Philadelphia City Hall Engagement | Patience + Anwar

Patience and Anwar had their engagement shoot at Philadelphia City Hall. They are scheduled to get married on Sunday, July 11, 2021. Patience is a pharmacist and first generation American, both of her parents are from Nigeria, and Anwar, her Hubby to Be, is a navy man. They met at a college party and on August 18, 2019, on a rooftop in Philly along the city skyline, Anwar got down on bended knee and Patience said yes in front of a group of family and friends.

Their Love Story as told by The Coordinated Bride, Patience

Anwar first saw me at the age of 14, but was too shy to approach me, so I never saw him. He thought I was the prettiest girl in the world so he decided to add me on Myspace through a mutual friend and started to talk to me on there, but we never met in person. He called it “puppy love”. A few years go by, he came across my profile on Facebook and we re-connected on there with little messages here and there. A few more years go by and Anwar is attending Temple University and I am attending West Chester University. Then in Spring 2009, my girls and I decide to attend one of WCU college parties. Little did I know Anwar and his guys also decided to drive up to WCU to attend this party. We are all on the dance floor and I see him. I am thinking in my head I know this guy. I approach him and we just begin to laugh and then we danced all night. Since that day we have been inseparable.

A year from the day we met, Anwar enlisted into the Navy. It was devastating to know in order for us to continue this relationship it would have to be through long distance. Even though most couples do not make it through, I am truly proud to say that our love for each other pushed us through.

I love Anwar’s ability to put me first no matter what. I love his goofy humor that can always get me out of a bad mood. I love his smile and his goal to always keep a smile on my face. I love his ambition to provide and support me mentally, emotionally, and financially. I love his unconditional love for me. I love how much we have in common for our future goals and cannot wait to start our family. He comes from a big family which has taught him how to nurture and be kind. He puts my feelings into consideration. My fiance is handsome, charming, shy at first but super out-going.

The Proposal

Anwar would drive down from Connecticut (where he was stationed) to Philadelphia every weekend to see me. August 17th 2019 was just a normal Saturday, when he decided to book a hotel downtown and make dinner reservations at one of our favorite restaurants. Dinner was amazing, we talked mostly about our future together. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to relax and plan our late night outing. Then, Anwar said let’s stop by his best friend’s girlfriend’s birthday party first. So we headed there. We were going up on the elevator and the doors open and as I walk up a few stairs I start to hear John Legend’s “All of me” playing in the background and I start to see so many flashes from cell phones and the photographer’s camera. I look at Anwar, then he looks at me he says “All of this is for you”. I was speechless and crying so hard! My sister then hands me a bouquet of flowers, I walk a few more steps and see a “Marry Me” sign and candles shaped into a huge heart. Then Anwar gets down on one knee. I said yes before he could even get the words out. I finally turn to find out “who are all of these people behind me”. I was in shock. Anwar was able to gather all our family and friends so they could witness our engagement. Apparently, they had all been planning this for weeks behind my back. It was truly the most amazing night. We celebrated on the rooftop along the Philly skyline and popped so many bottles of champagne all night long. I am still in awe.

The Engagement Shoot

Anwar and I are both from Philadelphia. You can literally catch us downtown every weekend enjoying brunch, trying new restaurants, shopping, or just sight-seeing. Center city Philadelphia is one of the most attractive parts of Philadelphia, from City Hall, Love Park sign, and the Philadelphia skyline. It was just the perfect background to capture us and the beauty of our city. The day of our shoot was extremely cold. However, John is fast and very efficient. He knew how to pose us and capture our “good sides”. He knows the city well and how to capture the beautiful backgrounds instantly. It was a fun shoot and definitely had our emotions flowing for the remainder of the day. We are even more excited for the big day! My fiance and I are very pleased and so amazed by his work. We would and will highly recommend him to others . Very professional and creative!