Claire & Fawzy's Exquisite Wedding in Santorini, Greece

THEIR STORY

How They Met…

Their story began in 1998 when Fawzy was in his final year at Achimota Secondary School in Ghana. Claire was two years his junior. Although life took them on different journeys, as fate would have it they were brought together by advancements in technology and the power of social media in 2007. What started as innocent friendly chats, gradually created a desire to know more about each other and they soon realised they had much more in common than they initially thought. They became friends and remained so for years, but nothing ever happened for various reasons. Things took a turn in late 2014 when on his birthday a carefully selected picture posted on Facebook seemed to crack the code. A visit, disguised as a trip to Akomeah’s wedding in May 2015 was planned. Nerves kicked in initially but they both had an amazing weekend, spending time together and enjoying the sights and sounds London has to offer. After she left they soon found themselves planning to see each other again. Her special jollof and goat stew may have had something to do with it.

The Proposal…

Given the timescale of how long it took their first date to take place, it was only natural that the proposal itself would be a lengthy procedure. She always joked about how impossible it will be for the proposal to be a surprise because they lived apart. To throw her off, he successfully plotted with Liz (her sister-in-law) to get her into believing it was going to take place at their old school. She wasn’t too pleased with the idea as she imagined he would come up with something more creative. On his birthday, she visited him in London and as per usual, he refused to celebrate it. At her insistence that they at least go out for dinner, he made plans to go out for a toned-down birthday celebration. Unbeknownst to her he was frantically making plans in the background to seize the moment and spring that long awaited surprise proposal on her. At the same time, she was also making plans with the waitress to bring out his surprise cake with all the fireworks. The scene was set at Red Rooster Bar and Restaurant. It was a very chill lounge with a live band. They both LOVE music so it was the perfect setting with just the right crowd. Towards the end of the night, the live band started playing “Isn’t she lovely” by Stevie Wonder, and anyone who knows Claire knows just how much she loves to capture moments with her phone. Just as she got ready to record a video, the song ended and as she bowed her head and placed her phone back on the table with some disappointment, she heard the lead singer mention the name Claire. She curiously looked up into the crowd wondering who else shared her name. As she turned around, she was amazed to see Fawzy on his knees….. yes, HE did that!! She was suddenly filled with emotions and happy tears started running down her face. Have you met Claire, she’s a tough one, never cries in public but this got her, it was her first. And again, this happened on his birthday. There must be something special about his birthday. This really came, as a huge surprise because she never thought that could be possible. A complete no holds barred version of how they met will be revealed on the big day so don’t miss it. On 23 December 2017, they held their traditional engagement in Ghana.