The Daily Sparkle: Sakile + Kamau

Welcome to our next episode of The Daily Sparkle, featuring Sakile and Kamau. Their story is a testament to the power of love and creativity in the face of uncertain events. The couple had a dream destination wedding planned for early April in Tulum, Mexico. But as they watched the number of Covid cases escalate in New York City where they live, the seriousness of the pandemic made it clear that the trip would have to be postponed. Luckily, they were able to work with the resort to move their booking to later in December.

With the trip on ice, they wanted to keep their scheduled courthouse ceremony in Maryland, which had always been part of the original plan. But when the courthouse closed they had to reimagine where and how to exchange their vows. Ultimately, they decided to celebrate with friends and family over Zoom and get married in their family’s backyard with a takeout brunch and a small wedding cake. While social distancing made the backyard ceremony a bit tricky, the silver lining was that they nearly doubled the original number of attendees, with more than 90 people joining the event. It was a beautiful celebration and the memory of it will make their rescheduled trip to Mexico, this coming December, all the more sweet.

“You may kiss the bride!” Sakile and Kamau make it official on Zoom

The happy couple on their wedding day

THE BACKSTORY: HOW THEY MET

Sakile and Kamau met eight years ago, in college at Howard University where they studied theater arts—both of them are actors. Surprisingly, they didn’t hit it off right from the start. “We hated each other,” they said laughing. And once Kamau eventually realized how much Sakile meant to him, he had to ask her five times before she agreed to go out with him. What convinced her? He biked over an hour to her job in downtown DC to bring her a cupcake! “I was like, if he’s trying this hard, maybe I’ll say yes,” recalls Sakile.

A SURPRISE ROMANTIC PROPOSAL AT THEIR NEW YORK APARTMENT

By the time Kamau decided to propose, the pair had known each other for 7 years and officially been a couple for over 5 years. Kamau chose “a random” (non-significant) day in December 2018 to propose as he wanted to make it as much of a surprise as he could. He got her to go out with friends so he could set the scene at their New York apartment, which they’d only just moved in to a few months earlier. Sakile was out all day with her friends and was definitely surprised when she walked into an apartment full of candles and scattered rose petals. When she opened the apartment door, she was actually talking on the phone to her sister. “I think I have to go,” she said. Kamau got down on one knee and proposed. And she said YES!

Matte Hammered Comfort Fit Wedding Band

A CONTEMPORARY MEN’S WEDDING BAND

Kamau says he absolutely loves his wedding band, a matte hammered ring made of tungsten carbide with polished edges. He tried on a lot of rings at different stores, but this style from Blue Nile was the one he kept thinking about, and the one he’s happy to be wearing today.

Congratulations Sakile and Kamau! Thank you for sharing your story with us!

Readers: Got a story of your own? We’d love to hear how you’re celebrating. Email Joy@bluenile.com and we might just feature you in our next post.

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