Stephanie &
Ballad

Our story technically started in Bayelsa… although I didn’t realise it at the time.

I would later find out that Ballad had first seen me during one of the state thanksgiving services, I hadn’t been back home in about four years. Somehow, he managed to find me on Instagram and sent me a DM. Now, if you know me, you’ll know that I rarely reply to random Instagram messages, so his sat there for almost two weeks before I even opened it by some streak of luck.

His opening line?

“Hey Stephanie, do you know the one weird thing about vegetables?”

I remember thinking it was the strangest conversation starter I’d ever received… but somehow it worked, because I replied. What started as a random message quickly turned into a friendship.

A year later we finally met in person in Kenya when I invited him to my friend’s brother’s wedding. My very first thought when I saw him was: okay… he’s tall and very moisturised. If you know me, you know glowing skin is already a very big bonus point 🤭.

Since then, we’ve shared many trips, countless laughs, and some of my favourite memories together. My family and friends are a huge part of my life, and from the beginning Ballad embraced that fully — my friends became his friends, my family became his family, and he became such a natural part of all the spaces that matter most to me.

Looking back now, it’s funny to think that our story began with a moment I didn’t even know about in Bayelsa.

Which is why it feels only natural that we return there to celebrate this next chapter, our home, and where it all began.