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Dr. Bonike Leigh

@ereluwasimi

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Faith. Becoming. Presence.
Living with intention
↓ reflections & what’s next

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I always take the road less traveled. Mostly because the regular road is usually too crowded for my outfit.

Gele for where?

I showed up with my gele deconstructed, reconstructed, and promoted to fascinator. Because if I am going to wear the aso ebi, I am still going to wear it as me.

I told @headwears_by_agbeke what I wanted: take the expected and make it unexpected. @asolasoke heard me clearly, deconstructed the aso ebi, made sure I showed up looking unmistakably Bonike, and then @klalaphotographyusa partnered with me to properly document the evidence. Because a fit like this should never be left to memory alone.

Same fabric. Different interpretation.
Same celebration. Very different arrival.
@glamplusmakeover, my partner in crime glammed me up.
I will honor the assignment, but I will always add my own handwriting.
Happy 85th mommy Omowaiye
#RoadLessTraveled #GeleForWhere #UniquelyMe #AsoEbiReimagined #WearItYourWay by @ereluwasimi

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12 hours ago

@nightlife_queen said, “Bridgerton.”
I said, “Say less.”

I ran straight to @tiannahsplacempire , because when the assignment calls for Regency, royalty, and just a touch of Nigerian drama, you don’t experiment. You go to the source. 😂
@glamplusmakeover beat my face just enough not to step too hard on necks
And well… we didn’t just understand the assignment.
We assassinated the look, buried the evidence, and still made it to the ball on time.

Lady Whistledown would absolutely have something to say about this one.
@klalaphotographyusa shot it📸
#BridgertonButMakeItTiannah #RegencyWithNaijaEnergy #omalouddd2026 #AssignmentAssassinated by @ereluwasimi

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13 hours ago

She'll always be my favorite teammate. 😉
North London Forever. Arsenal Forever. Us Forever. ❤️⚽
#ArsenalForLife #COYG #NorthLondonForever #Gunners #FootballLove MyFavoriteTeammate LoveAndFootball TogetherAlways taken in New York State Fairgrounds by @ereluwasimi

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8

a month ago

Happy Birthday, Big Seg.

Some people come into your life and simply occupy a place. Then there are people who become part of the foundation beneath your feet. The kind of people whose presence has been so steady, so protective, and so full of love that you sometimes forget there was ever a time when they were not there.

You have been that person for me.

You have shown me what it means to have someone stand beside you with consistency. You have supported me, encouraged me, celebrated me, worried about me, and shown up for me in ways that words will never fully capture. Through different seasons of my life, your presence has remained something I could count on.

What makes a father is so much bigger than a title. It is the checking in. The concern. The guidance. The quiet sacrifices nobody else sees. It is wanting the best for someone and doing what you can to make sure they know they are never walking through life alone.

That is the gift you have given me.

There are moments when I look back over my life and realize how blessed I have been to have people God deliberately placed along my path. You are one of those people. Your love and support have left fingerprints on my life in places you probably do not even realize.

I hope today you understand how deeply you are appreciated. I hope you know that every act of kindness, every word of encouragement, every moment you showed up, and every time you stood firmly in my corner mattered. I remember. My heart remembers.

Thank you for being a great father. Thank you for being a protector, supporter, encourager, and one of the people I know I can call mine.

May this new year of your life return to you every ounce of love you have poured into others. May God keep you, strengthen you, give you many more years in good health, and allow you to see the beautiful harvest of every seed you have planted in the lives of those fortunate enough to be loved by you.

Happy Birthday, @olusegunodegbami

I love you more than these words can hold, and I am profoundly grateful that in this lifetime, I get to have you. ❤️ by @ereluwasimi

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a month ago

Happy birthday to the one and only gorgeous ebony dr. @ereluwasimi

Today, is not just to celebrate your birthday, but to celebrate a remarkable journey filled with wisdom, strength, love, and unforgettable memories. You have touched so many lives with your kindness and grace, and your story continues to inspire everyone around you.

May your new season be grand and beautiful as you.

#celebration #pizzazzbyhrh #pizzazzqueen #augustqueen #happybirthday by @ereluwasimi

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2 months ago

Have y’all met my twin???? 👯‍♀️✨

Well, it’s her birthday today! 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾

She’s the older twin, the smarter twin and definitely the smarter twin! But honestly? She’s my favorite person to share DNA, outfits, and laughs with.

Happy Birthday to the one who’s been setting the bar high since day one. May this new year bring you overflowing joy, love, peace, great health and all the luxury you deserve!

