When I first spoke to Wumi, she hit me with sarcasm straight out of the gate—laughing, full of energy, and just catching me off guard in the best way possible. When I asked her where she was from, she confidently said Jamaica. Jamaica! And me, being the genius I am, almost believed her for a second. Just like me, she’s a fan of voice notes—but not just regular ones, no, no. I’m talking epic sagas. These voice notes would go on for over 5 to 10 minutes, sometimes longer! At one point, I was practically taking notes like I was studying for an exam. But somehow, I couldn’t stop listening. I was intrigued, curious, and honestly, a little worried about what I’d gotten myself into. Still, there was something about her energy that kept pulling me in—I just had to get to know her more.
I first met Ayo at the age of 28, and it seemed like every conversation with my parents revolved around marriage. Whether subtly or not-so-subtly, they would start or end with, "Wumi, I hope you are thinking of marriage ooo," or attempt to matchmake me with a family friend’s son.
But I was resolute. I had made up my mind that neither age nor family or societal pressures would push me into a marriage that wasn’t ordained by God. I was committed to waiting for the right person—someone who would align with my faith and my values.
Then came Ayo. My initial impression was simply, "What a wow!" What stood out to me most about him was his self-assurance and confidence, but even more so, his unshakeable relationship with Christ. He was unlike anyone I had ever met. For the first time, I felt truly challenged, and perhaps even slightly intimidated, by a peer in all aspects of my life, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I kept him on his toes as I took my time to get to know him better as a friend.
Looking back, that initial "wow" wasn’t just about him—it was also about how meeting him felt like the beginning of something truly special.
When I first met Wumi, she hit me with a curveball straight out of the gate. She joked that she was going to be late for our first date—classic move, right? Little did I know, she was actually standing right behind me the whole time! I turned around, and there she was, grinning like she’d just pulled off the ultimate prank. When I finally got a good look at her, I thought, Wow, this girl is beautiful. Honestly, the pictures didn’t do her justice at all.
For our first date, we headed straight to the batting cages, where the usually talkative Wumi suddenly turned all shy. It was especially funny when I asked her what she wanted to drink—she acted like I’d asked her to solve a math problem. But once we started playing, she began letting her guard down. Obviously, I beat her in the game. Twice, by the way.
After that, we went to a Thai restaurant where, to my surprise, Wumi wasn't really talking much—I felt like I was carrying the entire conversation! But as the date came to an end, I walked her to her car, offering my arm like the gentleman I am. She slipped her arm through mine, and it was such a sweet moment…until I accidentally broke her perfume bottle that was in her bag. Not exactly my proudest moment.
Despite that minor disaster, I really enjoyed the date. I couldn’t wait to hear her voice on the phone again and, more importantly, see if she’d agree to go on another date with me. Safe to say, she kept me intrigued!
Ayo finally asked me out on our first official date after we’d been talking non-stop for a while. If you know me, you know I can go an entire day—or even a week—without touching my phone and not miss it. So, the fact that I was constantly messaging him says a lot!
Ayo is definitely the planner between us, and true to form, he organized a fun activity before we shared a meal. Now, I’m a bit of a prankster, so even though I was perfectly on time, I called him five minutes before our meeting to apologise profusely for being “30 minutes to an hour late.” He was so calm about it, completely unaware that I was standing right behind him, watching his reaction as we spoke.
The first thing I thought when I saw him was, Wow, this guy is soooo tall! How is someone this long? It was also clear that this confident guy I’d been talking to was suddenly a bit shy.
Our time at the batting cages was amazing! We’re both super competitive, and while he might tell you otherwise, in my head, I definitely won. Dinner, however, was a different story. After being chatty and full of energy at the batting cages, I went quiet and withdrawn at the table. Poor Ayo kept trying—asking me question after question. Looking back, I realise I was probably self-sabotaging. At one point, I silently asked the Holy Spirit if I should just thank him for the lovely day and move on or if I should stop overthinking and give this man a real chance.
Well, we all know how that turned out… because here we are!
Deji's Perspective
So, I reached out to 2 of her sisters (a.k.a. the Maid of Honours) and told them about “Project Go.” They instantly knew it was about me proposing to Wumi and were beyond excited.
The first mission was to get the engagement ring. If you know Wumi, you’ll know she’s very particular about certain things—one of those being her ring. For about a year, she kept saying she wanted an emerald-cut ring. Turns out, that wasn’t the cut she really wanted! Luckily, her Maid of Honour noticed and gave me the right details just in time, saving the day. I got the correct ring and was ready to move to the next stage.
Now came the day itself. Wumi is smart—too smart—and it was no secret that we were intentional about marriage. She wouldn’t let me breathe, constantly making jokes like, “When are you going to propose?” and "How are you going to propose?", "There's no way you can surprise me again" (referring to her surprise birthday earlier in the year). To buy time, I’d just tell her, “Q4,” and she’d laugh it off. As you know, Wumi is a doctor, so her weekends aren’t always free and when she is free, she's likely at church. But she’d given me her schedule, so I picked a Saturday in September when her schedule was free and used her niece and nephew as a ploy to keep it that way.
Then came the challenge of getting her to the venue without suspecting a thing. I used one of her friends and had them invite Wumi to what she thought was an engagement party for the friend. Wumi, being Wumi, got excited and immediately called her sisters to gush about it.
Fast forward to the proposal day. Wumi thought I was heading to a friend’s birthday party while I went to the venue to help set everything up. When she arrived outside, tell me why this girl wasn’t even dressed properly for what she believed was her friend’s engagement party! Thankfully, her friend made sure she changed before coming in.
As soon as Wumi walked into the venue and saw me, she froze and started shouting “No” repeatedly—like 30 times! She refused to walk forward until I had to come over and literally guide her in. Then, I got down on one knee, asked the big question, and, as you already know, she said yes!
Wumi's Perspective...
I'll keep it short and sweet...
Not only did Ayo help plan the best surprise birthday ever a few months prior, but he also pulled off the most beautiful engagement that same year! I was truly caught off guard on both occasions.
Those in the know had been dropping hints, reminding me to be “ready” at all times—hair, nails, the works. But if you know me, you know these things are usually the last on my mind.
So, of course, I pulled up to the fake engagement party in comfy clothes, with undone nails and barely any makeup—further proof that I had no idea this was the day- I simply wanted to arrive on time for my friend’s special day. Thankfully, the team was on standby to ensure how I arrived was not how I left (or took pictures)!
I’m forever grateful for that day, but even more so for the love and effort Ayo (and my loved ones) constantly put into showing how much they care. I should also highlight the many telling offs I received during this process as I tried to work out how this day would pan out, but that’s a story for a different day.
Thanks again lad (Ayo), that was a job well done.
(I really tried to keep it short sha!)