Miracle and Garvin first met byway of mutual friends. For Garvin, it was love at first sight, in his words, he felt “there was a sense of calmness, happiness and peace in his soul” when meeting her. Over time, Miracle would prove to be the miracle of his life, and it wasn’t long before Garvin was planning their perfect proposal. It was after Thanksgiving, surrounded by family and close friends, when Garvin asked Miracle to spend the rest of their lives together as husband and wife…
Read all about Miracle & Garvin’s love story, proposal, and experiences in their gorgeous Chapel wedding in Maryland – captured by Judah Avenue Photography.
Bride & Groom: Miracle & Garvin
Occupations: Project Manager & Engineer
Wedding location: Bishop’s Chapel & Camelot
Tell us how you met and all about the proposal.
Garvin
I got to know about Miracle through my Sister’s Friend Florence. My sister and her friend Florence wanted to hook me up with the perfect girl in the world and apparently Miracle was that person. Florence spoke with Miracle on my behalf and sent her my Pictures but for some reason, Miracle thought I was a player and not the serious type. Can you imagine that? A whole good boy like me who doesn’t know anything. Well I wasn’t going to take NO for an answer especially because I haven’t spoken to her. With the help of my Sister Isi, I was able to get my Instagram working and decided to slide into her DM. we had a few conversations there and I asked for her number. To my greatest surprise, instead of her to politely deny me there, Miracle told me she doesn’t give people her numbers via Instagram but I can find her on Facebook. At that moment, I was saying to myself who in God’s name does she think she is. What kind of shakara is this now chai lol.
The next day during my morning prayer, I specifically spoke to my Big Daddy in Heaven and asked him to soften Miracle’s heart for me, so she will give me her phone number. Right after that prayer, I sent her a message on Facebook later and told her I just prayed for God to soften her heart, so she can give me her phone number. I was checking my Facebook literally every 10mins to see if she will respond but of course she had to take her time and continued to play hard to get. At around 10pm something beautiful happened, I checked my Facebook message and boom Miracle responded with her number. I was filled with so much joy and excitement that in fact I somersaulted (backflipped) in Kayode’s house that day. My mood changed and the real uncle G was back and filled with so much Joy.
Two days later, I called Miracle and guess what? She didn’t pick up. I tried again but she didn’t still pick up. I started to think she was just playing games so I didn’t redial again. I decided to go to the gym to pour out all my frustrations and on getting there, a voice said to me Garvin try again now. I listened to that voice and called Miracle and this time, she picked up. Miracle’s voice was very soothing and calm, it was like Tomtom or baba blue capable of clearing any sore throat. We spoke for a couple of hours, laughed together on the phone and literally had a blast on the phone. It felt like we have knew each other for a long time. She was like my lost best friend. I asked her to go on a date with me on Saturday and she happily said Yes. Immediately I got off the phone with her, I danced like I’ve never danced before filled with joy and excitement. My shoki, alingo, sekem, azonto and all types of dance were on point that day. I couldn’t wait to finally meet her.
On Saturday July 8th, 2018, I went to pick Miracle up for our date and the moment I saw her, I knew right then, that she was going to be my wife. She had on jeans and sandals. Who wears jeans and sandals on a 1st date? Only Miracle does and that was one of the things I loved about her. To me, it just showed that she was a very simple person. And that alone won my heart. We went on several dates, movie nights, game nights right after and about a month later, August 5th, 2017 to be precise, I asked Miracle to be my girlfriend and she said ‘Yes’. Three months later, I asked Miracle to marry me and she said Yes again!!
Miracle:
Prior to meeting Garvin, I’ve been praying for a husband. It’s surprising how the qualities you look for in husband change, as you get older. I’ve become more specific in what I wanted in a husband. The year of 2017 was the year I’ll never forget. It was the year I met the love of my life, Garvin.
Well, he wasn’t the love of my life yet. Lol I was shopping in Ross on a Saturday afternoon for a particular item and was interrupted via text by my sister Florence. She texted me, “Hey Mir, are you dating anyone?” In my head, I’m wondering why is she asking me this. She has tried to hook me up with a guy in the past and it didn’t work out. So I didn’t want to really go through that again. I replied, “Not really, I’m talking to this guy but it’s not serious”, “Why wassup?” She then proceeded with giving me the 411 about Garvin. I responded with a lot of important questions like Where is he from? What does he do? Is he a Christian? Etc. She responded with the answers to the questions, then she sent me his pictures. His pictures were nice but in my mind, I assumed that I already knew the type of guy he was. These pictures weren’t enough for me haha. So I didn’t reply back to her. An hour passed by and Florence texted me “So are you still interested?” I responded, “Nah, I’m not interested.” I continued with my shopping and went about the rest of my day.
