The Year of Us…

The kunbi urge to throw a curated gathering

TGIF! We made it to Friday but AT WHAT COST??? Anyway, as promised, here’s the rundown of the spontaneous, last-minute, curated, catch-up dinner I put together while I was in Lagos.

A little backstory: We were only in town for 9 days, and while the first few days were packed with family commitments, I realized that with only about 4 days left in town, it would be the perfect opportunity to get together with some of my friends. You know, it’s hard to gather the crew when you’re only in town for a limited time, especially when everyone’s got their own lives going on back home. It’s funny how you forget that when you visit people in their country, they actually have real lives to manage too! 😂.

Trying to pull it all together, I realized just how tricky it can be to organize a dinner on such short notice. First, there was the struggle of getting everyone on the same page—schedules weren’t aligning, which I totally get, but it took a bit of patience. Then, I had to figure out the venue. This one is always the heavy lift for me because I’m a huge believer in selecting a venue that requires minimal updo, meaning places that already have the vibe and setting ready for you. These venues typically cost a bit more to rent, but the key is you end up spending less on decor because the ambiance is already set. I ended up going with Ajoje- a curated dinner experience by Chef Feyikewa, which had the food and setting sorted, so all I needed to focus on was the accessories.

Now, let’s talk about what’s important to me when it comes to an event: vibe and memories. Those are always the non-negotiables. With such a last-minute gathering, I had to make quick decisions—there wasn’t time to second-guess anything. For the dress code, I went with bubu—because, let’s be real, every 30-something Nigerian woman has at least one bubu in her wardrobe. It’s an effortless and chic look. Some of my friends weren’t happy sha.. lol but look how cute they were.

kunbiesq

A post shared by @kunbiesq

Then, I tapped two friends—Dami from The Braided Girls and Dara from Friday the Fourth—to help me with some quick but thoughtful favors to include in the setting. A little collaboration always makes a difference!

Personalization is something I really believe in, so I added a special touch by gifting each guest a personalized notebook. Each one had “The Year of…” written on the cover. The theme for this dinner was The Year of Us. Over the years, we’ve gotten caught up in adulting—work, motherhood, relationships—and we’ve lost sight of ourselves. But this year, we’re reclaiming what’s ours. We’re prioritizing ourselves again. This year, it’s time to put us first, to celebrate our own lives and growth. It’s the year of [INSERT YOUR NAME]—she’s coming back to life, loving the little things again, and showing up unapologetically.

I hit up my illustration guy on Fiverr, then whipped upon some book covers on Canva (turns out I’m very resourceful when I have an idea haha) and sent it over to the good folks at Doculand Nigeria. Even they were in awe lol. I sat there with them until we had a winner and boom! We had notebooks!

Honestly, the evening turned out to be more than I could’ve hoped for. It was full of love, laughter, and memories that we’ll all carry with us. It wasn’t about perfection—it was about making the most of the time we had and connecting with the people that mean the most to me.

Sometimes the best moments are the spontaneous ones. The ones where we stop overthinking and just enjoy the people and experiences in front of us. And I am so glad I got to share that with my friends, even if it was just for one evening.

So yeah, that was what a random dinner with Kunbi looks like.

Speaking of US … for the mamas, what are you doing for Mother’s Day? Let’s be honest, this is the year of us, and part of that is speaking up. How would you like to be loved this week? Let me know.

Till next time,

Kunbi