Amira and Kester tied the knot at their long-awaited, stunning royal castle wedding celebration!
The couple met unexpectedly, during a time when they both weren’t looking for a relationship. They were both out with friends with no particular goal other than having fun when they were introduced and eventually exchanged numbers. Neither of them has looked back since!
During the midst of the pandemic, on April 23, 2020, Amira and Kester got married privately in their home, with only their pastor in attendance.
4/23/20 represents not only their wedding date, but also their favorite bible verse, Psalm 23:4. “Although we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil for you are always with us”.
Fast forward to a year later to April 15, 2021, and they were finally able to have the wedding of their dreams and celebrate their love and perseverance with family and friends.
See the beautiful details below!
- Couple: Amira and Kester Osaigbovo
- Occupations: Marketing at NBCUniversal / Detective
- Wedding date: 4/15/2021
- Wedding location: The Legacy Castle, New Jersey
Quick Facts
- Gifts for bridesmaids and groomsmen: Amira gifted her bridesmaids personalized bags, flats from Rescue Flats, personalized robes, jewelry, and their geles. Kester gifted his groomsmen flasks and a personalized knife set.
- Gifts for one another: Amira gifted Kester a Tiffany’s cross necklace and Kester gifted Amira a Diamond necklace and a personalized journal.
- Ceremony entrance song: This is why I love you by Major
- First dance song: You and I by John Legend
How did you meet?
Kester and Amira met at Shannon Rose. Amira was having a girls’ night and Kester was having a guys’ night and they both didn’t intend on being in serious relationships at the time. They both went out blindly just wanting to enjoy the evening. During the girls’ night, Amira’s friend invited her boyfriend to Shannon Rose to meet up with her without asking the group first and about 20 minutes later he showed up with a group of his friends, one being Kester! Amira walked over to the group and introduced herself and Kester was immediately taken back by her poise and confidence. Kester walked away and began to talk to his friend about the encounter and when he came back to talk to Amira, she accidentally hit him in the face. She apologized profusely and Kester said, it’s okay now you have to dance with me. They eventually exchanged numbers that evening and the rest was history!
Tell us about the proposal
Kester planned a romantic getaway to the Catskill Mountains to celebrate their 5 year anniversary. They planned to relax, go for a hike, and cook a meal together while celebrating their love. During the first night of their trip, Kester suggested that they exchange anniversary gifts during dinner. Amira forgot Kester’s gift at home, so Kester started the gift exchange by bringing out a makeshift Amazon box. While Amira struggled to open the box, Kester came out with the real gift and while Amira opened the fake gift that contained a shirt, as she put the shirt down, Kester was on one knee behind it! Amira was in disbelief and denial for about 10 minutes before finally saying yes, duh!
Kester and Amira spent the rest of their trip in pure bliss.
Wedding Style
Amira knew she wanted an extravagant ball gown as her wedding dress from day one. She tried on mermaid dresses but they didn’t provide the level of jaw-dropping that Amira was looking to achieve especially getting married in a castle. Amira visited Sena Masoud Bridal and immediately fell in love with the details of their wedding ball gowns. She loved that the shop was local so she could do as many fittings as possible and also get the custom-made dress she always wanted. The owner, Sena, designed Amira’s dress from scratch by pinning embroidered Swarovski lace around the dress. Amira didn’t want anything too beaded and gaudy as she wanted her dress to be a classic looking back on it years from now. Amira also loved that her dress would never be found anywhere else as it was truly made just for her. Once the dress was complete she cried tears of joy as her mother and twin sister’s jaws dropped to the floor when they saw how beautiful her dress was.
Kester knew exactly what he wanted in a Tuxedo. He knew he didn’t want a regular basic tuxedo. After research, he came across Garcon Couture and visited his shop in New York with his groomsmen. Kester tried on many jackets, pants, and shirt combinations until coming to the realization that he too needed a custom tux. The owner designed Kester’s tux from scratch. Kester picked out different fabrics and designs and the owner did the rest. He created a gold embroidery and white jacket with comic book strips print along the lining of the inside of the jacket. Kester’s tux was truly one of a kind and was an absolute showstopper on the day of the wedding.
What was the wedding shopping experience like for you?
The wedding shopping experience was the same for both Amira and Kester. They both knew that they wanted custom looks to match their royal castle theme. They knew they couldn’t do anything basic. Amira knew that she would never find a wedding dress off of the rack and Kester knew that he wouldn’t settle for a tux that didn’t break necks.
Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding?
Kester and Amira are both Nigerian. Amira is Yoruba and Kester is Edo. They both wore traditional Edo attire with ceremonial beads. Amira’s parents wore traditional Yoruba outfits and Kester’s parents wore traditional Edo attire.
What is your best memory from your wedding?
Their favorite memory from their wedding day was finally seeing each other walk down the aisle. Amira never thought she would have the opportunity to walk down the aisle because of COVID. She didn’t think her father would be able to be by her side and she didn’t think the wedding would ever happen due to social distancing requirements. When the moment finally came for her to walk down the aisle she couldn’t hold back her tears. Finally being able to see her husband at the altar was a truly bittersweet moment. Also, having their parents in attendance also made the day even more special.
What is the best advice you can give to engaged couples?
The best wedding advice we can give is to be organized and to remember that the day is about the bride and groom and no one else! Planning a wedding is a lot of work especially if you don’t have a planner. Amira planned their entire wedding and it was A LOT. Especially after pivoting and postponing twice. Make sure you save all of your contracts, documents, and be as organized as possible. More importantly, don’t put too much pressure on the wedding day. Remember that the day is about the bride and groom. We quickly learned that everyone will make your wedding day about themselves! Don’t let them! The day is truly about you becoming one before God and your families. Ignore the haters, ignore the stress, and focus on your love. Also, we strongly recommend premarital counseling. It was so beneficial for us as we started our new life together!
Vendors
- Venue: The Legacy Castle
- Photography: Kesha Lambert Photography
- Decor & Florals: Daphnee Lauren Events
- Day of Coordinator: Jocelyne Kabongo – Center of Attention Events
- Bride’s Wedding Dress: Sena Masoud Bridal
- Bride’s Traditional Edo Dress: Sitsofe Kledo
- Groom’s Tux: Garçon Couture
- Makeup: BeautyByBless Artistry
- Hair: Tyras Hair Experience
- Headpiece: Dareth Colburn Designs
- Bridesmaid’s Makeup: Kayla Strachan Artisty
- Bridal Party Flats: Rescue Flats
- Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Revelry
- Groomsmen Tuxedo: Jos. A. Bank
- Officiant: Ryan Faison
- MC: MC Tunde
- DJ: The Peoples Addiction
- Pyrotechnics: DJ Zimo
- Gele Tying: Gele by Delani
- Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin
- Videography: George Street Photo & Video
- Floor Wrap: Onyx Print Studio
- Floor Wrap Monogram Design: Weding Linvit
- Photobooth: Local NJ Photobooths
This venue is absolutely breathtaking!!! I love all the gold details.