Call Me Ajala

I have been looking forward to writing this for a while so what better time to do so than in the wake of Valentine’s Day! In the second half of 2024, my husband and I got married in Lagos, Nigeria surrounded by family, friends and loved ones. Now I truly understand why people say their wedding day was the best day of their lives. 

The Planning Process

A lot went into preparations, including time, energy and finances from everyone involved. Planning started early on, spanning about 6-8 months. From the jump, I was clear on what I wanted, and my husband and I discussed the aspects that mattered to him as well. 

We documented the planning process using Notion and spreadsheets. During this period, I learned new applications and improved on others which increased my efficiency. We also had location visitations and vendor research done for us by our fantastic community of friends and family. They checked out reception locations, hotels, food suggestions among others. We also had weekly prayers with our parents to pray concerning the wedding and marriage, and to disseminate information.

By the time I landed in Lagos, we had most vendors sorted, with the wedding planner sourcing the rest and handling the remaining logistics. 

The Ceremonies

We had three parts on the same day- the traditional wedding, the church joining and the reception. The court wedding was done a few days before, and we brought the certificate from the court to be used during the church joining. 

The trad was scheduled for 8am, but it started a bit later. My day began around about 3am when I woke up and showered. The okuku artist started work first, followed by the make-up artist. Afterwards, we hurried to the venue for a quick photoshoot with our bridal train. 

Our first outfit was the Edo traditional outfit. I had always envisioned a traditional outfit change, so we changed into the traditional Yoruba outfit briefly before changing into our church wedding attires. With these outfit changes came multiple hairstyle/ headgear changes, make up changes and jewellery updates. My amazing team – my make up artist, gele artist, friends, sisters, bridal assistant- ensured I transitioned quickly given the time constraints. 

The ceremonies were beautiful and I was so happy. The food was abundant, delicious and all the guests were replete. 

The reception ended at about 7.30 pm with no after-party, as we had agreed on. This was quite early for a Lagos wedding, but it gave us time to greet guests who waited, and to fellowship with friends and family. 

My Outfits

My Edo Outfit: I made a sketch that I sent to the designer, and we discussed on how to elevate it. My mum gave me the red george material of this outfit. My vision for a strapless gown with a high neckline was brought to life beautifully.  I also got to wear my cousin’s red veil and my older sister’s coral beads.

My Yoruba Outfit: The material complimented my skin beautifully. My mum and sisters purchased the material and I okayed it virtually. However, on seeing it in person, it was even more beautiful, with an iridescent quality. I saw the inspiration online and I felt the style would suit me.

My White Wedding Outfit: Kudos to my designer for accurately interpreting the chaos that was my request. I sent her multiple pictures with text describing what part of the pictures I wanted to inspire my own gown. She also sourced the materials and came up with a way to make my dress church-compliant (my church had strict dress rules) without compromising on the design. My gold and pearl accessories were courtesy my aunt and my REAL white roses bouquet was from a dear family friend. My wedding veil was my mum’s and it was also worn by my older sister for her wedding.

I went to fit my dresses the day after I landed, and my friend gracefully chauffeured me around town. Prior to the fittings we had had numerous virtual check-ins. She also had my outfits ready for pick up days before the wedding and was around on the day of in case of any wardrobe malfunctions.

What I loved Most

• The presence of loved ones: Our friends and family showed up for us in numerous ways. People flew in for the wedding from different parts of the world. They supported with their resources and efforts and they also ensured things were running smoothly throughout the day.

• The food: It was a full menu-  popcorn and candyfloss for the kids, desserts, fish and chips, lots of rice, swallow, small chops, and more. 

• My daddy’s poem: During the daddy-daughter dance, my daddy read a poem to me. Hard girl like me shed tears. 

• Our first dance: We danced to Dante Bowe’s Darlin’, which was our chosen song, and bubbles were floating around us. 

• The church ceremony: the choir sang In Christ Alone, as I had requested. I shed tears again. 
• I looked amazing and felt amazing: My outfit, hair, makeup and accessory choices felt true to me. Everything was gorgeous and well executed by everyone involved.

• My husband: He looked really good. *chef’s kiss*  
• The vendors: The majority of my vendors were exceptional and they executed their roles with love and commitment.
• Pure and palpable joy

What I Would Change

• I would rethink my decorator choices. I was not pleased with how the decor turned out. 
• I would not put time or effort into invite-only events, because it ended up not going as planned. Also, some initially confirmed guests were no-shows without prior information, thus leaving some empty room.
• I may have a Wedding Coordinator for the day instead of a full planner. While my planner worked hard, I realized a lot of things were sorted in-house. 

Many other things happened, but I either was not aware of it till after the ceremony, or someone had sorted it before I noticed. 

Lessons Learned

• Calm down and not fret about things I cannot control: I got a lot of advice to not focus on the things that would go wrong because it is what I will remember forever, and I can tell you that no truer words were spoken. Looking back, I remember the happy times more.
• Surround yourself with the right people: With the lengths our people went to for my husband and me, there are not enough ‘thank yous” to express gratitude to our loved ones.
• Pray pray pray: pray for the entire season of marriage because only God can make all things work for good. 
• Be financially wise: After the wedding, the slew of expenses that tend to arise will shock you. Do your best to have the wedding you want within an affordable budget for you and/or your sponsors. This includes finding vendors within said budget, which is something I prioritized. 
• Enjoy the moment: I had a great time with my husband and I think that to me was pertinent. Imagine I spent the day sulking about something minor!
• Have a bridal assistant: Shoutout to my amazing bridal assistant! She made all the difference. She was employed by the event planner.

Our Vendors

I am thankful to God because most things went well and I had a lot of great vendors, including my glam team, the media team, food, security, the church teams and numerous other teams that made the day a success. 

Here are some vendors below if you want to check them out:

Make up artist: House of Rheevo

All my outfits: Jols Couture

Yoruba gele: Mocca Artistry

Okuku: Ji Makeoverz

Photography: Obas Imagery

Videography: Anonymous Visualz

Content creation: Debbie the Creator

Church decor: 1301 Events

MC: Ebuka Ike-Mgbechi

Cake: Tutus Pastries

The success of the day goes first to God, and then to our loved ones and the superb vendors who played their parts seamlessly. I have so much to write but I have to end this post soon. It was truly a day to remember.

Are you prepping for your wedding or any celebratory event? Do you have titbits to share? Were you part of supporting a couple in making their day wonderful? Let me know in the comments!