Strange things Nigerians do in the name of marriage
Sixty-two-year-old Adejoke Olawepo, a
petty trader, almost died of shock as screams and claps went all around
her. Commuting all the way from Oyingbo to Sango, Ogun State to see her
daughter last Tuesday, she couldn’t understand why the train she was
travelling in suddenly refused to move again after dropping off some
passengers at Agege, a densely populated suburb within the Lagos
metropolis. The subtle screams and claps from people inside the train
who could see outside, aroused her curiosity. Leaning over a seat to
peep through the window beside her, the sexagenarian could not believe
the sight before her.
“I was afraid; I thought the train had
crushed somebody,” the elderly woman said during a conversation with our
correspondent. “But when I peeped through the window, I saw that it was
a young man kneeling and making gestures to a lady in front of him as
if he was proposing to her. They were right on the rail track, just a
few yards away from where the train stopped. I have never seen anything
like that in my life,” she said.
Lewis Omike and Ebi Boleigha, the pair
Olawepo came across, chose the Agege end of the rail line as part of a
series of photo sessions to usher in their wedding later this month.
Apart from the shot that has since gone viral, the soon-to-be-married
lovers also took amazing photographs on the Lekki Bridge and other
remarkable sites across Lagos.
In a chat with our correspondent earlier
in the week, Omike, the groom, said they decided to embark on such
unusual act to spice up their love affair and also be in tune with
modern trends.
He described the experience as simply exciting and unforgettable.
“We just wanted something special, me
and my fiancée,” Omike said. “Our love story is not what words can
describe in a few lines, so to express this feeling we chose to do
something really remarkable to make the days leading up to our wedding
interesting,” he continued. “The two of us came up with the entire
concept and in fact if not for the bad weather at the time, we could
have had more shots at other unusual places.
“On one of those days, we had to leave
the Island where we stay for the rail track around Agege just for that
particular shot. Though my fiancée was shy, for me it was a moment of
pure joy and excitement. A lot of people looked and waved at us while
some others clapped excitedly. Many of them urged me to hold on to her
very well and always ensure there was a smile on her face throughout our
lives. It is one of the moments I would cherish for the rest of my
life,” he said.
In the build up to their own wedding in
August 2016 in Abuja, the nation’s capital, Ndubuisi Obi and Jessica
Okoli have visited more than 10 different locations across the country
in an attempt to create the perfect pre-wedding photo.
A geologist and nurse respectively, the
pair have been to remote and popular locations alike in Northern and
Eastern Nigeria over the last two months since plans for the special
ceremony garnered momentum. Like many of their friends and young
relations, the two who have been lovers for around five years now,
consider taking amazing photographs especially at unusual places in the
days leading up to their big day as one of the most important part of
the entire event. The shot of Obi pushing a visibly excited Okoli seated
inside a canoe towards what looks like paradise has since got the
entire internet and social media buzzing. It has been a busy and
thrilling few weeks for the young lovers.
“Weddings are a once in a lifetime
event, so we believe that it must be as memorable as possible,” Obi said
during a telephone conversation with our correspondent. “Moreover, as
young people, we want to be in tune with latest trends as regards
wedding and other areas of life. We realised that engaging in a lot of
activities especially visiting different locations to take memorable
photographs is one special way of bonding and refreshing our love before
finally walking down the aisle. At the moment, we have visited at least
10 different sites in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country.
Before our wedding in August, we’ll surely be visiting other lovely
places to take amazing shots as well. For me, this is where the fun
really is,” he said.
An increasingly rising trend, the two
young couples are not the only ones now enacting some truly amazing and
sometimes bizarre scenes in different photographs in the country today –
they are only a fraction of the dozens who have since been bitten by
the bug. Determined to add colour to their wedding ceremony in the best
ways they can, embarking on all kinds of photo sessions have become a
common feature for many lovers these days. While some have been quite
scary, others have been splashed with humour, providing viewers with
moments of comic relief.