Everyone please help me celebrate my sister! by @ereluwasimi

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2 months ago

taken in New York by @ereluwasimi

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2 months ago

FIFTY-FOUR.

There is something different about celebrating a birthday when you know there were moments you should not have made it to this one.
My body has taken some serious beatings over the past few years. So has my soul. There were battles people saw, and others I learned to survive quietly. There were days when simply making it through the day was the victory.
And yet, here I am.
I don’t look like what I’ve been through.
That sentence means more to me today than it ever could have before.
At 54, I am not celebrating perfection. I am celebrating preservation.
I am celebrating the woman who kept getting up. The woman who learned that softness can survive hard seasons. The woman who discovered that sometimes the greatest glow comes after life has taken you through the darkest places.
I have learned to let people go without losing myself. To stop begging for understanding. To recognize when love is nourishing me and when it is draining me. To appreciate the people who genuinely show up, and to release those who only know how to love me when I am struggling.
There is a different kind of peace that comes when you stop needing everyone to understand your story.
Some chapters broke my heart.
Some humbled me.
Some exposed people.
Some exposed me to myself.
And some reminded me just how deeply I am loved.
But every single one brought me here.
I have cried. I have grieved. I have questioned. I have been disappointed. I have loved deeply, lost deeply, and still somehow found reasons to laugh loudly, dress beautifully, dream bigger, love again, and believe there is more life waiting for me.
That is grace.
Because the truth is, I should not have made it to 54.
But God.
God kept me when my body was tired.
God covered me when my spirit was bruised.
God gave me strength I did not know I had.
And somehow, through everything life tried to take from me, He never allowed it to take me.
So today, I am simply grateful.
For breath.
For another year.
For the people who love me well.
For the lessons.
For the healing.
For the woman staring back at me in the mirror.
And most of all, for a God who has been extraordinarily good to me.
I made it.
54 looks like grace on me. ❤️ by @ereluwasimi

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54

2 months ago

The Save The Date AI video🤣🤣🤣🤣 by @ereluwasimi

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2 months ago

Some details may seem small, but they are often what guests remember most.

A special shoutout to @antyrukafabrics for designing the beautiful **Danfo Adire** fabric that became one of the signature touches at **Funmi@55**. The design captured the spirit of Lagos so perfectly and tied our *Eko for Show* theme together in such a meaningful way.

And to Aniekan of @deanjiny thank you for your incredible craftsmanship and dedication. Sewing **160 custom 20x20 napkins** is no small task, yet every single one was beautifully finished with care and precision.

Together, you transformed a simple table accessory into a conversation piece. Guests noticed them, admired them, and many took them home as keepsakes from the celebration.

Thank you both for helping me bring another crazy idea to life. It is one thing to dream; it is another to have talented people who trust your vision enough to make it a reality.

I appreciate you both more than words can express. Here’s to many more creative collaborations! by @ereluwasimi

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2 months ago

Some people don’t just take an order, they embrace your vision.

A huge shoutout to @dagashibakes for helping bring one of my wild ideas to life for **Funmi@55**.

When I said I wanted to invite people to “break bread” with us, I didn’t want a traditional invitation. I wanted an actual loaf of bread, beautifully baked and stamped with our invitation.

And she made it happen.

Not only did she carefully stamp each loaf with the invitation, she lovingly packaged and mailed every single one from Atlanta to our guests across the country. That’s not just baking. That’s craftsmanship, creativity, and commitment.

Watching people’s reactions as they opened their mailboxes and found a loaf of bread instead of an envelope was priceless. It was exactly the conversation starter I had imagined.

Thank you, Dagashi Bakes, for believing in an unconventional idea and executing it so beautifully. You helped turn an invitation into an experience, and that’s something our guests will never forget.

The village that came together to make Funmi@55 unforgettable continues to amaze me. Thank you for being such an important part of it. by @ereluwasimi

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2 months ago

One of my favorite parts of planning Funmi@55 was the **Save the Date**.

Instead of sending a traditional card, every guest received a custom puzzle in the mail. Their mission was simple: put the pieces together to reveal the date and location of the celebration. Once they solved the puzzle, they scanned the QR code to let me know they were coming.

It turned an invitation into an experience before the party had even begun.

With the assistance of AI, I was able to take a crazy idea floating around in my head and bring it to life exactly as I imagined it. Technology gave me the tools, but the joy came from watching everyone become detectives just to find out where they were headed.

Sometimes I honestly wonder where I get these ideas from. Then again... maybe I should stop asking before my brain decides my next invitation should arrive in a locked treasure chest that guests can only open after solving a series of riddles. 😂 by @ereluwasimi

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2 months ago