On July 2, 2017, I received a direct message on Instagram. Can you guess whom it was from? Garvin somehow found me on Instagram and felt the need to explain his case through there. It took about 5 messages for me to respond with the “Hey wassup”. I’m guessing it didn’t register in his head that I wasn’t interested. The conversation continued via Instagram direct message but my responses were very dull. He kindly asked me for my number but I responded with a “not willing to give my number just yet, do you have Facebook messenger?” text.
On July 3, 2017, our conversation continued to Facebook messenger. He messaged me at 4:50 pm with kind words saying how he prayed that God would soften my gentle heart to give him my number. I normally take a while to respond to messages because there’s no rush. Lol. I don’t know this guy but it seemed like he was very serious and interested in getting to know me. THE REAL ME. As I mentioned before, I was “talking” to another guy but in my heart, I knew it wasn’t going anywhere. “What if Garvin is my husband?” “This guy could actually be my husband, and I’m playing around and haven’t given him my number yet” These were thoughts that were in my mind. So at that moment, I was willing to take a step out on Faith and see how God was going to work with us. I wanted to give him my number and get to know him better. At 11:45 pm that night, I finally replied to his message with my phone number.
Two days later, Garvin called me and I didn’t pick up. I was in Bible study so I couldn’t answer his call at the time. He called a 2nd time and I still didn’t pick up. I was still in Bible study lol. I looked at the number and thought, “maybe that’s Garvin calling me, who knows”. So Bible study is over and Garvin calls me a third time and I finally pick up and he says, “May I speak to Miracle?” He was a bit corny but cute, so I still laughed at his jokes. Our conversation went really well. I was smiling the whole time I was on the phone with him. He had the courage to ask me to go out on a date with him that weekend. I told him yes I was available. On Saturday, he picked me up for our date in his Range Rover. I decided to wear a cute off-shoulder top with jeans and sandals. I wasn’t going to wear heels because I didn’t want my feet to hurt by the end of the night. I just wanted to be comfortable and cute. We drove to this fancy restaurant called Ruth’s Chris. The ambiance was beautiful and the food was delicious.
The date was wonderful. I was a bit nervous because this was our first time meeting each other in person. After the first date, we continued to spend more time together. We went on more dates, asked each other a lot of questions and met each other friends. I looked forward to hanging out with him all the time. We became official August 5th, 2017. It actually seems like we’ve known each longer. There was more than one confirmation I received about Garvin. I was amazed! It has been a smooth and peaceful journey with Garvin thus far. Indeed, we are each other answered prayers! I’m so grateful that it’s Garvin Obima.
How did you know they were “the one”? Garvin knew I was the one from the first time he met me, he said there was a sense of calmness, happiness and peace in his soul.
What was wedding shopping like for you? I wanted a mermaid fitting dress, with off shoulder sleeves, a ruffled train, and the top half of the dress was embroidered with jewels. I was able to find exactly that at Nikki’s bridal shop. I went with my friends and they spotted the gown in one of her magazines she had there. Ms. Nikki ordered it for me and did the alterations. The dress was so beautiful!
Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? Yes, we had a traditional wedding two days before our wedding. In Igbo it is called Igba Nkwu. We dressed in our native attire and feasted. It is tradition for the bride’s family to take care of the Igba Nkwu because it is the bride’s family that welcomes the in-laws. We also incorporated culture in our wedding reception by breaking the Kola Nut.
Wedding Party gifts: Engraved wine glasses, journals, planners, pens, mugs, gift bags.
Favorite item on the menu: Coconut Shrimp Chops by Rera
First dance song: “Unbelievable” by Craig David
What is your best memory from your wedding? Garvin’s best memory was my reaction to the beautiful car he surprised me with. My best memory was his reaction when we saw each other for our first look. And how our reception hall looked! My vision came to life.
What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? Garvin: “Be patient and always learn to forgive each other.”
Miracle: “Pray about everything and always communicate with each other no matter if it’s big or small.”
Vendors:
Photography: Judah Avenue Photography
Videography: Sambition Photos
Reception Venue: Camelot by Martin’s Caterers
Ceremony venue: Bishop’s Chapel
Hotel venue: MGM Hotel
MC: Wamilele
Event Coordinator: The Closer
Event Decor/Design: BCG Events
Photo Backdrop: Garden of Eden
Catering: FEMAS Catering
Hors d’oeuvres: Chops by Rera
Cakes/Desserts: Manna From Heaven
Entertainment: Phemstar
Florals: BCG Events
Lighting: BCG Events
Stationery: Funke Adeneji
Linens: Camelot by Martin’s Caterers, Linen Overlays: BCG Events
Bride’s Dress: Nikki’s Bridal
Bride’s Headpiece and/or veil: “Something borrowed”
Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka “Jewel” Edition
Bridesmaids Dresses: Sue Manuelle
Hair: Divine Hair Care
Bride Makeup: MakeUp by Shandyy
Bridesmaids Makeup: Divine Touch Beauty Artistry
Groom’s Attire: Kimono Kollections
Groomsmen Attire: Kimono Kollections