Weddings

Catch all the Thrills of Love with Zainab and Odaro’s Wedding!

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2023

BellaNaija Weddings

We are absolutely in awe of Zainab and Odaro’s sweet love. They are proof that love is such a beautiful thing! The lovebirds crossed paths at the university. If you missed it, you should totally catch up on their pre-wedding photos and love story here.

Now, Zainab and Odaro exchanged their vows in a dreamy white wedding ceremony and it was just breathtaking! Zainab was such a gorgeous bride and we couldn’t get enough of Odaro’s suave looks too. Before this, they tied the knot in a colourful traditional wedding, with the Yoruba and Edo cultures beautifully merged. We totally love the vibrance that came with their wedding and you will drool over the sweetness of love as you scroll.

Enjoy their wedding photos below:

How we met
By the bride, Zainab:

We met on the campus of Rice University while doing a summer Pre-medical and Dental Program. Now, the story of how we actually saw each other differs, but I saw him moving into his dorm with his sister across the quad. I remember thinking to myself that he was cute and flashed a really big smile. Then he scowled at me. I made up my mind (right then and there) that I would never be friends with him.

That summer, we indeed became friends and were super intentional about meeting up with each other whenever we were both in town from college. He became a really good friend and would have random catch-up sessions throughout the year to check-in.

How we met
By the groom, Odaro:

I first saw Zanny at Rice University when she walked into the welcome reception for our summer program late with her mom. They stood at the glass doors and I was truly mesmerized by the way the sun was catching her beautiful skin. She was incredibly beautiful and I was eager to talk to her. Throughout the summer, we hung out with our larger group of friends where everyone would have late-night chats and family dinners.

It honestly felt like a summer camp. Zainab and I would have these weekly traditions where our friend, Josh would play the piano and we would sing all types of songs (Drake, Hillsong, John Mayer, literally EVERYTHING) in 3 part harmony. By the end of the program, I felt as though we had developed a real friendship that I looked forward to continuing. I made sure we kept in touch as much as possible.

We would call each other at least once a month and talk about any and everything going on in life. I would also make sure that any time we were in Dallas at the same time, we hung out in person and throughout this entire time, we became genuine friends and I looked forward to hearing from and seeing her as much as possible. After about 3.5 years of just being friends, we were both in a space where I believe we were ready for an actual relationship and I wanted to make a move.

I sent Zanny a gift for her birthday and had planned a series of proper dates to ask her out when we were both in Dallas together. But Zanny and her inquisitive nature ruined my original plans so I told her exactly how I felt about her and we spent the next month talking almost 24 hours a day and trying to figure out how this long-distance thing would work.

This is how the first date went…

We went to the movies the first time we went out together as more than friends. I came home from medical school for Thanksgiving break and we went to see Thor Ragnarok because – duh. (Marvel is the best.). This date was super anxiety-ridden because we had spoken on the phone for countless hours about how the next time we saw each other, we would make it official.

So the entire time, I honestly couldn’t even tell you what was happening on the screen, I was just wondering when he was going to ask me to be his girlfriend. The movie ended and he drove me to my house and we waited outside my house for about 20 minutes. You could cut the tension with a knife. We exchanged pleasantries and laughed a bit about the people-watching we did at the movies.

But the suspense was actually too much for me so I asked him “Is there a question you would like to ask me?” He responded with “Nope” and when I tell you my mood IMMEDIATELY deflated. I proceeded to leave the car because I really could not believe he wasn’t going to ask me! He laughed and through his smirk told me to close the door and sit back down. He said, “ You know things don’t always have to go the way YOU planned right?” We both burst out laughing at this point because it was like all the tension and suspense had been sucked out of the car with that one line. And the rest is history.