My cousin and friend Teido got married earlier this year in Port Harcourt and I was thrilled when she asked me to be their primary wedding photographer not only because I love her dearly but because this was going to be my first solo wedding. Anyone who knows Teido knows she's one of the kindest souls around and I don't think she could have found a better match than Wari. Although, they've been friends since childhood, it wasn't until much later that their relationship blossomed into what would eventually lead to marriage.
Now this was my first Ijaw traditional wedding and it was a delightful affair with a myriad of colours and really cool outfits. I so love those bowler hats that I will be looking for one to add to Eli's wardrobe 🙂
Ok, if you've never been to an Ijaw wedding before - here's a very high level overview of the day. If you have - I won't be offended if you skip right to the pictures :-). So the Ijaw wedding is a 3 part affair. First the families meet up and talk about dowry / brideprice. Then they bring out the bride and groom separately and ask them if they want to get married, to which they (hopefully) respond "yes". Then the groom waits while the bride's family is supposed to bring his wife-to-be to him. But the bride's family want to test his commitment, so they bring out the wrong girl a couple of times (only once in Teido's case) and the groom's family have to keep sending the girls back while demanding to see their bride. Finally, the bride comes out but then she plays hard to get. So the groom has to coax and cajole her through teasing and monetary means to get her to agree to marry him. Teido did a great job in this department and I started to feel a little sorry for poor Wari but he eventually got her to crack (good man!). Once the bride agrees to marriage, she goes back to change one final time and then she comes out to search for her husband who is now hiding to offer him a drink as a goodwill gesture and to signify her willingness to marry him. Ok - that is really high level but you get the picture. The whole process takes a couple of hours and is quite fun. Teido had 3 changes of outfit, each more beautiful and resplendent than the previous one and it made me want to have an Ijaw traditional wedding of my own. 🙂
Anyway, enough chat - hope you like the pictures. If you do, please do leave a comment and / or share with your friends.
Have a fab week.
xxx
Beautiful well done
Fantastic pictures! So vibrant and full of life 🙂
Thanks Auntie Tonye. Glad you like 'em 🙂
Great work Wani! Looks beautiful. I'm so loving the orange attire - very rich. I'm sure Eli would look dashing in a bowler hat, but don't be surprised when he brings you to the Niger Delta for this kinda thing in a few years. He'll just smile and say " it was your fault" ; p
Thanks Tambari. Tell me about it - very vibrant affair and the detailing on the outfits are just beautiful. Hahaha, no wahala - his grandmother is from the Naija Delta, so he'll be keeping it in the family 🙂
The pictures are lovely
[...] Hope you had a wonderful Sallah break last week if you are in Nigeria and hope you had an awesome carnival weekend if you are in the UK. So here is Part II of Ziteido and Wari’s wedding extravaganza. If you missed Part I, then be sure to check out their traditional and colourful Ijaw wedding over here. [...]
[...] is no horrible bend interrupting your image. You might recognise Ziteido & Wari from their fabulous Ijaw wedding post I shared a couple of weeks ago. Just [...]
your pictures captured the JOY and PLEASURE of the occassion.
Very beautifu scenes
Thanks 🙂
[…] series with a maternity session from the archives. Remember this lovely couple from their beautiful Port Harcourt wedding? Well, we had another shoot late last year to celebrate the addition of a little gift to the […]
THE COLORS ARE AMAZING
Beautiful Photography Wani. As usual you inspire. I love this.
Aww thanks so much Akara - super appreciated 🙂