True Love Tuesday Aimee and Tobi Onile-ere…

A Cultural Connection

It was a truly glamorous affair when Aimee and Tobi’s guests descended on the Galgorm Resort from all around the world to celebrate their big day.
The elegant soirée was a perfect fusion of the bride and groom’s respective cultures.

Aimée from Ballymoney first met Londoner Tobi in Belfast, introduced by mutual friends.
The couple subsequently moved to Dubai togather where they became engaged in May 2018 after Tobi’s surprise proposal in their apartment.
“It was just a very chilled day relaxing and Tobi asked me to close my eyes and he put the ring on my finger,” Aimee told us, “When I opened my eyes and saw it, I was so shocked. That evening we went out for drinks and a meal to celebrate.”

Tobi had chosen a beautiful tear drop shaped diamond for his new fiancée and had managed to keep his plans a secret for 5 months since asking for Aimee’s father’s permission to marry her during the Christmas holidays.

Aimee already had a dress style in mind when she visited Castle Couture in Galgorm armed with a picture of her perfect dress. It was the first bridal shop Aimee had visited and they had just received new stock in from LA, including a dress very similar to the one Aimee loved.
“The one I tried on that day was even more beautiful and I knew straight away that was the one,” she said.
The bride, along with her mother and sister, returned to purchase the dress with a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

Aimee opted for jewel-toned green bridesmaid dresses for her sister, maid of honour, Lauren and Tobi’s sister, bridesmaid, Peju.

Tobi chose the colour, pattern and design of his own suit which he had custom made on Regent Street in London.
The groom had two best men, his brother Ade and lifelong friend Theo.
 
The bride and groom’s little nieces and nephews completed the bridal party in their roles as page boys and flower girls.

Aimee planned most of the wedding from Dubai. She kept in touch with her wedding planner Karen by email and had her mum and sister on hand for anything that needed to be dealt with in person.
The only stressful part of the planning process for the bride was coordinating numbers for the venue and catering as they had so many guests travelling from abroad.

The big day arrived on 7th December 2019 and the couple married in the idyllic surroundings of the Phantom House in the Galgorm Resort.
After the ceremony the couple had the opportunity to see their reception venue and cake before the guests were seated. They had a private drink together in the Four Seasons Suite. “That really was nice, just to take a minute together,” they said.

The reception venue was abloom with blossom trees, flowers and an ivory flower wall from Fairytale Events Specialists in Antrim.
On arrival to the reception guests enjoyed custom cocktails and gins named after songs.
“We named the cocktail ‘Bad and Boujee Blush Bride’ we called the gin ‘Drunk in Love Groom & Tonics’,” said Aimee.

It was important to the couple that Tobi’s Nigerian heritage was incorporated into the day.
“As everyone was being seated for the meal we went to our room to change into traditional Nigerian outfits. When we were welcomed in everyone was cheering and clapping. It was all a surprise,” the couple explained.

The evening entertainment began with the couple’s first dance, ‘So Into You’ by Tamia performed by the Ballymena based band, The Promise. The couple were then surprised by a performance by Larry Gaaga.
Two DJs were also enlisted to ensure a great variety of songs to appeal to all the guests.
The night was rounded off by a spectacular firework display arranged by the mother of the bride.

Looking back on the whole experience, Aimee and Tobi wouldn’t change a thing.
“It was the best day ever. Even better than I could imagine. Everything ran smoothly. I want to do it all again,” said the happy bride.
The couple were especially impressed with the wedding team at the Galgorm who did everything in their power to ensure the day was perfect.
Aimee would advise other couples who are planning their own big day not to stress too much as the wedding planners have everything under control.

“The highlight of the day was just seeing everything coming together. You plan all these things and imagine it but when you see it all for the first time it’s even better than you imagined. We had so many people from different cultures, people who had never met before but everyone was happy, enjoying it together.”

After the celebrations the newlyweds enjoyed a relaxing trip to Iceland.

WEDDING SUPPLIERS INFO
Wedding reception – Galgorm Resort and Spa
Wedding dress – Castle Couture
Make up- Shania McNally Pro Make-Up Artist
Hair – Ursula Madden Hair Studio
Flowers- Cherry Blossom Flowers
Room decor- Fairytales Wedding & Events Specialists
Cake- The Cake Parlour
Photo- Kris Dickson Photography
Video- QML Videos
Entertainment-The Promise