Priscilla & Ellis’s Glorious Outdoor Ghanaian &Nigerian Wedding.

Priscilla Asafo-Asamoah & Ellis Enobun‘s wedding was so beautiful, but their love story is even more precious.

Believing he would find his wife soon, Nigerian Ellis bought his ring a year before he met Priscilla!

They became friends during their Masters programs, after meeting at their university cafe, but feelings grew stronger after they spent time together – including Priscilla cooking Ellis some delicious Ghanaian meals.

This couple makes us truly believe in love!

Be inspired by their absolutely stunning outdoor ceremony, followed by a refined pink and cream wedding reception, where the couple shared so many intimate moments with their friends and family.

How We Met
by Priscilla, the Bride
I met Ellis on January 27th 2012 at the University of Leicester student café. We were both doing our Masters Program.We met through a mutual friend who was my course mate. We got talking and I realized he was a young Evangelist and we shared similar childhood experiences, which resulted in us calling ourselves “TWEENY” on a friendly note. Initially there was no interest but I was intrigued by his passion for preaching the gospel even as a Lawyer.

Towards the middle of 2012 our communication became consistent. His charisma and confidence swept me off my feet and I started developing feelings for him, but was too shy to communicate it to him as his main focus was Ministry and Studies.As an expression of my feelings for him, not knowing how he felt towards me, I extended an invite to him and his friends to come over to my flat regularly to have dinner, and boy! oh boy! did I cook them some exquisite Ghanaian dishes, which interestingly he loved as it was his first time eating Ghanaian meals.Our bond grew stronger and Ellis became my source of encouragement when I was going through some difficult times. Through all these wonderful times, I knew he will be my soul mate. We have been together since that day.

The Proposal
I visited Ellis and his family in Nigeria in March 2013. One evening at the family house, he called me and told me his mom and himself wanted to have a chat with me. I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect.I sat there contemplating why the sudden call. Ellis’s mum beckon on him to talk. He started stuttering, and I was even more confused. His mum, laughing at him decided to tell me why I was called. Since this was Ellis’ first relationship, he just didn’t know how to ask me to marry him. As his mum was speaking I noticed he was sweating profusely.Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, he summed up courage, got on his knees in the presence of his mum to ask me to be his wife. I was in shock and could not believe this. I was in tears whiles saying “YES YES YES”. I immediately got hold of my phone and in tears called my dad in Ghana to tell him of what just happened. My dad was ecstatic and I later got to know he was in on the plans, as Ellis and my dad had earlier met in London to discuss.

I also found out later, that Ellis purchased a ring a year before meeting me in Leicester and somehow had faith that he will meet his future wife soon.It was the beginning of one of the most amazing days in my life and I bless God.      

White Wedding

Traditional Wedding

The ‘Oprah of Africa’! Mo Abudu on Starting from Ground Zero, Overcoming Hurdles & Making it Happen for Elle SA

ELLE Magazine South Africa is still celebrating SA’s Women’s Month and is dishing out inspiring interviews with women entrepreneurs, influencers, innovators and creatives who are making things happen in Africa. One of their latest features for it’s specially dedicated #MakeItHappen segments is with Nigeria’s Mo Abudu – CEO of EbonyLife TV.

As the founder of ‘Africa’s First Global Black Entertainment and Lifestyle Network’, CNN dubbed Mo the ‘Oprah of Africa’ with kudos to her talk show,Moments with Mo, and her many other endeavors.

For her interview, she sits down with ELLE SA magazine contributor & Genevieve Magazine Editor, Dimeji Alara to dish on what she wanted to be as a little girl, overcoming her biggest hurdles, people that inspire her, what #MakeItHappen means to her and more.

Read excerpts below;

When Mo was a little girl she wanted to be…
I loved fashion as a little girl and at a stage I wanted to be a model. At age 19, I even got selected to be the brand ambassador for AVON COSMETICS for the African market. But I guess my most pervasive ambition was to work in the media and entertainment industry.

Her mantra for stress
I’m a believer in possibilities. I pray, I believe, I strategize and I go for it. This attitude is encapsulated in my all-time credo, “If you can think it, you can do it”. This is the foundation upon which all my life’s achievements have been predicated.

What her biggest work-life hurdles have been + how she overcame them
So you want to be Africa’s first Global Black Entertainment and Lifestyle network? Well, you will have to pay the price of being a trailblazer. You will find out you have no templates to adapt and no ‘how to’ manual to guide you. You will realize all you have is a blank canvas and the will to make a difference. You will have to start from ground zero, learning from no one else but yourself; you will have many sleepless nights and hoping everything turns out well. You will, however, find out that this is both a challenge and an opportunity at the same time. Then, you will have to confront the challenges of power: finance, broadband, the right manpower, among several other temporary impediments.

3 personalities that inspire her
My mum, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama.

What #MakeItHappen means to her
It means women empowerment; it is a call to action for female representation in the highest rungs of the economic, political and business order. It is a call for women to rise up and see the subject of female empowerment as a crucial developmental imperative and not merely as an economic necessity. The world is full of amazing possibilities, so beyond a social media activation for awareness, #MakeItHappen must be a springboard to inspire women to be progressive and be the positive change. Remember, if you can think it, you can do it.

Bethany Hamilton was only 13 when she lost her arm in a shark attack, but what she did with her life afterwards will amaze you.

She was a surfing prodigy and a native of Hawaii, who lost her left arm in a shark attack when she was only 13 years old. Born on February 8, 1990, she is an American professional surfer, known for surviving the shark attack and for overcoming the injury and ultimately returning to the professional surfing. She is none other than Bethany Hamilton, who has many achievements under her belt.

