Tinder brought Leah Anyanwu and Rodney Carew togehter in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2018, when Rodney was visiting from Zambia for work. Leah suggested a meeting at a nightclub, but with friends around so it could end as just a night out if either decided the chemistry wasn’t right. Luckily, the pair didn’t need any help. “I felt a warm connection within seconds of meeting him,” Leah says. Their long-distance relationship consisted of traveling, sharing new experiences, making memories, and falling in love. During a trip to Leah’s favorite resort in 2021, Rodney had the resort present Leah with trivia prompts at each meal, and her reward for answering them all correctly was a homemade scrapbook of mementos he’d been saving from their travels together, along with a sunset proposal. Their weekend-long wedding represented their respective African cultures and Leah’s Midwestern roots; the welcome bags at the rehearsal included cheese curds and other Wisconsin classics, Igbo dancers performed during the traditional African ceremony and the DJs incorporated music from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Kenya. After a fireworks show, Leah found the guests wearing Mardi Gras masks and beads, waving customized handkerchiefs to welcome a New Orleans-themed second line band, a romantic gesture from Rodney to honor Leah’s favorite American city. “Nothing makes me happier than bringing her joy,” he says.
