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| 'Go big or go home': planning the perfect Lagos wedding | 'Go big or go home': planning the perfect Lagos wedding |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| You can go to a wedding in Lagos every day between April and December – and you don’t even need to be invited, says Mo Dharrah Sage, editor of the Nigerian Wedding Blog. | You can go to a wedding in Lagos every day between April and December – and you don’t even need to be invited, says Mo Dharrah Sage, editor of the Nigerian Wedding Blog. |
| Ostentatious nuptials have always been part of the country’s culture, but industry veterans say they’ve become even more competitive with the arrival of the internet. | Ostentatious nuptials have always been part of the country’s culture, but industry veterans say they’ve become even more competitive with the arrival of the internet. |
| Millions of Nigerians follow specialist Instagram accounts devoted to documenting the biggest and best celebrations, with couples vying to be featured on wedding blogs and reality TV shows. | Millions of Nigerians follow specialist Instagram accounts devoted to documenting the biggest and best celebrations, with couples vying to be featured on wedding blogs and reality TV shows. |
| Folake Ojo, the executive producer of Nigeria’s Top Weddings, says it is a multimillion dollar industry that is growing incredibly fast. | Folake Ojo, the executive producer of Nigeria’s Top Weddings, says it is a multimillion dollar industry that is growing incredibly fast. |
| In Lagos, the country’s cultural hub, weddings have been taken to “another level”, say bloggers at Bella Naija, pointing to the Vera Wang ball-gown, Christian Louboutin shoes and “next-level wedding decor” seen at the recent union of socialites Joke and Azeez Ogedengbe. | In Lagos, the country’s cultural hub, weddings have been taken to “another level”, say bloggers at Bella Naija, pointing to the Vera Wang ball-gown, Christian Louboutin shoes and “next-level wedding decor” seen at the recent union of socialites Joke and Azeez Ogedengbe. |
| The January marriage of radio presenter Tolu Oniru ‘Tolz’ and her pilot fiancé Tunde Demuren was said to among the most star-studded parties Lagos has yet seen. It was one of the most anticipated weddings of 2016, wrote Nairaland. “The celebrity wedding was the talk of the town … graced by royalties from different parts of Nigeria,” added Nigerian Newspapers Today. | |
| Held at the Landmark Centre in Lekki, a global conference venue with a capacity of at least 1,000, the wedding even had its own hashtag, #Tsquared2016, which has since appeared on nearly 4,000 Intagram pictures. | Held at the Landmark Centre in Lekki, a global conference venue with a capacity of at least 1,000, the wedding even had its own hashtag, #Tsquared2016, which has since appeared on nearly 4,000 Intagram pictures. |
| The photographs bring a whole new meaning to the term “squad goals”. | The photographs bring a whole new meaning to the term “squad goals”. |
| So what makes a wedding in the city standout? “The number of people,” says Sage. “[The best weddings] are more lavish and there is there is money flowing. Nigerians love to enjoy themselves, especially in Lagos.” | So what makes a wedding in the city standout? “The number of people,” says Sage. “[The best weddings] are more lavish and there is there is money flowing. Nigerians love to enjoy themselves, especially in Lagos.” |
| So much so that the parties tend to be open to all, with no need for an invitation. | So much so that the parties tend to be open to all, with no need for an invitation. |
| But it’s the celebrity weddings with star-studded guest lists that have captivated the Nigerian blogosphere, which is quick to highlight the best dressed and most outrageous. | But it’s the celebrity weddings with star-studded guest lists that have captivated the Nigerian blogosphere, which is quick to highlight the best dressed and most outrageous. |
| In January the high-profile couple Abiodun and Abiola Desanya entered their wedding reception in a Range Rover alongside their young son – who was driving a mini Mercedes Benz. | In January the high-profile couple Abiodun and Abiola Desanya entered their wedding reception in a Range Rover alongside their young son – who was driving a mini Mercedes Benz. |
| Sage says the most outlandish thing she has witnessed is a couple being showered with dollar bills. Spraying money is a Nigerian wedding tradition, but usually with naira, not dollars. | Sage says the most outlandish thing she has witnessed is a couple being showered with dollar bills. Spraying money is a Nigerian wedding tradition, but usually with naira, not dollars. |
| Trends | Trends |
