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Tag: weddings

  • Seven creative ways Nigerians fund their weddings

    Seven creative ways Nigerians fund their weddings

    In Nigeria, couples use creative and community-based approaches to fund their weddings, combining traditional methods with modern strategies to manage expenses.

    These approaches enable them to tap into collective resources, leverage social networks, and make wedding planning more financially sustainable.

    Here are seven approaches Nigerians use to fund their weddings:

    1. Contribution Groups and Rotating Savings: Ajo or esusu-style groups pool small amounts, rotating lump sums to members when needed. Couples join early to receive payouts for venue and supplier invoices.

    2. Prepaid Guest Contributions: Guests give cash gifts before or on the wedding day, often in designated envelopes for specific costs like catering or clothes.

    3. Side Hustles: Couples scale up side businesses, such as baking, tailoring, or event photography, to generate extra income for wedding expenses.

    4. Asset Sales: Families sell assets like land or vehicles to raise funds, converting capital into predictable wedding funds while preserving larger assets.

    5. Community Labor and In-Kind Exchanges: Neighbors and extended family contribute labor and services, such as sewing outfits or cooking, reducing cash needs and preserving family dignity.

    6. Staged Payments: Couples negotiate payment plans with vendors, making deposits and staged payments that match their cash flows, avoiding borrowing and spreading costs over months.

    7. Savings Clubs: Workplace and campus savings clubs pool contributions, lending to members at low or no interest, providing reliable funding for young couples.

    By combining these methods, Nigerian couples can manage wedding expenses without resorting to interest-bearing loans, making their special day both memorable and financially sustainable.

  • 10 world’s most expensive weddings

    10 world’s most expensive weddings

    From royal weddings to celebrity extravaganzas, some weddings are truly fit for kings and queens.

    Here’s a list from Prestige on the top 10 most expensive weddings in history, with price tags ranging from a staggering $33 million to a whopping $1 billion or more.

    1. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant – $1 billion+ (2024): It ranks as the most expensive wedding in the world. The pre-wedding festivities for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in 2024 featured Rihanna and numerous global celebrities.

    2. Sheikha Hind Bint bin Maktoum and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – $137 million (1979).

    3. Chandni Toor and Seemanto Roy; Richa Roy and Sushanto Roy – $123 million (2004).

    4. Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles – $115 million (1981)

    5. Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal – $100 million (2018)

    6. Rajeev Reddy and Brahmani Janardhana Reddy – $74 million (2016)

    Read Also: Seven Nigerian celebrity weddings that broke internet

    7. Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhattia – $65 million (2004)

    8. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – $63 million (2018)

    9. Madelaine Brockway and Jacob Lagrone – $59 million (2024)

    10. Kate Middleton and Prince William – $33 million (2011)

  • Two weddings and a riot

    Two weddings and a riot

    In the past few weeks, we have witnessed two weddings and riot. It sounds like the title of a play or novel. But it is a reality. First was the wedding of the children of the Osinbajos and the Shagayas. It sparked a mini-controversy about inter-faith tryst. But it was clarified that it was a Christian-Christian fest, and the cross and crescent did not kiss. It was good thing for inter-tribal concord. The Osinbajos are Yoruba from the Southwest and the Shagayas from the Middle Belt.

    The other was last weekend between the son of Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi and the daughter of GovernorAbdullahi Ganduje of Kano State. A society wedding, expectedly. Such weddings are less about the intending couples as about their fathers and mothers who turn the ceremonies into spectacles of glamour.

    But what struck me is the riot that tore the city of Kaduna into bloodshed and hate over inter-faith marriage. The crux? The Christians complain that when their daughter is married away to the Muslim, she is forced to surrender to the husband’s belief. But the Christian is forbidden such luxury. Iam looking towards a society wedding when it is a Christian-Muslim tie up with no pious pre-conditions. The Muslim and Christian should marry in freedom. There should be no compulsion. Apostle Paul wrote that if a Christian marries a non-believer, they should abide in peace and one can bless the other. Love is the first principle of marriage, but it is lost in all the bigotry of faith.

  • Top wedding trends to try

    Top wedding trends to try

    Change, they say, is the only constant thing. Every year, weddings worldwide are witnessing a lot of dramatic changes; most are going softer, sweeter and more personalised. Adetorera Idowu takes a look at popular trends brides can adopt this year.

    Ombre:

    The Ombre (from light to dark) trend is not limited to hair alone. Many are now taking on this trend and translating in their deco, flower arrangements and, of course, cake.

