Aah, so it's that time of the year and WED Expo has come around again. I checked it out again last week, because you know I always want to share with you the most interesting vendors who can help contribute towards planning the wedding of your dreams. The exhibition has definitely grown with lots of new faces as well as some familiar ones. If you want to catch up on the inaugural WED Expo, which was held last year, then be sure to check out this post right here. Ok, so let's dive in with some of the most interesting vendors at the wedding fair this year (all vendor details are at the end of this post):
These ladies are all about personalised details, which is definitely a growing trend with brides today as I have seen more of my brides opting for personalised robes, totes and hangers for themselves and their bridal train, which adds a nice, fun touch to the wedding. They offer a wide range of products that can be personalised including robes, slippers, towels, mugs, flasks, ipad covers etc. I particularly liked the cute little personalised make up bags, which I think would make a great gift for your hard working bridesmaids. So definitely worth checking them out. They have a blog and a facebook page, which you can find right here and here.
Although make-up is a little more difficult to showcase on the blog, I thought I would feature the following 2 companies because I have worked with them before and they both did a fantastic job on their respective brides. I've heard horror stories of brides who hated their wedding make-up (thankfully none of mine) and it ruined their whole day, so these are 2 of the wedding make-up artists that I recommend to my brides getting married in Lagos based on their professionalism, attention to detail during the day and of course the final product of a happy, glowing bride.
First, let's start with Stella's Addiction, run by Stella (lovely looking lady with the big smile and toned arms - <jealous>, but I get sidetracked). I had definitely heard of the company before but only met her this year at a wedding I was shooting. Stella did a fabulous job (I love a good transformation) and I would definitely highly recommend checking her out for anyone looking for a skilled, fun make-up artist. She is super active on her blog over here, where she showcases her latest work and gives some fab make-up tips. Very cool to see that she did the make-up for Annie Idibia's (aka 2Face's newly wedded wife) pre wedding shoot and also just landed her first cover, doing the make-up of Genevieve editor Betty Irabor. So clearly a talented and very busy lady. Be sure to check her out and you can also reach her via her facebook page.
Elaine of ShoMya (the pretty lady with the fabulously long braids) is the second makeup artist I recommend and you might remember I mentioned her when featuring this wedding in Ikeja, where she did a fabulous job on WOP bride Vivian. I liked that she took a different approach to the booth set up by having 3 different make up looks already done - an Ibo traditional wedding look, a Yoruba traditional wedding look and then a white wedding look. The make-up looked beautifully done and the ladies rocked it well. You can find out more about ShoMya on her website here and take a look at more of her wedding work over here. Definitely for a bride who wants a beautiful and elegant look.
What do you call shoes with attitude? Divatude!!! Lol - I think these sparkly numbers will appeal to a lot of different women. I can't comment on how comfortable or long lasting they are as I haven't tried them on but I do know they sure look pretty. What I love is how you can customize them to exactly what you want. So you can give the company a design or just tell them what colours you want and they'll come up with a unique design for you and you can get the matching purse too (what more could a girl ask for?!?). Divatude uses a variety of materials including Swarovski crystals, shattered mirror, pearls and even studs. I also love that you can have any size heel you want (from flat to around 6 inches) because I can just see me toppling down in a very undignified manner in those towering stilettos. They start from around N50k depending on the design, which is pretty good given that they are totally customised. Some of my favourites were the colourful stain glass window effect ones and the shattered mirror ones, which were oh so sparkly. Check out more of their blinged out shoes and purses over on their facebook page.
Ok, so I know I featured Andy Clarke last year with those fabulous couture cakes but honestly I couldn't work by his stand and not take some pictures - he really is an artist. I mean check out the cake with the feather skirt! I love it!!! Check out more of Andy's beautiful cakes over on facebook page.
When I saw this fun little dance floor, I had to stop and take a pic. It's not something I have seen at any of the weddings I have shot or attended in Lagos and I love the idea of something a little different on the dancefloor since dancing is such a major part of wedding celebrations in Nigeria. Finesse are event planners based in Lagos and so showcased a couple of their centre and accent pieces as well. You can find out more on their website and facebook page.
If you are a magpie like me, you would have been drawn to Nwando's signature. They had all things bright and sparkly and pretty. I especially love the trees with the sparkly lights. Get in touch with them on their facebook page.
