching for may just be right in front of you without you realizing it. This is the case with Mercy and Elijah who met each other at a Barbecue hangout. PS: Mercy didn’t even want to attend this hangout!

Mercy had gone out with her friends reluctantly on one seemingly ordinary day when she met Elijah for the first time. Now, for someone who didn’t even want to be out in the first place, you can guess that she didn’t exactly see anything special in this meeting. But not Elijah, he knew from the moment he laid eyes on the beautiful Mercy, that she had to be his. Well, here we are, years down the line, gushing over their beautiful pre-wedding shoot as they move into forever.  Their chemistry totally has us in our feelings and we can’t get over their love story. Keep scrolling to see how Mercy narrates the love story.

Enjoy all the photos from their pre-wedding shoot and love story below.

How We Met
By the Bride-to-be, Mercy

In July 2011, a couple of friends and I went to Brooklyn for a barbecue. At first, I wasn’t going to go, then my friend told me that I needed to have more fun, call out of work, and enjoy myself once in a while. So reluctantly, I went. We got there and I was just sitting around. I just wanted to leave and go home. After a couple of hours, we got ready to leave, and as we were walking to the car, here comes a guy chasing me, saying “excuse me miss.” I kept walking because I just didn’t feel like entertaining anyone.

He was persistent though. He finally caught up to me and asked me for my BBM Pin. (Blackberry was in back then). I asked him why he needed my pin, and he told me, “I really want to get to know you”. I gave it to him and left. I didn’t even get his name. It wasn’t until later that night that he messaged me and introduced himself to me as Elijah. Elijah persistently chased me for over a year. He called, texted, and I saw him everywhere after that day we initially met.

He was at every Naija party and every time, he would try and talk to me. I gave him every excuse as to why I couldn’t date him, but he wasn’t going for it. I was at a lounge with a friend and he spotted me there once again. This time was different. He bought me and my friend a drink, and he pretty much left me alone for the night. I found myself looking for him because I wasn’t used to him not looking for me! 2 weeks later, we went on our first date to a cute restaurant. He asked me to be his girlfriend and I quickly said yes.

7 years later, Elijah asks me to marry him. I thought it was a graduation dinner for me, but clearly, he had a bigger agenda. He had all my friends and family there to celebrate with us. We had plans of getting married in the summer of 2020. However, Covid-19 hit and we had to postpone. It feels so good to say I’m spending the rest of my life with this man. A man who I was running away from in my earlier years, but every time I even get a glimpse of him, my head scatters!

Credits

Bride: @mercyshewrote
Groom: @sir_4_3li
Planner: @ftkkonnect
Makeup: @gemstouch
Photography: @zoomworx