     

    Snow White:

    Brides have taken the all-white trend from the wedding to the engagement as well. There is something absolutely pristine about this look and it seems we have all fallen in love with it.

     

    Twice As Nice:

    Who says a wedding dress has to have a plain back? One of the wedding dress trends picking up steam is the intricate attention to detail, especially at the back. From laces to crystals, more brides are opting for a dress with more va va voom…. at the back, of course.

     

    A slice of heaven

    From celebrities like Tiwa Savage to non-celebrities, more and more brides would rather cut a slice out of a cake in the air.

     

    The bold and beautiful:

    No more 3-strand necklaces. It’s full neckline or nothing!!

     

    Read the signs

    This is a way to add some fun to the wedding, by holding up signs that either suggests what the crowd must be thinking or what’s on your mind. If you are looking for a fun way to add a personal touch to your day, a creative wedding sign is a sure way to do it.

     

    Custom-made

    From custom robes to bedroom slippers, every bride is looking to add fun, personal touches to her big day.

  • Exude a fairytale outlook

    Exude a fairytale outlook

    IF you are getting married this year, then you must have an idea of the kind of outfit that you would like to step out in on your D-day. For many a modest wedding gown made by one of the best designers would do.

    Here the bridal gowns in this category are customized though our couture designers. To get a fashionably couture creation, you can add sleeves, raise a neckline, and redesign a bodice.

    This year, weddings locally and internationally are getting a major upgrade and everything from dresses to dance floor playlists to photo booths is fair game. According to a new survey some new trends are on the horizon for 2014. Wedding gown designs from the 60s would stage a comeback.

    This year, we’ll continue to see dreamy, ethereal, and mystical ceremonies with lots of lush greenery, lace, and floral. “ How to exude a fairytale vibe without inflating your budget.

    “For every couple that wants their privacy, there’s another that’s itching to broadcast their day. We call these ‘Super charged weddings’ because the day is designed to be sharable. The popularity of destination weddings has given way to the notion of the 24/7 events.”You may also want to group all the traditional elements of the ceremony together so no one feels like they’re missing out, if they skip an extracurricular activity

    Although jewelry will never go out of style, this year is all about the jeweled neckline. “This type of neckline can replace a necklace altogether. For brides that want a simple dress but don’t want to be boring, a beaded or rhinestone neckline makes your look more eye-catching. In addition, you can also wear an up-do or your hair pulled back to accentuate the glitter.

  • A tale of two colourful weddings

    AS it has become the in-thing among the elites to stage party across the seas, billionaire and oil mogul, Jide Omokore, threw a party that was not left out of the new trend when he staged an elaborate wedding for his son, Tosin Omokore, in Dubai penultimate weekend. The party featured a few equally prominent friends of Chief Omokore and several family members who flew to that country with the man who has come to give a new definition to hospitality and fun. The venues used would not forget in a hurry the about 300 guests who flew to the city to honour both parents, and it lived up to expectation as up to 25 rich and powerful Nigerians flew in their private jets. The entire JW Marriott Marquis was taken over by Omokore’s guests, while the 37th floor of the same hotel was where lunch was served for all. Other guests who didn’t stay at the Marriott were lodged at another luxurious hotel, Mirage Palace. Oluwatosin Omokore and Faizer Fari’s wedding would never be forgotten in a hurry with leading entertainers like DJ Jimmy Jatt on the wheels of steel on the wedding day and Wizkid performing to everyone’s delight at the wedding. Basketmouth, Godbless and Eboni Band also performed at the A-list wedding. Who-is-who in the Nigerian social and political spaces were in attendance. You could understand why dignitaries from within and outside Dubai would take more than a passing interest and go to great lengths to be part of an event attended by the creme of the elite crowd. It all probably came down to the fondness which many of them peddle for Chief Jide Omokore, whom many adjudge a jolly good fellow.

    …. Peter Odili stages high-octane wedding for daughter

    Njideka, the pretty daughter of former Rivers State governor, Dr. Peter Odili, penultimate weekend joined the league of married women as she performed her traditional marriage rites to Mr. Uzoma Nwosu Iheme, son of Justice Chioma Nwosu Iheme, a judge of the Federal High Court at the Ndoni country home of Dr. Peter Odili. Njideka’s mother, Justice Mary Odili, is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. A week after, the wedding proper was staged in Abuja, had President Goodluck Jonathan in attendance with the creme of Nigeria’s political and social spaces in attendance. Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi who missed the Ndoni traditional marriage surprised many when he arrived Abuja to witness the wedding ceremony.