Meroë and Ghislain met in the summer of 2011 during Meroë's internship. "I was doing an internship for the USDA in the Civil Right and Outreach Office in Maryland. I was assigned the task of hosting a group of high school students doing an enrichment program through Bowie State University. While the group was in a soil science lab, I waited in the hallway with one of the group’s mentors. I heard him speaking to one of the students and noticed he had an accent, so I asked him where he was from. He told me he was from Cameroon and was surprised to know that I not only knew where it was but knew other people from his country. After a bit of chit chat he asked me what I normally do on the weekends. I sarcastically replied “Why? You wanna go on a date? No!” He thought I was serious but I was just being sassy. Before the day was over I made sure he had my phone number," recalled Meroë. The couple will celebrate their union with a summer wedding in Maryland next year. Check out their fun and flirty, multicultural engagement session at the National Harbor in Maryland, captured by Lola Snaps Photography !
Bride: Meroë Khalia Adeeb, Soprano Opera Singer
Groom: Ghislain Tchomobe, Teacher
Place of residence: Washington, DC
Engagement Shoot Location: National Harbor, MD
Wedding date: 6/6/15
Wedding location: Accokeek, Maryland
Engagement story from the bride-to-be:
On April 13th, at a celebration with friends and family, Ghislain called everyone into one room so that he could give a speech. He made his speech sounds like a thank you to all the guests but in reality he was plotting a surprise. I was shocked when he kneeled down to ask for my hand in marriage. I wanted to say yes but all I could do was cry and hug him! Pictures and videos were taken and all the women in the room were screaming with excitement and crying.
From the Groom: Walk us through the behind the scenes of creating this special day:
In my tradition, a man cannot go and ask the hand of his future wife without his family members accompanying him. It was important for me to have both sides of the family present during this event. I made sure that Meroë and all members of my family were traditionally dressed. Both families prepared food and drinks for the guests. The main purpose of the event was to get our families to know each other. It was fun, it was happy, our families were bonding and nobody realized that I was going to propose before the end of the night.
What was the theme of your Engagement session?
Our theme was to highlight our cultures. I am African American and he is Cameroonian. We selected African clothing as well as contemporary American attire for our engagement photos. Since our relationship developed in Maryland which is filled with beauty, we chose the National Harbor as our location. I took him there to celebrate his birthday one month after we met, and we have been back frequently ever since.
What makes your love special?
The love that we have is enhanced by our unique cultural backgrounds. We respect each others values and appreciate the unique perspectives that we both contribute to the relationship. Even though our relationship has been mostly through long distance, we have made it work by communicating effectively which has strengthened our bond over time.
What are you most looking forward to about your wedding?
We are looking forward to having loved ones from both sides of the family travel to the United States from Cameroon, Niger, France, England and Canada to share our special day with us.
Have you started planning your wedding?
We have set our wedding date for June 6, 2015. The ceremony and reception will be held at the home of my parents in Southern Maryland. We have selected my God-mother to cater the reception because she is accustomed to cooking for both American and African events. Other details of the wedding are all coming together because our loved ones are all joining together to make our special day one that we will cherish forever.
Congrats to Meroë & Ghislain! We wish you a wonderful wedding and marriage.
Vendors:
Photographer: Lola Snaps Photography
Beauty – Make-Up: Meroë Khalia Adeeb
Stylist: Meroë Khalia Adeeb and Ghislain Tchomobe
Curated by our Wedding Features Editor, C.K. Alexander. C.K. is the owner and founder of Love Ink and Brownstone Bridal. Keep up with C.K. on Twitter here: @Love_Ink
