One rule in life is never, say never.
That’s what Ghanaian-British groom Gabriel Deku learned when he became a puddle of tears as he witnessed his stunning Tanzanian bride, Annabella, who he met four years ago while attending Portsmouth University, float down the aisle at their opulent wedding ceremony in Trafalgar Square of London.
“Leading up to the wedding I was the complete opposite—I actually had a bet with my mum that I wouldn’t cry,” Deku tells MailOnline. “I was trying to be the hard man. I kept saying, I’m not going to cry.”
But on the May 14 nuptials, tears streamed down Dekus’ face, which then reduced the bridal party and many of the attendees at the St. Martin In The Fields church to mush, kinda like what happens when I scroll through IG and see too many pictures in a row of adorable black babies...
Best man Tolu Ige, also the match maker, had to coach Deku through it.
“Come on, stand up, stand up. This is your moment, man. You look at her,” Ige says gripping Deku’s shoulder. “You look at her now, you look at her man. You look at her. You stand up and you look at your wife.”
Deku’s outpouring of emotion, and this special moment shared between a man and his bride-to-be goes as well as between best friends shatters stereotypes society has of men, in general, as stoic or emotionally challenged. And it’s refreshing because it counters trite Western media portrayals of African men as tough guys wielding AK-47s.
As soon as the footage of the nuptials shot by De Rienzo Film hit the internet, it’s gone viral having been retweeted more than 35,000 times and liked 44,000 times.
@adebongaa_ox This moved me to tears. I'm so moist ffs ?
— anahata. (@_the36chambers) June 8, 2016
This is the most beautiful wedding entrance I've seen. God bless them both ?https://t.co/zlXTc69w27
— ade ✨ (@adebongaa_ox) June 8, 2016
It appears people are hungry for authentic and fresh portrayals that only real life seems to provide these days.
Don’t just take my word for it—if you haven’t seen the Dekus’ beautiful moment already, grab some tissue, plop down on the couch, and watch it above.