| Such oppulence may be limited to the ultra-rich, but Sage says even among the bulk of the population the motto is “go big or go home”. The average Nigerian wedding has between 350-500 guests and costs between 2-3m naira (£7,000-£10,000), she says.. | Such oppulence may be limited to the ultra-rich, but Sage says even among the bulk of the population the motto is “go big or go home”. The average Nigerian wedding has between 350-500 guests and costs between 2-3m naira (£7,000-£10,000), she says.. |
| One of the biggest trends of the moment is the pre-wedding shoot. Couples are seen sunning themselves on holiday or enjoying their favourite pastime, often in matching his-and-hers outfits. | One of the biggest trends of the moment is the pre-wedding shoot. Couples are seen sunning themselves on holiday or enjoying their favourite pastime, often in matching his-and-hers outfits. |
| It’s then customary to disseminate the pictures with another popular trend: the wedding hashtag, buoyed by Instagram’s growing popularity in Nigeria. | It’s then customary to disseminate the pictures with another popular trend: the wedding hashtag, buoyed by Instagram’s growing popularity in Nigeria. |
| “That’s when you know the wedding has started. It helps to include people in the wedding preparation, especially those relatives living abroad,” says Sage. | “That’s when you know the wedding has started. It helps to include people in the wedding preparation, especially those relatives living abroad,” says Sage. |
| Instagram accounts, including those run by the Nigerian Wedding Blog and Bella Naija, profile pictures of real weddings sent in by couples, make-up artists or professional photographers. | Instagram accounts, including those run by the Nigerian Wedding Blog and Bella Naija, profile pictures of real weddings sent in by couples, make-up artists or professional photographers. |
| They serve to provide inspiration, chart the fashion and poke fun at the possible dramas awaiting the wedding party. | They serve to provide inspiration, chart the fashion and poke fun at the possible dramas awaiting the wedding party. |
| Such is the reach of their platform Sage says she has to warn contributors not to share pictures of couples unless they have their explicit permission. | Such is the reach of their platform Sage says she has to warn contributors not to share pictures of couples unless they have their explicit permission. |
| ‘Brides bring the noise’ | ‘Brides bring the noise’ |
| Nigerian customs may vary but there is one that applies across the board: “Namely, that a traditional wedding is all about the parents, and of course, the bride,” says Sage’s blog. | Nigerian customs may vary but there is one that applies across the board: “Namely, that a traditional wedding is all about the parents, and of course, the bride,” says Sage’s blog. |
| “No one brings the noise like Naija brides,” according to BuzzFeed, who once ran a 67-strong Instagram gallery in homage to them. | “No one brings the noise like Naija brides,” according to BuzzFeed, who once ran a 67-strong Instagram gallery in homage to them. |
| There are two terms that sum up the vibrant and colourful style of a traditional Nigerian wedding: Aso-ebi, the coordinated outfits worn by family and friends in the wedding party, and Aso-oke, those worn by the couple. | |
| Some brides will wear dresses embellished with Swarovski crystals and beads which can costs thousands of naira. The bride’s parents also wear Aso-oke, but they don’t tend to be as grand, explains Sage. | Some brides will wear dresses embellished with Swarovski crystals and beads which can costs thousands of naira. The bride’s parents also wear Aso-oke, but they don’t tend to be as grand, explains Sage. |
| The bride’s dress is important, but even more so is that her “make-up is on fleek”, says Sage. | The bride’s dress is important, but even more so is that her “make-up is on fleek”, says Sage. |
| “We’re seeing a lot of smokey eyes and ‘vampy’ dark lips at the moment,” adds Lagos-based fashion blogger Adetoke Oluwo. | “We’re seeing a lot of smokey eyes and ‘vampy’ dark lips at the moment,” adds Lagos-based fashion blogger Adetoke Oluwo. |
| Clothes wise, “most [couples] are embracing the African influences... with the ratio of Nigerians wearing Nigerian brands rising,” Oluwo adds. | Clothes wise, “most [couples] are embracing the African influences... with the ratio of Nigerians wearing Nigerian brands rising,” Oluwo adds. |
| Men have taken to wearing a local design known as Agbada – a three-piece garment signifying wealth and power. | Men have taken to wearing a local design known as Agbada – a three-piece garment signifying wealth and power. |
| Looking good is equally as important for the guests who are all hoping to be featured by one of Lagos’ top style blogs, says Oluwo: “The pressure is on, or should I say – it’s part of our culture to always look good irrespective of the occasion.” | Looking good is equally as important for the guests who are all hoping to be featured by one of Lagos’ top style blogs, says Oluwo: “The pressure is on, or should I say – it’s part of our culture to always look good irrespective of the occasion.” |