When God shows up at the wedding

You know a marriage is off to a good start when God shows up at the wedding!

Well, not literally, but His hand was so evident in the days leading up to, and on the big day that it was clear that He was giving His full blessing on the union :)

Mr. & Mrs. Seyi and Kathy Ogunbona

One week ago, my sister Kathy got married to the man God designed for her - Seyi Ogunbona. Seyi is Nigerian, but they both live in London where they met and realised it was God's plan for them to unite in marriage.

Seyi's mum lives in Nigeria, and we all looked forward to having her attend their wedding in Tobago. To do this, she would have had to fly from Nigeria to London, and then to Tobago. A few weeks ago, we got word that her visa application for England had been denied. We were all saddened by this, and although my aunt encouraged me to send out an email asking for people to pray that she would still be able to come, I told her it didn't make sense because the visa had been denied so it was too late.

Thankfully, there were others who had more faith than me. Another visa application was submitted, and this time, it was approved. With only two weeks to go until the wedding, an application was made in Nigeria for a Trinidad and Tobago visa. After countless calls to enquire the status of the application and getting no feedback, three days before the wedding we went to the immigration division in Tobago, only to be told that the application had only been received a couple days before. We were told that the only person who could give us information about the status of the visa worked in another building, but when we went there, we found out that immigration has no office in that building, and they had no clue who we were looking for!

By this time, someone in Nigeria acted in faith and booked Seyi's mum on a flight from Nigeria to London. We had given up hope that she would make it to the wedding, since it would take at least another day of flying for her to get to Tobago, and we had no word about the status of the visa. However, at 4am the next morning, Seyi got an email saying that the Trinidadian visa had come through!!! It took another 23 hours of flying and layovers and lost luggage, but Seyi's mum finally touched down in Tobago at 1am on the morning of her son's wedding!

Mrs. Ogunbona times two!!!

There was also a bit of drama when the couple went to post their wedding banns. Firstly, we went to the wrong office by mistake. We had a clue something was wrong when they asked for proof of residence, only to realise we were in the EBC! Then, when we found the right building, they refused to let Seyi in with his "shorts". Our efforts to secure long pants in Scarborough at 8am in the morning were futile, but they turned out to be unnecessary anyway, because they had to wait another 24 hours before they could post their banns. If there had been any further delays, they would not have legally been able to be married on their chosen date, but thank God, the next day they were able to post their banns with ease.

Making it legal!

Some of Kathy's friends had come over a few days early for the wedding, so they could explore some of what Tobago had to offer. One afternoon we drove up to Argyle Waterfall in Delaford, and while reversing in the car park, I accidentally hit a pile of bricks which I did not see, causing my back bumper to get a huge dent. One of the girls who saw it said that it looked really bad. I was concerned, because the last time my straightener had fixed the bumper, he said the next time something happened we would need to replace it, because there were only so many times a bumper could be straightened. I thought about how much money it would cost, but decided not to fret about it. When we got back down to Canaan, I went to the back of the car to take a picture to send to Mummy to show her the damages, and to my amazement, the bumper was perfectly straight! All that remained was a thin squiggly line when the huge dent had been. My God is a Fixer, and He can fix anything!!!!!

The day before the wedding, my phone was busy constantly receiving calls and whatsapp messages concerning the logistics for the wedding. Thankfully my brother-in-law stepped in to answer calls and respond to messages while I was busy :) Just as we had completed our rehearsal at the wedding, I took out my phone to take a picture, and the screen was blank - all I could see were pixels. My efforts to restart the phone were futile, and my phone battery cannot be easily removed. It was not a good time for my phone to act crazy, as my number was the one most people were calling for wedding related issues, so I prayed that it would be restored. When I got home, my brother figured out how to restart it, and it worked! I had no further phone issues for the rest of the weekend :)

Overcast morning

On the morning of the wedding, the skies were gray and foreboding. It was not looking well for a beach wedding. While the others were setting up the reception venue and we were picking bougainvillea, the rain started to fall. If the weather continued like that, we would not have been able to have the ceremony on the sand as planned. By the time we left the sun had come out so we had hope as we went to get ready, However, as we were about to leave home for the wedding, the clouds burst open with showers again. We prayed on the way to the venue, asking God to hold back the rain until after the ceremony was over.

Blue skies!

When we arrived at the venue, there were blue skies and brilliant sunshine! The sun stayed out for the duration of the ceremony, and for the pictures afterwards. Just as we were taking the last picture with the bridal party, the gray clouds which were lurking in the distance came up and the rain poured down! Thankfully, all the guests were indoors by this time, and the reception proceeded despite the showers on the outside.

Daddy's speech at the reception earned him a standing ovation!

One of the things we had prayed for before the wedding was for a spirit of peace in the event that things didn't go as planned, as sometimes happens despite the best of plans... We had stayed up until 11pm the night before the wedding, putting together bouquets for the bride and the bridal party. At the photo shoot before we left home for the wedding, everyone had their bouquet. But in the hassle of leaving home in the rain, the bride's bouquet was forgotten, and no one realised this until she arrived at the venue. However, she did not fret, and was quite happy for us to pull together one at the last minute using flowers which were left over from the centerpieces. We thank God for ensuring there were more than enough flowers available for us to choose from!

Check out the last minute bouquet on the table :)

At the reception, as soon as the formal speeches were over, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back and knew that it was a sign that I had probably pushed myself a bit too hard so I went to lie down. While I was there, one of Seyi's friends saw me and offered to get me some painkillers and called my sister to bring food for me. Later on in the evening, another friend volunteered to take responsibility for the last outstanding thing that needed to get done, so I could rest. This same friend also stayed back after the party was over, and helped to load the van with the decorations. I am so grateful for the community of family and friends who were there to give support before, during and after the big day!

She came as a guest, but ended up helping with decor :)

Good friends :)

God worked so powerfully in bringing Seyi's mum to the wedding just in time, working out all the details in the lead up to the wedding and ensuring that the weather was favorable so my sister could have her dream beach wedding! This entire experience has served to strengthen my faith in the God I serve, for whom nothing is impossible. Can't wait to see how He will use this union to further advance His kingdom!

Celebrating with the newlyweds