For example, photograph of a young man
whose hands and legs are bound while his lover standing next to him
holds a cutlass and a cardboard with the inscription ‘The hunt is over’,
has since become one of the most circulated images on the internet in
recent times. While some described it as bizarre, the couple and their
friends label it one of the most interesting parts of activities put in
place to usher in their big day later in the year.
In yet another unique and unusual shot, a
young lady was seen standing over the boot of a car where her lover
whose hands and legs are tied and mouth also covered, was inside. The
lady could be seen smiling like a warrior who had just conquered a
feisty battle.
A certain couple took their love affair
to another level when they decided to go back in time by appearing in a
secondary school uniform.
The unnamed pair, who are successful
professionals in their own right, could be seen totally loved up in the
various shots taken within a private school compound in Lagos while
students watched excitedly at the background.
In other attention-catching photographs,
young lovers on the verge of getting married who have embraced this
rising trend can be seen taking different shots inside commercial buses,
at open markets, busy roads and even underneath popular bridges across
the country while assuming all kinds of funny and sometimes scary
positions.
For instance, a man and his wife-to-be
were captured in one particular photograph doing push-ups on a road
while wearing a military vest. Another pair was seen carrying each other
on the back under a popular bridge in Lagos. A different set dressed up
in Indian attire, playing and dining inside a garden. The location and
expressions have indeed been endless.
Interestingly, the rising trend has not
been limited to Nigeria, in other parts of the world, amazing
pre-wedding photo shoots have become a common feature, too.
Images of a young man carrying his
‘massive’ lover have continued to leave many around the world looking
for new definitions of the word – love. The voluptuous lady identified
as Abena met her lover known as Prince at the University of Ghana
Hospital where she works as a nursing officer.
According to the medical worker, their
relationship started after a chance meeting when the man visited a sick
relative at the hospital.
“It all started a year and a half ago
when I was at work at the University of Ghana Hospital. Prince came to
visit a sick relative whilst I was doing my usual rounds as a nursing
officer. He approached me with a prescription for help and I assisted
him. He really appreciated everything I did for him that day. Soon we
became friends and it moved on and on and here I have my Prince
Charming,” Abena said.
Now married, they will remain popular with dozens around the world for their hilarious and brave pre-wedding photos.
But apart from intending couples, lovers
freshly married or those who have spent years as husband and wife, also
engage in various activities these days to further bring some sort of
excitement into their lives.
For example, a former Speaker of the Imo
State House of Assembly, Hon Ike C. Ibe, and his beautiful bride, Uche,
have continued to enjoy massive attention after photographs of them
buying roasted corn by the roadside just minutes after leaving their
wedding service earlier in July, surfaced on the internet.
Decked in a fitted navy blue jacket and a
glowing white wedding gown respectively with a black Sports Utility
Vehicle parked behind them, the newly married couple chose the unusual
location to add colour to their special day. They have received praises
from many quarters.
In faraway Louisiana, United States of
America, a couple celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in one of
the most remarkable and hilarious ways.
In the photographs that have become a
big hit on the internet, the wife, Tynedria Meneweather Bell, could be
seen sleeping over and even carrying her husband, Pendarius, like a baby
on her back. Though funny to some, more than a few hailed the woman and
her husband for expressing their feelings for each other in such an
interesting way.
But beyond embarking on interesting and
beautiful photographs before and after their wedding ceremonies, many
intending couples now also adopt various means to make the occassion
very memorable.
Away from the tradition of arriving
wedding venues in posh and classy vehicles, some lovers, in an attempt
to be distinct, hit such places in tricycles, powerbikes, horses,
chariots, bicycles and even tractors these days. For them, such moves
are ways of making their ceremony quite remarkable and memorable.
In December 2015, Benjamin and Blessing
Okelue stunned many across Nigeria and beyond when they rode to their
wedding venue in Enugu in a power bike.
The couple were escorted by a handful of
bikers who doubled as groomsmen as they arrived and left the venue of
the ceremony for their base in Jos. It was indeed an interesting sight
to behold.
