Golden Icons special wedding tale: The groom, Tayo Okunade, is a cousin to the CEO of Golden Icons, Bode Ojo. Mr. Ojo lived with Tayo and his siblings and parents in St. Louis Missouri, when he moved to the United States. It is, therefore, with so much joy to see him cross this final and crucial hurdle of marriage, as the union between two success stories is bound for a bright future.
The couple came from different backgrounds, but who says that two different cultures could never come together? The couple believes that the most important thing is not where you come from, but rather your shared beliefs, and what matters to them most is being born again in Christ.
The story of Kristy Swapp & Tayo Okunade shows that bringing two people with vastly different backgrounds together can create the strongest union. The two met in law school; but the story began before that. Tayo, a business graduate from the prestigious Washington University in St Louis, was working in Kansas City as a sales rep. He began to feel that there was something more than just being a sales rep, so he started exploring law school; his path led him to Denver. At the same time, Kristy was in Kenya – she was simultaneously applying to law school and looking for a humanitarian job in Africa. She figured the door to the right path would open while the wrong one would shut. While watching the 2006 World Cup in Nairobi, she got a phone call that she was accepted to law school in Denver as well. Little did they know, history was in the making. They met on the first day of law school orientation. Tayo noticed that Kristy was beautiful; Kristy instantly loved Tayo’s smile. This was the beginning of something truly special.
They were in the same section in school and formed a study group with six other friends. One night after finishing a late night study group, Tayo offered to walk Kristy home. As they walked, they began the first of what would be many defining debates between the two lawyers. The question was: Are people inherently good or are they inherently bad? Not the typical conversation starter, but why not start big? It would be months before they resolved the question between them. But along the way, they learned much of what they wanted to know about each other.
They learned that they often approach situations very differently, but they usually come to the same end result. Tayo describes himself as a pragmatist, Kristy sees herself as an idealist; but they are both grounded in the same things – especially their faith in God, love of family, and commitment to friends.
They also learned that they can lift each other up – through law school, through the bar exam, through life. They’ve certainly had their ups and downs, but their focus has always remained the same.
The wedding took place at the Red Rocks Chapel in Morrison, Colorado – just outside of Denver – on April 9, 2011. The reception was held at The Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver. Tayo and Kristy’s families and friends joined together in a beautiful mix of cultures to celebrate the couple’s union and dance into the night. We thank God that the ceremony and wedding celebration were joyous and cheerful, which is the typically case when two children of God come together to get married. We wish the couple a wonderful and blissful marriage.
Photo Credit: Darin Warnick (www.darinwarnick.com)
