+Their Forthcoming Marriage
His name is Olorunyomi Omoniyi Makun, but that might not strike an immediate chord. Rather, his brand name, Yomi Casual, rings a much louder bell than his birth name. And this is quite understandable. After having spent about a decade in the fashion industry, Yomi Casual has risen to become one of the popular and respected Nigerian designers whose works have earned him accolades and huge patronage from the very rich and distinguished stylish Naija men.
Yomi Casual specializes only in African traditional wears and his bold and contemporary designs have given him a distinct identity that stands him out from the rest of the pack. Born and raised in Warri, Delta state, alongside his more popular comedian elder brother, AY, (but they actually hail from Ondo state) Yomi, over the years has engaged the services of celebrity models like Desmond Elliot, Zack Orji, Uti Nwachukwu, Alex Ekubo, Iyanya, Ebube Nwagbo, AY, Sammie Okposo and several others who have helped project the brand and turned it into a celebrity brand. His clientele base consists largely of politicians, captains of industries, businessmen, etc.
Yomi was in the news lately when he publicly proposed to his very young and pretty fiancee, Grace Onuoha at an event held in Lagos recently. His partner, who clearly had no inkling what was in store for her was visibly shocked and soon became emotional as she let the tears out when she saw her sweetheart down on one knee in front of the crowd with a beautiful ring in his hand, asking that question every woman longs to hear, ‘will you marry me?’
The entire hall erupted in cheers and excitement as the extremely shy and overjoyed Grace nodded and said ‘yes.’ They later had the family introduction ceremony last month while the wedding is holding this October. City People’s Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE, and WALE LAWAL, were guests at Yomi Casual’s classy and exquisitely put together office last week and he and his wife told City People everything we desired to know about their seven year old relationship, their wedding plans and the whole idea behind the public proposal Yomi put together for his wife-to-be.
Yomi, Let’s start by congratulating you on your engagement with your beautiful fiancée, Grace. First, we’d like to know, what was the idea behind that dramatic public proposal you were able to pull off at the event?
First, I didn’t really plan for it to be that loud, but, like my brother, AY told me, he said, ‘what were you expecting? You’re out there, you’re popular, people know you. So, if you make it public, the media, bloggers, will report it. It becomes news.’ But I think it’s a plus for me and my career. It’s like a business strategy for me as well. It also put my name out there in a positive way and not in a negative way. So, it’s very good for business. It’s when you’re doing something negative that you’ll be scared to go public, so, I think it’s good.
What was the reaction of your woman at the end of the whole drama?
She didn’t see it coming at all. She didn’t. What happened was that few days to the proposal, I told her I wasn’t interested in the relationship again. I told her I was tired of the whole thing. Even when we were going for the event, I was like, you shouldn’t be here o, I am tired of you. I was trying my hardest to make sure she didn’t have the faintest idea what I had in mind. Right there at the event, we were still arguing. I was doing everything on purpose so it would have the right impact on her by the time I unfold my plan.
Did you have any doubts in your mind that she could say no to your proposal at the time?
For where? Women don’t reject proposals nowadays (laughs). Lately, I haven’t seen any lady rejecting a ring. What else does she want, after dating a guy for seven years? What else is she looking for? I’m sure in her mind she must’ve been like, ‘Ah, thank God, finally, this ring has come.’
How did you guys meet?
I met her about seven years ago at a friend’s party. She was at the party with her elder sister. I was just chilling with some friends when I saw this very beautiful girl wearing a suit at the party and I was impressed. She looked different from the other ladies at the party and I was like this is the kind of girl I would like to meet. A lot of my friends had gone to meet her and she was turning everybody down, and then I said, okay, let me go and try my own luck with her. I approached her like a gentleman and we started conversing. And the rest is history.
What was the attraction, apart from the fact she looked beautiful?
Like I said, it was the way she dressed. I know the way girls dress to parties, but her dressing was very decent. For a pretty girl in Lagos, I was like, this is not possible, I need to know you.
When is the wedding coming up?
It’s coming up on October 14th and its happening here in Lagos.
Your fiancée is a very pretty babe. What’s this thing about fair pretty babes with the Makun brothers? You all seem to have a special preference for fair pretty women..
We need to help our coming generation (laughs). Everyone in my family is dark. You can see me, I’m very dark, sometimes, I can barely see myself. So, we need to help ourselves and our children’s generation, otherwise, before you know it, we will start looking for our children inside the house if NEPA takes light!
I need you to confirm this, does she already have a child for you?
No, she doesn’t. I have a child but it’s not by her.
Why did you also choose to have the wedding here in Lagos, why not a destination wedding?
You know, when it comes to weddings, people will tell you it’s not just about you but your wife as well. In fact, she is expected to have more say in the decisions taken for the wedding. Left to me, I would prefer a destination wedding which I think would’ve been more cost effective. In Lagos these days, if you want to have wedding, especially if you’re a celebrity, it costs a lot of money. From the hall to the vendors, and they will charge you based on the fact that you’re popular so they expect you should be able to afford whatever price they give you. But she prefers a wedding that all her family members can attend. That has been her dream. Her parents, grandparents, siblings, everyone, she wants to see them and you can’t possibly fly everybody to whichever country you’re going to. So, I had to accept, otherwise, if at the end of the day something goes wrong she’ll be like, you see your own idea?
Where’s she from? Tell us a bit about her, her full names..
She’s from Abia State, Ohafia to be precise. Her name is Grace Onuoha.
What role has your brother, AY, played in all of this beautiful story?
He has been playing the role of a father. He’s still playing the role of a father. When we went for the introduction, he played the role of my father. He did all the talking, I didn’t even say a word. AY has really done a lot for me in terms of giving financial support, advice, and a whole lot more. He’s really done a lot.
How did her parents accept the fact that their daughter was bringing home somebody who’s not anywhere from their tribe, how did they accept you?
I think that, if you have noticed, people are beginning to accept and encourage their children to marry from other tribes, especially Igbo and Yoruba. A lot of Igbo girls, if you ask them, they’ll tell you I will like to get married to a Yoruba boy, same with Yoruba guys, they like Igbo girls. So, I think the combination is okay. And then, her parents are very educated and civilized, they are not the type that will insist that the guy must be from their tribe so long as the guy is okay and he’s ready to take care of you and I’m sure that they’re more than convinced about that already.
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