Whoever said Nigeria is the happiest country in the world was not far from the truth. In Nigeria, there is absolutely a reason to be merry. One of such is Marriage.
Wedding in Nigeria is one of the most ceremonious occasions everybody looks forward to. Unlike what we have in the west where marriages are not a big deal and can happen at any time, anywhere or with anybody, for Nigerians, it takes a whole lot to plan and prepare for either one’s traditional marriage or what we call “the white wedding”. In all, the wedding dress is most paramount issue of all the preparations.
I guess it will be right to say that in Nigeria, there is no wedding without a ‘proper ghen ghen’ wedding dress. To prove this point is the fact that wedding dresses are what most Nigerian ladies look out for in any wedding.
Well, like earlier said, Nigerian weddings comes in two major ways – the traditional wedding and the white wedding and for each, different wedding dresses are worn. Here are some of the indigenous wedding dresses worn in Nigerian Weddings courtsey of BuzzNigeria
The Yoruba Wedding Attire
The Yoruba traditional marriage ceremony even though a serious affair, is full of rich contemporary Nigerian music, graceful colors, sumptuous meals and above all somewhat funny banter.
The dress of both the bride and the groom is selected with the utmost care. Aso-Oke is the Yoruba cultural attire that can not be missing in couple’s ensemble.
Other fabrics such as cotton, damask, lace or even wax fabric (Ankara) can be worn on such occasion too but mostly in combination with the Aso-Oke.
The bride has a five-piece outfit made of the same color and fabrics as the groom’s. The lady wears a wide, long-sleeved blouse known as the Buba made mostly from a lace material, a wrap-around garment to be worn at the waist known as the Iro made of her prefered selected Aso-oke, a shawl or shoulder sash called the Ipele or Iborun made from the same Aso-oke as the Iro which she must drape over one shoulder as tradition demands of a bride, Gele – a scarf and finally a veil of very sheer and light material with which she will be covered until its time to unveil the bride and lets not forget matching shoes, a clutch and the glamorous feferiti
This is how the bride should Look when she first comes out. This is mostly her first look out of the many that will follow.
After her first look with which she is unveiled and greets the in-laws, the bride would then change into another dress which may or may not be the same with that of her husband, depending on how many change of clothes she has planned. The minimum for most people is two.
Other parts of her outfit include a Necklace which can be either beads or gold chain and earrings. The colors she chooses reflect the color theme her family has chosen which also complements the groom’s outfit.
The groom on the other hand will have a complete four piece outfit of Yoruba wedding attires consisting of the Agbada (a two layered material of heavy dimensions), Sokoto (loose-fitting trousers), Buba (a short loose top) and Fula (the cap).
