Lem’s proposal to Annie was perfect, even though Annie had a granola bar in her mouth.
See Lem proposed during a hiking trip with friends and totally caught Annie off guard. She reminisces, “I had been eating a granola bar so I quickly tried to swallow all the food in my mouth and held the crumpled wrapper in my right hand as Lem placed the ring on my left. I’ll never forget all the little details from that day, especially staring at the beautiful ring while trying to swallow that dang granola bar so I could say yes!”
Their Spring wedding was just as charming and filled with memorable moments. “There are so many! From our groomsmen and bridesmaids walking down the aisle to the Star Wars and Game of Thrones theme music, to our officiant’s (Lem’s sister) hilarious yet touching words, to watching our guests devour the food to the point where we actually ran out of desserts at our dessert bar,” Annie shares.
See all of the beautiful details from their rustic and romantic wedding below.
- Couple: Annie and Lem
- Occupations: Attorney (Lem) and VP of a healthcare company (Annie)
- Wedding date: 4/20/19
- Wedding location: Addison Grove, Austin, TX
Quick Facts
- What gifts did you give to your bridesmaids and groomsmen: Ooh this is a tough one as we put together gift boxes and bags of random goodies.
- Groomsmen received a shaving kit and a box of goodies that included a Compartes chocolate bar, socks, a bowtie, a leather-bound notebook, and gum
- Bridesmaids received an Austin tote bag filled with a matching pajama set from Plum Pretty Sugar, a Compartes chocolate bar, a personalized cosmetic bag, dry shampoo, hand lotion, chapstick, band aids, Smartwater and Tylenol
- Ceremony entrance song: “Welcome to the Party” by Diplo, French Montana & Lil Pump ft. Zhavia Ward
- First dance song: “Electric Love” by BORNS
How did you meet?
We met on Bumble!
Tell us about the proposal.
It was April of 2018 and we were on our annual weekend trip with friends in Carmel, CA. On Saturday morning, we decided to go hiking at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and ended up on a quiet little beach. Little did I know that Lem had planned the proposal with our friends. They took me on a walk to distract me while Lem secretly changed into a button-down and slacks (I had vehemently opposed packing this outfit because I thought it was ridiculous to pack such a nice outfit for a casual weekend with friends).
When I came back from the walk, I was very confused as to why Lem was dressed so nicely, and then he got down on one knee and proposed. I was completely shocked and speechless. I had been eating a granola bar so I quickly tried to swallow all the food in my mouth and held the crumpled wrapper in my right hand as Lem placed the ring on my left. I’ll never forget all the little details from that day, especially staring at the beautiful ring while trying to swallow that dang granola bar so I could say yes!
Describe your wedding style.
Lem wore traditional Nigerian formal wear that was black with gold embroidery. The Senator style attire is commonly worn by the Igbo tribe. It was made in Lagos, Nigeria, and shipped to Austin a few days before the wedding. He topped it off with Gucci tiger cufflinks and Calvin Klein shoes.
I wore a lace mermaid gown from Daalarna with pearl detailing along the neckline and back. I chose to shop for wedding dresses alone (except for one trip to California where I took my mom, sister, and close family members so they could experience it with me). I went to about 4 different boutiques around Austin and tried on probably 6-8 dresses at each place. It was easy for me to know what I liked and didn’t like pretty quickly. I narrowed it down to a few dresses by Daalarna at Serendipity Bridal and returned during Daalarna’s trunk show with one close friend. I didn’t have a “this is the one” moment and there were no tears, but I loved the unique lace and the fit on my booty (ha!) so that sealed the deal.
Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding?
The guest attire for our wedding was cultural formalwear or cocktail attire. We had many guests arrive in their cultural formalwear, which was so great to see. Our groomsmen had the option to wear tuxes or cultural formalwear, most of whom chose to represent their cultures. One groomsman wore a barong tagalog, a formal embroidered shirt and national dress of the Philippines. Another groomsman wore a Greek Tsolia, a traditional uniform worn by historical Greek soldiers. There was a groomsman that wore an Indian Sherwani with a Kurta and one that wore a Kurta with a Nehru jacket.
We had a second wedding reception in Taipei, Taiwan seven months after our wedding for a more traditional Chinese celebration that involved a lot of eating and a lot of toasting.
What is your best memory from your wedding?
There are so many! From our groomsmen and bridesmaids walking down the aisle to the Star Wars and Game of Thrones theme music, to our officiant’s (Lem’s sister) hilarious yet touching words, to watching our guests devour the food to the point where we actually ran out of desserts at our dessert bar. Lem’s ultimate favorite memory was our entry into the reception where we danced our way to the front of the room to “Welcome to the Party” while his family chanted his name to the beat. My favorite was Lem’s dance moves all night long, from our reception entry to the very end of the night. It was like watching a hip hop dance video live where the star of the show is your new husband and you happily get to dance alongside him.
What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples?
If you can, plan early so you can just enjoy being engaged. We were engaged in April and had finished planning by July. We didn’t start thinking about the wedding details again until February – that’s six months of worry-free bliss! On the day of the wedding, don’t worry about a thing. Someone will take care of it and if it isn’t taken care of, who cares – you won’t even notice something was wrong. Just be present and soak it all in.
Vendors:
- Wedding Planner: Altar Ego Weddings
- Venue: Addison Grove
- Caterer: Royal Fig
- DJ/Ceremony: Music Texas Pro DJ
- Photographer: Angela Lally Photography
- Videographer: ILC Films
- Florist: Native Bloom Floral
- Officiant: Sister of the groom
- Hair & Makeup: LoLa Beauty
- Photobooth: Say Cheese Photobooths
- Guest Transportation: Transportation Consultants
- Groom’s Attire: his own
- Groomsmen Attire: their own
- Wedding Dress Designer: Daalarna
- Wedding Dress Salon: Serendipity Bridal in Austin
- Bridesmaids Dresses: Revelry dresses in Marsala
- Shoes: Gucci
- Invitation: Minted
- Day-of Stationery/Signage: Minted
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