Bridal hairstylist, Tola (Charis Hair) is getting married to Dimeji

Tola Olayanju, the CEO of Charis Hair is getting married! Remember, we featured her beautiful and intimate proposal in Venice last year; catch up if you missed it. We caught up with the couple, Tola and Dimeji and they shared their sweet love story with us, which all started at a mutual friend’s 30th birthday party in 2017.

The couple, who will be saying ‘I Do’ later this year, also shared their stunning pre-wedding shoot shot all the way in Sossusvlei, Namibia. The photos and videos are truly stunning. Watch the highlights by videographer, Samon Films below;

The #ForeverIsraels Love Story

The first time I saw Dimmie (Israel) was at our mutual friend, Lara’s 30th Birthday party in 2017. I actually didn’t want to attend the party because I had only just joined my church, Royal Connections a couple of months earlier, and I didn’t know many people. I probably just made a couple of friends at that time, so it was rather awkward for me lol..

Lara invited me a week before and said it’s an ‘Ankara‘ themed party, so come in your trad wears. Of course, that even made it harder for me to attend ’cause I was thinking ‘it’s not that deep’ (lol). Fast forward to the party, which was on a Sunday straight after church. I took my Ankara-wear along to church, as I don’t like to turn down people’s invites lol… Once the church service was over, I was prepared to boycott the party.

As I was heading out to go home, I ran into a random guy at the church foyer. He had this breathtakingly cute smile, and he was staring right at me. I was thinking ‘Ermm why is he looking like he knows me, this is going to be awks as I’m definitely not who he thinks I am’. This is because I was a new member and no one knew me. He enthusiastically said ‘Haaiiiii… You are Charis Hair, aren’t you?’ I immediately thought ‘I’m right! He knows Charis Hair not me’ lol! So I replied with a rather ‘professional’ smile ‘Oh yes!… Did I style your wife’s hair? I was so certain that I did’… How else would a guy know about Charis Hair if it wasn’t that? He quickly replied ‘Oh no no no no, I stumbled across your work a couple of years ago on Facebook & I have to say you’re very talented & creative. Well done!”

I still remember everything he said that day, word for word because I was quite shocked that a man could take so much interest in my hair creations, even without knowing me. It was the first time and it was certainly very different..! Whilst I was still trying to take all of that in, he added ‘you’re very gorgeous; I love your dress‘… I was wearing a red dress & a black turban. Moving on, the convo finished and I walked towards the door and stumbled upon one of my best friends, Tina. Emotionally blackmailing she said, “Hunnnh Tola please come with me to the party, haha’, but first I’m going to have a quick rehearsal with ‘Dimeji’ inside the church (unknown to me who Dimeji was), then we will go together”. Somehow I gave in to her blackmail and went into the bathroom to change my outfit while she went to rehearse with this ‘random Dimeji’.

About an hour later, the party was starting. I walked over to the party venue just across the road from the church building. I was one of the first people to arrive at the venue, which has never happened before! lol… I sat right at the front with Tina as she was doing back-up vocals for the artists that night. Of course, I felt out of place and so I sat rather quietly and ‘shyly’ lol (Iknow, I don’t look shy). At some point during the party, Lara introduced her musical mentor and very good friend of 5000 years, Dimeji. He stepped out with his guitar and once again with that really cute cheeky smile. For a minute, I was like ‘Isn’t this the guy I met earlier? Oh, it’s him! Oh, he’s the Dimeji Tina rehearsed with’… So I smiled. I honestly wasn’t thinking anything at this time, even though some monitoring spirits like Kemi Samuel-Onalaja thought my eyes were fixated on him with keen interest from the beginning, and she was wondering ‘who’s this new girl staring at my friend like this?!’ lol. Oh please!

At some point at the party, I went to the toilet and he was coming out and saw me! He was surprised that I was at the party because he didn’t think I’d know his friend (that I would be so close to home) lol… Long story short, during the party, he saw me go out to talk to some friends and he followed me lol (he always denies this but we all know that’s the truth)… I was talking to a friend and he walked right into the conversation like the person wasn’t there! Rude much! Anyway, he was now ‘curious’ about me…

He said; ‘I’m a friend of the church and I’ve been for over 20 years and I’ve never seen you’. I said ‘I’m new’.. ‘Oh so how do you know Lara & Tina?’ etc We talked and had the usual banter for about 20mins and he got my number. Ping! Truthfully I still wasn’t thinking much here (I didn’t want to think anything) ’cause 2016/2017 was a rough year for me so I really couldn’t be bothered with anything apart from work. I did think he had a lovely smile though 🙂

He called the next day or so and I thought ok.. maybe he’s looking for something lol.. We spoke for a couple of hours. Then he didn’t call again for another 3 weeks! At this point, I was convinced the first and only phone call was just a brotherly-sisterly thing lol ’cause who goes AWOL like that? Especially if you like the girl? Of course, I completely forgot about him as I was sure I’d never see him again; well maybe till Lara throws another party lol.. He called after 3 weeks and I just couldn’t be bothered and it led to me keeping him on hold for like 6 months! lol..

He will never forgive me for hanging him for so long like that… lol! After 6 months of telling him ‘I’m not free’, ‘sorry I keep missing your calls’, ‘sorry I didn’t text back’ and me telling myself ‘Nah, he’s not my type’, ‘He has a great voice and incredibly talented but that’s not my cup of tea‘, ‘please I’m not his wife, there are many other women out there’.. lol! I finally said yes! Then I got hooked! Hooked for life!