Weddings
Haleemat Said ‘Yes’ To Her College Sweetheart! Enjoy Their Romantic #BNBling
What’s not to love about #BNBling moments? The excitement of getting to spend the rest of your life with the love of your life is such a sweet feeling.
Haleemat said yes to her forever love, Darin and we are so happy for them! The sweethearts met at the university and after getting to know each other better, they became inseparable. Three years after growing deeper in love, Darin knew it was time to ask his baby girl to marry him. He planned the most romantic surprise proposal with friends and family present to witness their love. Now, the lovebirds are on a journey to forever and it’s the most beautiful thing ever!
Enjoy their surprise proposal photos and love story below:
How we met
By the Bride-to-be, Haleemat:
I can’t tell you I know the confidence that overcame me but I thank God for it every day because it ignited the beginning of my favourite story — Me and Darin’s love story. On this fateful night, I never expected in a million years all the things that happened, but here we are. For me, our love story began on the night of our university’s ASA (African Student Association) welcome back to campus cookout after party, at a board member’s house. The house was quite small with no breathing space and a million folks in it, so my girls and I were chilling outside while we connected with a few friends who were already at the party. Amongst these friends was Darin, so yes we knew each other already and in fact shared a mutual friend who apparently would talk about me all the time, *cries*. Before that night, I thought little about him and in fact, I swore up and down the week before that I was not going to date anyone on campus or even entertain the idea of relationships anymore after the heartbreak I had faced.
Anyways, on this night, I made my mark when I pulled him throughout the party and was holding on to him as if he was mine. Y’all! I’m legit very friendly, so at the time, I thought VERY little of what I was doing. Which is why I say a Godfidence overcame me, lol, because I actually would never do that on a typical day in the first place. After, I pulled him throughout the party, we all eventually headed back to his and his friend’s place as the “after-party spot.” This is where things tense up in terms of us bonding over watching The Office and Parks & Rec that whole night. That was it. Two days later, after church, my roommate and I visited him and he asked me for my number after she shouted “You not gonna ask for my homegirl’s number?” The more we talked, the more we grew. The more we got to know each other, the more our love for each other grew.
One thing I’ll say is, I never thought this man would ask me out because we were simply supposed to be “companions”. Homie was going to Medical School the following year so I’m like ah, this a short thing innit. Fast forward to 2 days after my birthday in 2020, he planned this elaborate date evening where we went to Ripley’s (he knows I love fun cool adventures), then Bubba Shrimp Co (he knows I love bread pudding and seafood) and then his roommate helped set up their apartment and I walked into candles and Jupiter love playing with Apple Cider (my favourite drink). He asked me to be his girlfriend and mannnnnn… I have not looked back since then. Now 3 years later, he proposed to me and we are starting our journey to forever!
How we met
By the groom-to-be, Darin:
The first time the love of my life and I met, we were attending the 2019 Johns Hopkins Excellence in Diversity Symposium for biomedical research. I was there with my bro and he introduced her to me as his “little sis.” It was a quick chat and life went on as normal. The next year, she started college where my bro and I went, so she ended up chilling at me and my roommates’ apartment often. When speaking about her, my bro would tell me how special she was, how driven she was, and how she accomplished so much in high school. He didn’t have to tell me how beautiful she was, but in my head, she was his “lil sis” AKA off-limits. Also, I was whole-heartedly not ready to take anyone seriously at that time, so his little sis was definitely not the one for me to entertain. God had other plans though.
There was one ASA cookout we went to a few weeks later. It was a vibe! Of course, there was an after-party. Unfortunately, the house was a bit smaller, and it was as if everyone and their mother was there. I decided to stay outside, as did Haleemat and her friends. We were all talking and randomly, she grabbed my hand and pulled me through the house to see what the vibe was and confirm that it was as tight and hot as we imagined. I was confused and a bit upset because she was spoiling my market holding my hand like that. Did I let go though? Lol, no. We left and headed back to the crib with her friends and while everyone slept, we stayed up watching The Office the entire night. A few days later, my roommate, Haleemat, and her roommate were chilling at the crib after church. While we were watching a movie, her roommate loudly whispered, “You not gonna ask for my homegirl’s number?” It got so quiet. She ran out of the apartment while her roommate followed, and my bros awkwardly laughed.
I had her Instagram handle, and for me, if I had that, it was enough for me. I ended up chasing her out of the apartment and asked for her number. That was the best decision I’ve ever made. From then on, we spent hours together talking, chilling, and doing work together. I was falling for her. Hard. We decided to take things more seriously and went on our first official date to Toby’s Dinner Theater. As the ambitious woman she was, she decided to run for Ms ASA soon after. I was fortunate to be by her side for preparation and even participated in her entrance. She won Ms. ASA and I fell deeper and deeper in love. She was an absolute splendour. She was gifted, intelligent, thoughtful, creative, and humorous most of all. I was torn between not desiring a relationship and preparing to start medical school the next year; it didn’t make sense for me to start a relationship with her. However, I felt in my soul that she was a blessing from God, and I could so clearly see a future with her as my life partner.
Two days after her birthday, I planned an elaborate date evening with her. I took her to Ripley’s (I knew she loved fun, cool adventures), then Bubba Shrimp Co (I knew she loved bread pudding and seafood) and then I had my roommate set up our apartment with candles, flowers, apple cider (her favourite drink) and a curated playlist while we were out. I walked her into the apartment with Jupiter Love playing and asked her to be my girlfriend and mannnnnn I have not looked back since then. After three years of growing together, doing life together, and developing a closer relationship with God together, I knew I was ready to take the next step with my everything partner. For 6 months, I planned (with help from our village) the most detailed and beautiful proposal to ask her to marry me. We are now engaged and beginning the next journey to our forever!
Credits
Bride-to-be: @haleeade
Groom-to-be: @dpxion
Photography: @papakphotos
Videography: @jkg.imaging
Planner: @alexandria.co.events
