Luxurious Classic & Nigerian Ballroom Wedding

Erica and George first met while in high school, during a community club ceremony that both of their families were attending. They quickly became friends, remaining so for the next four years before deciding to take their relationship to the next level and began dating. It wouldn’t be long before they both began to realize they had discovered “the one,” and in George’s words, his “love for her accumulated everyday I was with her. After a while, I had a feeling that she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with…”

Read all about Erica & George’s love story, sweet proposal, and experiences in their gorgeous ballroom wedding in Chantilly, Virginia – featuring planning by MunaLuchi Coterie member Statuesque Events.

Bride & Groom: Erica & George
Occupations: Anesthesiologist Assistant & Information System Security Officer
Wedding Date: Saturday, May 12, 2018
Wedding Location: Chantilly, VA

Tell us how you met.
We met back in 2003 when we were about to start our senior year of high school. My mom and her club were hosting a party and invited George’s aunt to be honored for her services as a physician. She brought George and his younger cousin, Alex, with her. We hit it off as friends and stayed in touch. We started dating in 2007 and the rest is history.

Tell us all about the proposal. George contacted close family and friends to meet us for dinner at Fogo de Chao in Washington D.C. I was working in St. Louis at the time, and George suggested that I fly into town to celebrate our anniversary. Initially, we went to kings dominion because he knows my love for rollercoasters. The next day, which was the day of the proposal, George had various activities planned – brunch, couples massage, miniature golf – and then we checked into a hotel in downtown D.C.. All the while, George was coordinating with family and friends about plans for the restaurant later that evening. We headed over to Fogo and to my surprise, people I knew were there! Once we were seated at our table, George handed me flowers and got down on one knee. Everybody was cheering – as in the WHOLE restaurant. It was an amazing night!

How did you know they were “the one”? Erica: “There wasn’t a specific moment that made me realize he was the one, but more so happened over time. We went through the process of being together and getting to know each other. We encourage and motivate one another, know each others’ wants and needs, and are best friends. I honestly couldn’t picture myself with anyone else once I realized that he is my soulmate.”
George: “It also wasn’t one particular moment that I realized she was the one. My love for her accumulated every day I was with her. After a while, I had a feeling that she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

What was wedding shopping like for you? Wedding shopping was great! It had its ups and downs, but we definitely enjoyed certain parts; specifically wedding dress/tux shopping and food/cake tasting. For me, the very first dress I tried on at the very first bridal couture shop (Love Couture Bridal) was the dress I said yes to. As soon as I tried it on, I knew (even after trying on a few other dresses). For George’s tux, he also knew right away. He had a vision of the color he wanted. Once he talked to the consultant at Enzo Customs and they did a visual rendering, he knew that he found the perfect tux.

Wedding Party gifts: Bride side – sparkling cider, personalized stemless wine glasses, pens, personalized bottle openers. Groom side – apron, lunch box, calendar.
First dance song: “All of Me” by John Legend
Favorite item on the menu: Coconut shrimp & Curry goat

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? We are both Nigerian, so we definitely incorporated a lot of culture into our wedding. We had a formal Yoruba traditional engagement two days before our wedding (on a Thursday). For our Saturday wedding, we had tons of Nigerian food, played Nigerian music (both new school and old school), and was sprayed money on the dance floor.

What is your best memory from your wedding? The kiss after I do!

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? Make sure you and your significant other communicate throughout the whole process. It will be stressful, no matter if your engagement is a few months or years. If you guys remain on the same page, everything will work out and it will all be worth it.