Now it would not be a wedding fair in Lagos without an amazing display from Newton & David. This time they did 3 different setups, all of which were beautiful and elegant in their own way - to be honest, I expect nothing less from this leading event and floral design company. Newton & David has been the vendor of choice for quite a few weddings I have been involved in - both celebrity ones like Bella Adenuga's and Basketmouth's respectively and non-celebrity but equally fabulous ones like Nneka & Agu's wedding seen here. I have always assumed that they start out in the millions but when I asked the rep at the fair, he said they actually start out at N1200 per person. So if you are having a 100 person event it would cost N120k and even if you had a 400 person white wedding reception in Lagos, it would still be under N500k. Who knew?!?! So don't say I never look out for you ladies because it turns out Newton & David are actually pretty accessible, which is fantastic.
Ok onto the spaces: my personal favourite was the "African" room - I loved everything about it from the fabric choices to the different masks and beads used. Apparently this setup is often used as a high table for the bride and groom. Then they had what I would personally call the "Orchid Lounge" - it was quite beautiful, nice moody lighting and would work well as a cocktail hour chill spot. Finally they showcased a traditional wedding table setup complete with stunning centrepieces, all of which were fresh flowers all imported from Holland. I just loved that they used fresh flowers, which already makes them stand out from the crowd. I'm personally not a big fan of artificial flowers although I understand the need given the cost of fresh flowers in Nigeria. But if you can afford it, I would always advocate fresh, fresh, fresh. They just up that fabulosity factor (see how many ways I can use the word fabulous ;-)). See more of Newton & David over here at their website and facebook page.
Vendor details:
All Thingz Girlie
Website: https://allthingzgirlie.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/All-Thingz-Girlie/475459042485551
Email: dami@allthingzgirlie.com
Phone no.: +234 8094444759
Stella's Addiction
Website: https://www.stellasaddiction.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stellas-Addiction/136985913005195
Email: stellasaddiction@gmail.com
Phone no.: +234 8162606066 / +234 8177003386
Shomya
Website: https://www.shomya.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/157581478093/
Email: info@shomya.com
Phone no.: +234 8182512087 / +234 18428637
Divatude
Website:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Divatude-Dress-Sense/184292545047130
Email: divatudeshoes@yahoo.com, aminasco4real@yahoo.com
Phone no.: +234 8063200112, +234 8183012500
Cakes by Andy Clarke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cakes-by-Andy-Clarks/61219645101?fref=ts
Email: cakesbyandyclark@gmail.com, mail@cakesbyandyclarks.com
Phone no.: +234 8075601312
Finesse
Website: https://finesseevent.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finesseeventsng?skip_nax_wizard=true
Email: info@finesseevent.com, events@yahoo.com, finess.event@yahoo.com
Phone no.: +234 8063063687, +234 8033063687, +234 8093741277, +234 18140433
Nwando's Signature
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nwandos?ref=ts&fref=ts
Email: nwandossignature@hotmail.co.uk
Phone no.: +234 8060002083, +234 8032002083
Newton & David
Website: https://www.newtonanddavidevents.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newtonanddavidevents?fref=ts
Email: newtonanddavidevents@gmail.com, newtond14@yahoo.co.uk, info@newtonanddavidevents.com
Phone no.: +234 18169972, +234 1 270 0894, +234 1 816 9972, +234 703 005 9833
So if you are planning your wedding in Lagos or other parts of Nigeria and are looking for a photographer who can provide beautiful, modern and intimate coverage of your day, then drop me a mail at wani@waniolatunde.com or via the contact form at the top of the website. I consider it a true honour to be able to celebrate my couples’ love stories and I am totally invested in helping you have the most amazing day possible but don’t just take my word for it, check out what previous WOP couples have to say over on my testimonials page and while you are at it, why don’t you join me and the WOP rockstars on my facebook page – where we can chat about all things wedding and photography. Also be sure to sign up for the WOP Rockstars VIP Newsletter below (see the pretty pink box?) to be kept updated about all the latest giveaways and both wedding and photography tips.
Not looking for a wedding photographer in Nigeria? Please be sure to consider WOP for your portrait photography needs including solo photoshoots, maternity, children and family photography here in Lagos. I’ll be expecting you…bisous!
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Lovely write ups and collections... And for "DIVATUDE Shoes and purses"? They are Very comfortable and durable, the one I was wearing today 24/03/2013, I've been using for the past 2yrs...
Hi Wani,
I was at the expo, and your photographs make these vendors work look even better. Well done!
Haha - that's awesome. Thanks for stopping by Miss Feferity. 🙂
Wani, strange we have the same surname. You didn't feature any of the lovely deserts, there was this particular one with the most wonderful display, too bad I can't remember their name.
[...] is quite funny – a girl heads out to the largest wedding fair in Lagos to check out who the hottest new vendors in town are for her fabulous brides and the next thing you [...]