We were introduced to Samuel Blot and Thaina Madere two years ago when their proposal story struck a chord with us.
After meeting time and time again, Sam pursued Thaina, and although it wasn't love at first sight for Thaina, she eventually fell for him. Over time, the love they felt grew, but would eventually prove to not be enough and the couple broke up.
It wouldn't take Sam long to realize Thaina was his one, though. For nine months, he prayed, he bided his time, he fasted, and most of all, he worked to become the man that Thaina needed him to be and the man that she deserved. He courted her thoroughly for a second time and nine months later, he proposed. "I knew that forever was what I wanted to be for her, and I knew I couldn't settle for anything less. It wasn't instant, but I won her back – and I've felt like I won the lottery every day since," he said.
When the time came to propose to her in that beautiful garden setting, he had no doubts the love of his life would say "yes."
A little over a year later, they made their commitment official under the eyes of God and surrounded by family and friends on November 5, 2017. From "She Said Yes" to "I Do," we're happy to join the Blots as they tie the knot and embark on their journey to forever. Read on as the bride and groom share some of the key elements that made their big day truly special.
Here & Now
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"We had gone through so much up to that point, saying 'I do' wasn't really a leap, it was a confirmation of what we already knew. When you go through the moments in our relationship, when it is time to say 'I do,' we knew that it was a promise already paid for in hugs, sweat, and tears," she said.
The Sweetest Thing
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"It's hard to pick [a favorite memory] but the morning of the wedding I woke up feeling so much peace and so sure that I was exactly where I needed to be," Thaina said. "I thought I would be stressed because it was the day of and I still hadn't written my vows, but all of the anxiousness of wedding prep ceased to exist because at that point, nothing else mattered but that I was hours away from becoming one with my man."
From This Moment On
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"The most memorable moment [for me that day] was when I first saw her turn the corner to walk down the aisle," Sam recalled. "I knew she would be beautiful, but I could never imagine how beautiful. When I saw her, though I knew before, I was reminded that this is my wife; my forever. As she walked down the aisle, I knew there would be tears, but as a man who rarely cries I was surprised to find I had more than enough for the both of us."
Always & Forever
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"We feel that even though we've been in love for years, marriage is the beginning of our great journey," Thaina shared. "So far, we have already had moments where we can't believe the blessings we have received, and we're only in the first few months! Living with your best friend has been as amazing as it sounds. We banter back and forth, get on each other's nerves, squabble over leaving the seat up, and learn about all kinds of strange habits; but as Sam always says, 'That day marked the first day in a long line of the best days of my life.'"
Click through the gallery below for behind-the-scene photos and intimate details that made their wedding amazing.
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"We got married at Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla, San Diego. We wanted a beach wedding but didn't like the idea of toes in the sand so the cliffside lawn wedding was our happy medium. We also loved that the glass doors behind the lawn area of our ceremony slid open for an indoor/outdoor reception. I just knew that dancing the night away accompanied by views and sounds of the waves would be magical."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"The theme of our wedding was Modern, Natural, and Geometric. Shapes played heavily in our choices for decor. We had glass terrariums, a honeycomb altar, Geode cake and cupcakes, and long cylinder floating candle holders. The bridesmaids wore jumpsuits and groomsmen wore carbon fiber hexagonal ties while Sam's tie was gold leaf laid under hexagonal glass."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"We wanted the details to be a representation of things we love but still wanted it to be elegant, so we opted for clear chiavari chairs so that the attention could remain on the altar and ocean. All of the florals in our reception area and all of the desert except for the center of our cake were white to balance out all of the greenery, geometric décor, and gold details."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"I had two Maids of Honor and Sam had two Best Men. I owe my rock and sister, Patrice, everything for her endless supply of support. Patrice and Kendra, my childhood best friend, really made sure the process of planning didn't overwhelm me."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"I wore a fit and flare, subtle ombre baby pink to off white tulle and organza gown by Matthew Christopher for the ceremony. It had an illusion corset back encrusted in Swarovski crystals and sequins. It sparkled but the details weren't loud."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"I wanted to make sure that I picked something that I wouldn't be embarrassed about 30 years from now so even though I'm not traditional, I didn't want my dress to be trendy. The only alteration I requested was a custom neckline. It was elegant but still had details that felt like me."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"Sam requested that I stay out of his choice of clothing for him and his groomsmen outside of color choice. Sam worked with style consultant and friend, The Sharper Me, for his Groom's look. He wore a Velvet Wine Smoking Jacket, White Shirt, Gold Hex Tie, Black pants, and Black embroidered velvet loafers. He's come a long way with his choice of clothing (laughs). I loved his look!"
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"Our bouquets were loose and unstructured with olive branches, quicksand roses, orchids, proteas, wine colored flowers and gold sprayed succulents. The boutonnieres were air plants with navy accents and gold seeded eucalyptus. In lieu of flower petals, our flower girls wore flower crowns and walked the aisle with balloons that read 'Hey, Uncle Sam' and 'Here comes your Bride!' Our florist, Petals and Lace Designs, along with our planner Sandra Nicole Designs, did an amazing job bringing our vision to life."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"The men wore Navy suits, white shirts, carbon fiber hex ties and Black shoes."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"The ladies work Dark Navy Satin Bandeau Jumpsuits with a cape overlay, burgundy lipstick, asymmetrical gold jewelry, and gold shoes."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"We opted for live music for our ceremony. My bridal party walked down to 'Our Song' written and performed by Jason Sellers. I walked down the aisle to "Let Me Be Your Everything" by my dear friend and artist, Melanin."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
"I just had to keep in mind that it's our wedding and had permission to break any tradition we'd like to. We are both far from traditional people but would question if it was okay to include or not include certain things. For instance, we knew we weren't a jumping the broom, pouring of the sand, lighting the candle type of couple but family is such a huge part of our lives, so we requested them to come up to the altar and lay hands over us in prayer during the ceremony instead."
Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
Bride: Thaina M. Blot
Groom: Samuel Blot
Venue: Scripps Seaside Forum
Catering: The French Gourmet
Cake and Desserts: Mix Bake Decorate
Wedding Planner: Sandra Nicole Designs
Florist: Petals and Lace Designs
Videographer: Daniel Lee
Photographers: Jonathan Adjahoe and Ned Magdaleno
Musicians: Riva Precil, Monvelyno Alexis, Jason Sellers, Melanin (Whitney Andrews)
Wedding Dress: Matthew Christopher
Reception Jumpsuit: Jaime Elyse
Style Consultant: The Sharper Me
Men's Ties: Hex Tie
Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Blot!
To keep up with the couple and their newlywed bliss, follow them on Instagram @thainamadere and @blottedinq.
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The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak