It’s our anniversary! And I think it’s time to finally talk about my traditional wedding that took place in Nigeria.
Once he popped the question, we knew we had a wedding to plan.
Even though we have never really detailed what we would love our wedding to look like during our years of dating, we knew we would figure it out eventually.
We thought of a simple wedding at the Commune, but we decided to go on the full adventure of having two weddings – a traditional wedding in Nigeria and a religious wedding here in Italy.
A Yoruba traditional wedding, also known as the “Engagement Ceremony” is a vibrant and joyous celebration of love and cultural heritage.
The ceremony is rooted in the rich traditions of the Yoruba people, an ethnic group predominantly found in southwestern Nigeria.
Organising a Yoruba traditional wedding involves meticulous planning and adherence to customs and rituals.
We Yorubas are well known for organising the best and biggest parties in Nigeria, but we wanted a small traditional wedding with just family and friends.
Of course, my Mum tried to convince me that all our acquaintances wouldn’t be happy if they were not invited, but after deliberations, we were able to put together a list of hundred guests.
Introduction Ceremony
The Introduction Ceremony marks the formal announcement and acceptance of the couple’s intention to marry.
It typically takes place before the Traditional wedding and involves the groom’s family visiting the bride’s family to express their intentions and seek their blessings.
During the Introduction Ceremony, the bride’s dowry is negotiated and a date is set.
The groom’s parents consult with the bride’s family during the Introduction Ceremony to determine a suitable date, taking into consideration the availability of key family members, and logistical considerations.
Once our date was set, it was time to plan!
Location and Vendors
Traditionally, the ceremony is to take place in the bride’s family house but in recent times, a wedding venue is hired.
Since we had just hundred guests (yes, “just” as it’s normal to have hundreds to thousands of guests), the ceremony held at my parents’ garden.
We also booked caterers, decorators, photographers, and videographers.
Traditional Wedding Attire
Traditional attire plays a significant role in a Yoruba traditional wedding. For the bride, the traditional outfit typically consists of an “iro” (wrap-around skirt), “buba” (blouse), and “gele” (headwrap).
The groom traditionally wears an “agbada” (flowing gown) paired with a “fila” (cap) and other accessories.
It is customary to choose attire that reflects the couple’s style while incorporating traditional Yoruba fabrics, patterns, and colours.
We decided to go for green because it is a colour we love in common. And for our second attire – burnt orange, since it complemented our skin tones.
Traditional Wedding Ceremony
We incorporated Yoruba cultural elements like bamboo into the wedding decorations, and colours of the day – Green and Orange. Our cake was made in the shapes of Yoruba musical instruments: a talking drum and “Shekere”. We also had traditional drummers, who added more live and rhythm to the day.
The Yoruba traditional wedding ceremony is rich in rituals and symbolic gestures. Some of the key rituals include:
- Entrance of Groom
- Prostration of the Groom
- Prayers by Families
- The bride placing the cap on the groom’s head
- Picking of the Bible from the dowry
- The couple feeding each other
Traditional Wedding Reception
The traditional wedding reception is a time for celebration, feasting, and dancing.
Traditional Yoruba cuisine, such as “Ofada rice”, “efo riro” (vegetable), “ila alasepo” (okro soup), “amala” (yam flour), “pounded yam” and “palm wine” were served to give guests a taste of authentic Yoruba flavours.
I hope I have been able to give you a glimpse of a Yoruba Traditional Wedding.