Also wanting to be distinct, Edo State
Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and his beautiful bride, Iara, arrived their
wedding venue in 2015 inside a private chopper.
A sea of well wishers who had gathered
at the venue and expecting them to come in a long convoy of SUVs, were
however left stunned when the lovers defied tradition and touched down
in the ‘big bird’. The amazing sight certainly added colour to the
event.
Also, couples now choreograph and dance
to popular hits during their wedding ceremonies as a way of making the
occasion truly special. Sometimes circled by guests, the groom and bride
engage each other in a dance contest to the delight of all around.
Interestingly, while the new craze in
town has brought many couples tremendous joy and happiness, it has
equally left several others smiling as well. Photographers, make-up
artists, fashion stylists, wedding planners and several others providing
some of the essential services needed to make these occasions
colourful, have been raking in cool cash in the process.
“There is no week that I don’t make at
least N100, 000 from shooting pre-wedding photos for young couples,” a
photographer based in Surulere, Lagos, Frank Nwata, told Saturday PUNCH.
“This is aside the amount I usually charge for providing coverage for
the wedding proper,” he added. “To serve clients well especially getting
them a good location and different positions to assume in the photo is
not an easy task, it takes a lot of thinking and constant research to
come up with these ideas. But at the end of the day, it is always
fulfilling to see that your effort is able to put smiles on the faces of
people. For me, the experience has been good.”
Another photographer also making cool money from the growing trend, Abbey Da Great, told Saturday PUNCH that since intending couples started embracing the practice, business has become ‘sweeter’ for him.
According to him, he has also introduced
other related services like providing clients with costumes that fit a
particular location and the concept they have in mind.
“Our job as a result of new trends has
gone beyond just capturing people on camera. These days, you must be
able to provide clients with a lot of other added services so as to win
their trust and keep yourself in business.
“For instance, as part of my service to
clients, I now also provide costumes especially for pre-wedding photo
shoots when needed. Some customers want to appear in ancient Yoruba and
Fulani attire while others want to appear like hunters and also
footballers. I have all these different types of costumes with which I
am able to meet up the expectations of clients once they share their
idea with me. It has been quite rewarding I must confess,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer of Dunamis, a seasoned events planning outfit, Funbi Akinyosoye, told Saturday PUNCH that indeed weddings have gone beyond just having a man and woman exchange marital vows before a congregation.
These days, she said, weddings are
usually a loaded package involving a host of different but related
activities designed towards achieving a particular goal.
“Weddings are beyond what we used to
know them to be in the past,” she said. “Apart from pre-wedding photo
shoots, a lot of other activities also take place just to make it a
memorable one. But then everything depends on the theme for the wedding.
The clients might decide to go local or foreign; this will determine
the location and also costume to be used across the different stages. It
is a way of letting people have a feel of what the real wedding would
look like.
“In fact to serve our clients better
these days, we do wedding proposals where we sell ideas to them. The
response has been great. In fact these days couples now arrive at
reception venues in a huge balloon. Guests can only see them but are not
able to touch them until they come out of the balloon. It is usually a
beautiful sight to behold.
“As part of latest trends also, some
people are now even driven straight into the reception hall in lovely
vehicles. These are all ways couples now embrace to make their wedding
truly special. Everything depends on their budget and personality,” she
said.
Relationship and marriage counsellor,
Nike Olaniyan, sees the rising trend as a way of helping couples improve
on their love life.
According to her, coming up with
different ideas like taking unusual photographs and also arriving
wedding venues in tricycles, power bikes and even bicycles not only bond
lovers but also remind them that only happiness matters in marriage.
“I see the different things people do
before and immediately after marriage these days, for me it has a deeper
meaning than the humour many see from such. I believe that engaging in
some of these activities will not only boost their relationship but also
help them appreciate each other better.
“ No matter what some people may think, I
feel it is a healthy development that will bring about a lot of
understanding and appreciation in marriage,” she said.
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