It Started at Drama Rehearsal! Jadesola and Silas’ Pre-wedding Shoot + Love Story

Church ranks high on our list of potential places to meet bae.

For #TheJaSiWedding couple, their church played a major role in their love story.  Jadesola had just joined The Covenant Nation and was looking to make one friend in church. She decided to join the drama group, one thing led to another at the rehearsal and that’s how Silas came into the picture. From meeting in church to conversations on the phone, here they are ready to do life together.

Their pre-wedding shoot was brilliantly captured by JOP Studios and they decided to go for a location that was in sync with their personalities. They’re both food and travel lovers so they decided on a place that brings some travel elements together. They found the perfect location in the Radisson Avalon Hotel, Ikeja.

How We Met
By the groom, Silas

This wasn’t one of those love-at-first-sight stories. It was more like feeling the impact of a punch hours after being hit. Only that, this was a deep ecstatic feeling that ate up my entire system. Quite systemic. After a seemingly casual (very ordinary) encounter in church, you know, the usual hi and hello, What do you do? Where do you work? Exchange number, is this your regular center and all? Nothing genuinely targeted nor intentional. Just meet and greet and move on. Few hours after I got home, I remember having this sudden feeling, like something had happened and I had completely missed it. I was so unsettled and what’s more annoying was that all attempts at figuring that out kept ending at this seemingly casual meeting with this stranger girl in church.

I was so pumped about continuing a conversation with this babe. I cleared up my schedule for the evening, Monday prep- checked. Stayed in my room and was priming myself to make “The Call”. I know I am a very irresistible, charming sweet talker on the phone, my main intention was to “unravel the mystery”. How does she think? What’s she like? How interesting is this strange babe? And more importantly, why in the world are you disrupting my mind? Why am I so unexplainably crazy about hearing this voice again? Looking back now, I felt so childish at how spontaneous I was. I could not even form big boy till the following day. That call was perhaps the longest “first-time” call to a stranger that I’ve ever made. We spoke for a couple of hours. Late into the night until sleep took over (it was at this point my flatmate realized he was in for it). Within the next few days, almost everyone around me knew there was a “Jade” in Silas’ life. Her name must enter any conversation I’m having with you o. Which is the way I am with whatever I’m crazy about.

Our friendship grew on a geometric scale, I quickly found that I wanted to spend my evenings, weekends and whatever time I could squeeze out with her. My rigid routine was adjusted without a second thought. I never got too tired to take a detour after work to block her at her office or at “So Fresh” whenever she was free to meet. The weekends became my all-time favorite time and I soon got my hopeless romantic tag from her. Once in a while, she would snap me back to reality. I was the only one daydreaming o. She didn’t sign up for all this lovey lovey something  – was it not church brother and sister level? Thank God for God. This brother didn’t relent. Steadfastness is key to winning the prize. They will not push us to the “brother” zone o. Amen.

As the friendship grew over the next few weeks, I could not resist the urge to push further. The answer to my request was not what was expected. I thought we were doing this falling thing together? I waited for another two months before she prompted me to ask again (yeah, she is romantic like that). We shed a few tears, felt some butterflies, and then bliss. Baba was now official! No more solo loving. It was at this point the journey started – February, 13th 2019, and 14 months after that, on her birthday, I asked her to be my wife in her living room. COVID-19 didn’t allow me to make it glamorous.

I’ll say one of the attributes that I like about Jadesola is how outspoken she can be. This is also one of the reasons for our fights – but I love that. She’s a hard worker. I don’t particularly like this because it robs me of my time. She can lock herself up with her laptop all day and forget there’s someone else around. She’s super adventurous – food, travel, and the whole lifestyle thing. I enjoy the food part a lot. We’ve come a long way from the hi and hello, there has also been a lot of learning and growing. I found a friend who has been my strength on many occasions. I have a friend I’m madly in love with. A friend I wouldn’t want to spend any moment without. Here’s to forever! P.S: She has the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen.

How We Met
By the bride, Jadesola

The year was 2018 when I decided to go to Church for my first drama rehearsal. I had just joined The Covenant Nation and was looking forward to having at least one friend in Church. To be very honest, that was why I even applied to join the Drama group. At some point, while rehearsing, there was a power cut so we had to stand outside to get some air. I was feeling weird because I didn’t like that I didn’t know anybody there. In true Jade fashion, I looked around for the person with the nicest face to talk to. That person was Silas. We chatted briefly in Church and then spoke for a long time when I got home. Days after, my friends were teasing me about my “new friend” who sent me parfaits and was taking up all of my time. I wasn’t prepared for anything serious.

Granted, I was looking for a Church friend, Church brother o, nothing more but this man was so stubborn and refused to be zoned into any category. It’s one of the reasons I love him, I can’t even lie. That drama rehearsal we went for, that was the last time I went there. He still tried and went for a few more but I was done. At least we went to watch the stage production and then went to look for Parfaits ?. . He made my November & December 2018 so memorable. We started dating in February 2019, got engaged amidst the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and now we’re getting married in 2021. I absolutely love the progression. Through the uncertainty of 2020, it was so reassuring knowing that Silas was in my corner. He’s still very stubborn but he’s the definition of Amazing! With him, I know that I am loved and we can chase ten thousand!

Here’s what inspired their pre-wedding shoot location.

We’re both foodies and travel lovers so we wanted something that just brings some travel elements together. We found the perfect location in the Radisson Avalon Hotel, Ikeja. Since our wedding was also going to be a semi-destination wedding, we wanted to give people a snippet of what to look forward to and we’re so happy with how it turned out.

Credits

Bride-to-be: @jadesunfilteredlife
Groom-to-be: @babatundesilas
Photography: @jopstudios
Blue Dress: @abagunlagos
Hairstyling: @traycee_zino
Makeup: @leemar_brows
Venue: @radissonhotellagosikeja