Call Me Ajala

One of my favourite things to do in this world is spending time with friends and family. And what better way to do so than to celebrate milestones together?

I travelled to Lagos, Nigeria, in the summer to attend weddings of close friends. Due to budget contraints (Jesus change my story!) I was restricted in my clothes and accessories purchases as I would have liked because one thing about Nigeria? they have the BEST designers and the best clothes. Also I told myself that I needed to wear the ones I had previously purchased, and that I did not need new clothes. My trip was a total of 2 weeks, with one week in Lagos and Ogun states, and the other in Oyo state, in the ancient city of Ibadan.

I flew Lufthansa, passing through Frankfurt. The layovers were not too bad- the departure leg was about 3 hours layover and the return was a 6 hour layover. I can’t wait to take my true form of flying first class. I am not a fan of airplane food and I tend not to eat too much when travelling to avoid tummy issues so I did not participate in that portion of the flight. I spent my flight hours reading and sleeping.

It was really lovely reuniting with loved ones – it made my soul glad to see everyone. The first week was a wedding in Lagos and everything about it was amazing. I was not able to attend the church ceremony due to distance but I went for the reception. I had not been a guest at a Nigerian wedding in a while, so this was nice to witness. I had also forgotten how Saturday traffic was due to multiple weddings in town, so i was quickly reminded of that. We made it in time for the bridal party and couple’s entrance. The bride was a vision in her outfits and the groom was so overjoyed. The decor was another memorable aspect, with green as the main colour palette.

I also met with another friend that day and we caught up before returning to the wedding venue where, to no shock of mine, there was still dancing but we left after some time. I thoroughly enjoyed my day because the feelings of love, joy and community were felt immensely.

The second week was spent in Ibadan, Oyo state, and it was a week to remember. First, I had only been to Ibadan once over a decade ago, when I attended a wedding at IITA. However, if you ever heard me talking about the city, you would think we were in a love-hate relationship, which I can now maturedly agree was jealousy on my part because it was a more affordable, quieter city from the hustle and bustle I was used to. I got to Ibadan early in the week, and I had a few first shocks including but not limited to: how large a city it was, its close proximity to Lagos, how affordable their rideshares were and how cheap the food and produce were. In addition, Ibadan as an ancient city has a lot of its structures preserved so it was almost like stepping into a different time period.

In the first few days, I ate a lot of roasted corn. This deserved a mention because the degree to which I ate it on this trip was noteworthy. Later in the week, I headed over to assist the bride in the capacity she required. I went along for viewings and prep and assisted in organizing the rest of the bridesmaids. I also had the opportunity to visit the University of Ibadan campus, and the campus chapel known as Chapel of the Resurrection is one of the most beautifully preserved buildings I have seen of Nigerian architecture. It reminded me of architects like Demas Nwoko’s works with its use of natural light and architectural features to promote cross-ventilation, as opposed to reliance on artificial methods.

The wedding weekend also had me serving as a contact person for the rest of the bridal group and some vendors in the ancient city. There was also the surprise bridal shower- a lilac themed affair, with pink colour dress code and the bride wearing lilac. Another thing I learned about Ibadan was things closed early and no one really moved around after 7pm. Imagine the stress we were under when some of the bridal shower snackables had not come by that 7pm. At the end all went well and it was a lovely event. We prayed, played games, talked about the bride and ate, and the bride was really happy. The next day was the traditional ceremony and we were up early to get ready for videos and pictures. After that w proceeded to the venue to witness my girl get married traditionally. The bride was radiant in her both her outfits and we the bridal party danced in with her and hyped her up. For the church ceremony the next day it was a similar itinerary of getting ready early to take pictures. That weekend there were about 4 weddings, so while we were getting ready and shooting content, we encountered the other brides and their bridal parties. It was such an interesting experience for me, seeing the different colours of asoebi as well as the other brides. My friend looked beautiful and so happy. I think this is one of the most hands on I had been at a wedding recently, so I was really tired by the end of Saturday. I went home with family then headed to Lagos the next morning.

Although my holiday was shorter than I would have liked (this adulting life eh), I had a great time reconnecting and celebrating people. I rested a bit in Lagos, had lunch with friends and visited family before leaving Nigeria. I also ate a lot; from home cooked meals to wedding menus I was stuffed to the brim. I really have to plan and prep for another trip to Nigeria sooner than later. Have you attended a wedding recently? How was the experience for you?