It was on October 31, 2003, when Bethany went for morning surfing along the Tunnels Beach, Kauai, with her best friend Alana Blanchard and her family. Around 7:30 am, with numerous turtles in the area, she was lying on her surfboard with her left arm dangling in the water. And then a 14 feet tiger shark attacked her, severing her left arm just below the shoulder. The Blanchards helped paddle her back to shore. She was rushed to Wilcox Memorial Hospital. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she had lost over 60% of her blood and was in hypovolemic shock. Her father, who was scheduled to have knee surgery that morning, was already there, but she took his place in the operating room. She spent a week in recovery before being released.

Despite the trauma, it was her strong determination which actually let her come back to her board within one month of the incident. Initially, she adopted a custom-made board that was longer and slightly thicker than standard and had a handle for her right arm, making it easier to paddle, and she learned to kick more to make up for the loss of her left arm. After teaching herself to surf with one arm, on January 10, 2004, she entered a major competition. She now uses standard competitive performance short-boards.

She won many National and International championships, since her childhood days. Few among them are NSSA National Helping Kids Champion, 2nd place at ASP World Junior Championships and most recently she won the Surf n Sea Pipeline Women’s Pro competition. Since the attack, she has been a guest on numerous television shows. She also won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback athlete and also received the Courage Teen Choice Award.

I’ve learned that life is lot like surfing. When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up, because you never know what’s over the next wave. And if you have faith, anything is possible, anything at all – Bethany Hamilton

She wrote about her motivational story and experience in her autobiography ‘Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board’. Based on the book and additional interviews, a feature film Soul Surfer was also released in 2011.

Her return to the professional surfing and winning so many competitions afterwards, that too after loosing one arm can be described as a true act of bravery. Bethany will be always remembered more as an inspirational role model rather than just a shark attack victim.

     An Amazing Story of Courage & Determination

This is a story that will truly make you think twice about sweating the small things in life. It's about a local woman with high ambitions and an attitude we can all learn a lot from.

"I honestly had some really rough days, and my mom told me you can sit around feeling bad for yourself and you can be what you need to be, do what you need to do. And I chose the latter, and I'm happy," said attorney Shannon Filbert.

Shannon never had any doubts about accomplishing her goals -- although that isn't always the case with people who first meet her.

This all happened after a car accident at 16 left her paralyzed from the neck down but her will was stronger than ever.

"I was determined to go back to school and graduate with my class on time. I did graduate on schedule and went right to UB."

Then she went on to law school and after graduation, Shannon took a job at the Legal Aid Bureau, where she represents children in abuse and neglect cases. At 29, she's making a name for herself as an attorney.

"She has broken barriers in the community. She's a role model for any other individual who might have disabilities," said Shannon's boss Pamela Neubeck.

She is also a part-time prosecutor in West Seneca Town Court. The same aides who assist her at home follow Shannon to work, to help her at the office.

Her bosses cut her no breaks -- she works long hours, has a heavy caseload -- and has high ambitions and a focus on her future.

"I'm a strong person, and I wouldn't want to live my life any different: Keep moving forward and attaining goals. Honestly, I would like to be a judge someday."

After Travelling Abroad, Ose fell in Love with the 1st Nigerian Woman he Met! See their Fab Pre-Wedding Photo Shoot.

Wuraola Ladejobi, a wedding planner  and Ose Mosindi‘s love story is quite funny. After travelling abroad for school, the groom fell in love with the first Nigerian girl he met abroad.

Wura ‘friend-zoned’ her groom for a while, but then gave him a kiss on his birthday that said without words, she was ready to be more than friends.

Be inspired by their sporty and glam pre-wedding shots

How We Met
From the Groom, Ose
I always wanted to study abroad, and when the time came around, I chose to study in Newcastle having read about its reputation as a party city for students! I only had one intention in mind, to meet people from all over the world, mostly of the opposite gender of course 

It all went to plan straight away, I met some great people, and Newcastle was living up to its reputation! I went out with my new friends in my second week in Newcastle, and one of the girls had met this Nigerian girl, whom she invited out as well.With hindsight now, it feels really weird, because when I set my eyes on this Nigerian girl, all I could think of was wanting to be with her. There was something exotic about her, which fascinated me. The night went on, and we partied as usual, but I had one mission, and that was to get her number, and if I may say so, back then I rarely didn’t get my way. I got her number, and of course, her name is Wura…I began exchanging messages with my new friend Wura, with of course only one intention again, to get her to feel the same way about me. It seemed to work, and she would come around mine, and we would cook together and spend time with each other’s friends.However … she seemed to come to Newcastle to explore the world too, so I got friend-zoned eventually, ouch!She went on to do her thing, and I definitely did mine, I got to live my dream, meet people from all over the world, and share some great moments with them, but Wura and I would bump into each other in town every now and again, and I knew there was something still there.I remember becoming the president of Afro-Carribean Society at Uni, throwing parties in, and outside Newcastle, and that came with its perks, like being popular with the ladies. Wura must have started to take notice, because she suddenly reached out to me out of the blue, being ever so friendly again I remember inviting her out for my birthday in 2009, along with many other friends, we danced and had a great time, and while we were dancing later that night, she held me close, and said, “Happy Birthday”, and sealed it with a kiss, and as they say, the rest is history…I came to the UK to meet people from all over the world, the first Nigerian girl I met, I immediately wanted to spend my life with.I am glad I have been able to achieve both objectives, and I can genuinely say I had butterflies in my tummy the first time I set eyes on my wife..Wura & Ose got married this August! BN Weddings wishes the couple the very best in life and love.