by Scott Johnson
Abebefe Wedding on 8/31/19 and 9/1/19 at Block 41 and Seattle Marriott Waterfront in Seattle, Wa
Music licensed from -
Song Freedom - songfreedom.com
The Music Bed - themusicbed.com
“Wedding Weekend - Excellent Quality. We worked with Best Made Videos for our wedding weekend which included a 2 day wedding (traditional & western). The overall output was just what we were looking for. Watching the video products created is like re-living the big day! Very easy to work with and you could tell Reid put in the preparation in order to deliver on what was promised. He was very responsive, flexible, and solution oriented. Would recommend to anyone who is looking for a videographer.“
Welcome back! We hope you all are staying inside, staying healthy and certainly staying sane. With the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order in place, we Washingtonians are officially on lockdown so to speak. All weddings, funerals and other public gatherings are forbidden for the foreseeable future, so that means we have even more time to look back at our weddings from last year!
Our next wedding is the type of celebration we often find ourselves dreaming about and we have been waiting until just the right time to share it with you. This full weekend bash was unlike anything we had seen before, and if there was ever a right time to remind yourself of the wonderful occasions in life, now is the time! This is the Abebefe Wedding!
Not only does this wedding extend over two days, but it technically occurs in different months, which is crazy to think about! Our first day with the Abebefes was August 31, and we caught up with Ayo and Liz at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront. They were in the midst of getting ready, and nearly an hour later we were ready to have the first look at the hotel. Dressed in traditional Nigerian attire, Ayo and Liz looked excellent. Carrying a spectacular fan, Liz approached from behind out on the street to a beaming Ayo who promptly planted a kiss on her lips.
After a few photos (the day had a fine-tuned schedule, nearly down to the minute) shuttles were boarded and it was off to Block 41 for the epic first ceremony. Guests were seated, served soft drinks and water, and waited for the ceremony to kick off. First, the Liz’s family came dancing in, which immediately made us aware that this wedding was going to be off the hook, though we had a strong idea coming in that we were in for something special. Ayo’s family would reciprocate, coming in with all the moves and passion for the tradition. Next, Ayo and his entourage would roll in with their own set of moves before the groom took his seat in the “Sweetheart Chair” on stage. Liz and her bridesmaids would round out the dancing...for now...and Emcee Rhoda took things away from there as Liz got seated.
Certainly not her first rodeo, Emcee Rhoda was a blast as she carried along the ceremony, adorning Liz with great praise for her attire. In front of a rather large crowd, Liz and Ayo went through the traditional steps of a Nigerian wedding that included more dancing, speeches, vows from families, music, and so much more (seriously, if you haven’t clicked the video yet, do it now!) Running for nearly three hours, the ceremony was capped off with a cake-cutting ceremony and more kissing! And wouldn’t you know it? More dancing!
Family photos followed while the guests eased in for the dinner portion of the celebration. Dozens of tables filled the hall, a band played tunes and Emcee Rhoda led everyone in with, you guessed it, more dancing! Another outfit change (this time into Ugandan attire), would lead into cocktail hour before guests were seated at 7pm. The parents kicked off the grand entrance as the newlyweds emerged triumphantly, ready to celebrate the night away. A round of speeches would kick off the reception-proper, and a scrumptious dinner was ready by 8pm.
After nearly an hour of resting and filling bellies, the cake-cutting would lead the way into more toasts and eventually open dancing would kick off at 10:15! Our time with the newlyweds would be over shortly thereafter.
Of course, this wasn’t your typical wedding by any sense of the word. Sure it was “traditional,” in a lot of ways, but this was the merging of two worlds and two loves. Our second day with the Abebefes once again got going at the Marriott on the Waterfront. It was a full day for the bride who started getting ready at 8am (following a late night of celebrating, no less!) but we wouldn’t get there until afternoon again. This time around, we would be keeping it all at the hotel.
Once ready for their second day of festivities, there was another first-look, this time Ayo was rocking a stellar white tux with black trim, while the groomsmen all sported black. Liz had a lovely wedding gown and the bridesmaids wore red. The sun was bright for the first day of September, and the smiles shone even brighter. For a couple hours we would get some shots of them around the hotel, down by the water and with massive cruise ships as backdrops. After 4pm hit, it was time to get the ball rolling on the ceremony. Guests would start to trickle in, and at 5pm the ceremony was underway in one of the venue spaces in the hotel. A much quicker ceremony this time around, we once again had newlyweds just thirty minutes later.
The cocktail hour set off another fantastic night of celebrating while the newlyweds went off to sign more paperwork. A live saxophonist serenaded the guests while they waited for the second grand entrance. Another night of wonderful food, toasts, champagne and cake flew by in a blur. We weren’t even partaking in the libations and we do not know how everyone here had this much energy to carry over two days! As was the case with the night before, open dancing didn’t kick off until quite late and we were fortunate enough to catch a little flash of the partying before we were on our way.
Thank you to Liz and Ayo for choosing Best Made Videos® to be a part of your magnificent wedding celebration. It certainly was the event of a lifetime. It shouldn’t surprise you that there is tons of Behind the Scenes material we want to share with you, so stay tuned for a mega edition much like this one! Have any questions or comments? Want to invite us to a wedding like this? Let us know below!
Venues - Block 41 / Seattle Marriott Waterfront
Photographer - Rebecca Jane Photography
Videographer - Best Made Videos®
Coordination - New Creations Wedding Design and Coordination
Musicians - Peter Okeke / T Lash-Tunde Lasode
Officiants - Elegant Alaga / Rhoda Adebisi / Rev. Eric Waren
Emcee - Peter Okeke / Seyi Brown
Cakes/Desserts - Cakes by Lydia
Hair and Makeup - Salon Maison
How did you guys meet?
Our story began December 8th, 2012 on the streets of Capitol Hill. Each of us had gone out that night to enjoy the company of our friends and music the night life had to offer. It was towards the end of the night that Liz and her friends decided they needed a late night snack. On her way to food, an unexpected admirer (Ayo) shouted out to her. Being hypnotized by Ayo's charm, smooth talking and humor,Liz left him with her phone number, a thing she did not usually do. The next morning, Ayo quickly began texting Liz. They continued to connect via text for the next few months and went on their first “real” date February 10th, 2013. From that point on, Ayo and Liz have been inseparable.
Tell us about the proposal!
February 10th was the date of our first official date. Ayo proposed on that day. He turned the day into a staycation, renting out a room at the Thompson and then spending the day recreating the activities that occurred on our first date. Throughout the day Ayo would make comments sounding like a proposal was near yet never actually proposing or excusing himself to the restroom. After dinner Ayo mentioned he wanted to take Liz to the rooftop of the Thompson and Liz was sure this was how he was going to propose. On the way to the roof, Ayo informed Liz he wanted to stop by the room to use the restroom. Upon entering the space the room was decorated with rose petals. By the time Liz registered what was happening and turned around, Ayo was on his knee and the rest is history.
Why did you choose your venue?
Nice venue and easy for all our guests who are coming from out of town. Also able to accommodate our large guest size.
What are you most excited to see in the video?
Just the overall event and the people who are there. Lot of family isn't able to attend so just capturing the event is important.