Hello world! My name is Stella Njoku, I’m a bubbly Nigerian (Igbo) bride and I am absolutely ecstatic about this amazing opportunity. I’m so happy that I can share this beautiful journey and magic moments of my wedding with my close family, friends, and YOU! Our special day is not only about my honey dip, Jamaar Anderson, and I, but also about what love truly means. We hope that every guest leaves our glamorous event with a heart full of happiness and an additional spark that will keep their flame of love burning. Weddings can be a ball of emotions. From virtuous times to stressful hair pulling moments, but at the end of the day, the reason for this union outweighs any issue. I hope that my blog provides you with helpful advice, tips, laughs, and hope.
Who is Stella?
I am Nigerian made, but Texas raised. I was born in Austin, TX and I moved to Houston to pursue my education. I have an EXTREMELY large family and countless amount of friends. I grew up with four brothers and no sisters, but I managed to turn out to be a girlie girl. I have been blessed with two amazing parents who have shown me what marriage is supposed to be like. My love Jamaar is the complete opposite of me, lol. He is Liberian, he grew up in Houston, TX, he comes from a small family, and only maintains a small circle of friends. All though our backgrounds are a little different, we balance each other so well. I truly feel that he was made for me. He is very intelligent, handsome, strong, a protector, and such a supportive person.
How we met?
Jamaar and I attended the University of Houston. We never really saw each other on campus, but we managed to stumble into each other at the Nigerian Students Association (NSA) 2006 Valentine’s Date Auction. The first time I saw him was on stage as a candidate to be auctioned. He did not say one word, he just smiled, and lifted his shirt to expose his abs. All the ladies in the room went crazy and I was calm and thought to myself “I don’t think I could ever date someone like him. “ I assumed that he dated a lot of women and he love to show off his body (he’s definitely a muscle man ☺). All the ladies wanted him! Several months later, during finals week, a group of friends and I were studying at the library. I had a quick Facebook break and my friends Derek and Chika noticed that Jamaar Anderson poked me. They were soooooo excited for me and I just looked at them with a stale face. They wanted me to send him a message and I refused. I left my computer to use the restroom and by the time I got back Chika and Derek had already composed a message to Jamaar via my Facebook account and sent it. I wanted to kill them, lol! Jamaar quickly sent a message back, but it was like any other typical message that I usually received from guys. He was so respectful and truly wanted to get to know me. From there we blossomed and now we are engaged! And to think it all started from a Facebook poke, HA!
The Proposal:
After 7 years of courting, ups, and downs, on September 13, 2013 Jamaar asked me to make sure that I was dressed properly for a date that he had set up for us. We approached Brenner’s on the Bayou and he stopped me and said “Let me look at you. Perfect!” I looked at him like he was crazy and thought to myself “What?! I always look my best!” *Hair flip*
I was extremely hungry and ready to order, but he insisted that we take our time and wait for his Brother Prince and his lovely girlfriend Michelle. An hour went by, no Prince or Michelle, and during this time Jamaar kept checking his phone and running to the bathroom. I was getting sooooooooo annoyed. Finally, I just told Jamaar that we needed to order.
His brother finally arrived and we had dinner. Jamaar requested for dessert and the waiter came back with our sweets and a box. He said “your boyfriend said that you have a problem with time and he wanted to give you a gift to help you with that problem.” I gave him a very puzzled look and thought to myself “is it national ‘Everyone has lost their mind day’???!” P.S. I am very punctual, Jamaar is the one who needs to work on being on time. I opened the watch box and inside was another box. I took 5 minutes to unwrap the VERY tightly wrapped box and when I finally opened it my friend Chika popped out of nowhere and began taking pictures. Jamaar dropped down on one knee, expressed his love for me, and asked me to marry him……I said yes….duh!!! ☺
Our Vision for the Wedding:
Truthfully, I am the creative one so most of the wedding ideas are made by me, lol. Jamaar and I get to celebrate our love twice! We will have our Traditional Nigerian marriage in the Spring of 2015 and our Wedding in the Fall of 2015.
Our wedding day will be grand, royal, and fun! From the impressive details of the guest table set up, to the impeccable personal touches to the sentimental moments of the event. That day will be amazing! We hope that our guests have fun and feel the love that Jamaar and I share. Our guest count for the Traditional wedding is countless and 350 for our wedding in the fall. It seems like this would be overwhelming and there have been some rocky moments, but with an exceptional planning from Dure Events I know everything will be just fine.
I’m so excited about this journey Jamaar and I are about embark on. I will share as much as I can without ruining any surprises for the day of the wedding. I hope my blog serves as a guide and entertainment for you. Keep smiling, love hard, and until we meet again!
XOXOXO
Stella N is blogging as part of our #APbride series where Real Brides document their journey to the aisle. To read more from our apbrides, please click here or check out their Pinterest board here to see what they’re saving.
