Bride: Nana Eyeson, 31

Groom: Akinola Akiwowo, 32

Occupations: Eyeson, president/founder of African Health Now; Akiwowo, IT analyst

Homebase: Orange, New Jersey

Wedding Date: July 18, 2009

Wedding Location: Newark, New Jersey

Short but Sweet. For some couples, love just seems to fall into place from the very beginning. That was certainly the case for Nana Eyeson and Akinola "Aki" Akiwowo. After meeting through mutual friends in August of 2007, the young hipsters wasted no time taking their friendship to the next level. "My courtship with Aki was fast but it was right," explains Nana. "He was a man of his word. If he said he was going to pick me up at 7:00PM, there was nothing other than a tsunami to stop him from picking me up at 7:00PM. I appreciated his character. He sent flowers to me at work for no reason, he'd write sweet little notes and leave them in my mailbox. He went out of his way to show me that chivalry is not dead," she adds.

Family First. After just a few months of dating, Aki, who is of Nigerian heritage, traveled with Nana to Ghana on a family trip. "He met my father and my father hadn't met any of my adult boyfriends because he was in Africa and I was in America," shares the new wife. "Aki fell right in line; he was so comfortable with my family. I knew he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with because my niece fell and busted her lip while we were there. Aki took care of her and he had just met her. She doesn't even speak English," Nana reveals. She adds, "At the end of the night my dad said that if he died the next day, he would feel good knowing that I found someone like Aki to take care of me."

She's Your Queen to Be. In a scenario that could seemingly be taken from a prime-time sitcom, the young West African couple got engaged on public transportation in the height of rush hour. "He proposed to me on New Jersey Transit," says Nana with a laugh. The lovebirds were actually having a petty argument just before the proposal. "I'm a big nail biter and it's a pet peeve of his. He wanted my nails to look a certain way before he placed the ring on my finger," Nana confesses. But her frustration over his disapproval of her manicure quickly went out the window after saying "Yes!" and bursting into tears before dozens of commuters. Then, Nana immediately began planning her African-chic nuptials.

Recessionista Realities. Ever the fierce fashionista, Nana was determined to have an elegant and sophisticated wedding. But after losing her job late last year, she considered calling off their wedding. In light of the grim job market, the optimistic groom informed his love that it was a good time for her to focus on African Health Now, a nonprofit organization she founded three years ago to help increase medical resources in Africa. "He pulled out a budget spreadsheet for both of us for the next two years. He said, ‘Babe, we can do this.' So when I lost my job, and even when my dad got sick, he was right there with at least a temporary solution. Those things didn't break us," shares the bride. She adds, "There is no ‘woe is us' with Aki. He's taught me that you just have to cut your clothes according to your size."

Bridal Budget Bite. The tough financial lessons learned from her frugal husband paid off. Nana was able to execute her dream wedding day without breaking the bank. She strongly advises future brides to turn to the Web as much as possible when planning their big day. "We got our invitation labels from the Martha Stewart Web site for free," she brags. Another way to get more bang for your bridal buck is to take advantage of related trade shows. "I suggest attending bridal expos for discounts and coupons. It helped me out a lot," says Nana. Last but certainly not least, be willing to sacrifice. Nana offers this dose of reality: "You can save money on colored linens—just use the standard white ones that come with the venue. The only person that is going to remember colored linens is you."