Nigerian weddings are colourful, passionate, entertaining and a tremendous amount of fun! Usually involving some Western traditions, along with lots of rituals and customs from both families’ backgrounds, there’s a lot to get to grips with if you’ve never been a guest at a Nigerian wedding before. If that is the case for you, we’ve written a guide to what to expect when attending a Nigerian wedding...
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The Location
Typically, there will be somewhere between 500-1000 guests at a Nigerian wedding! It’s not unheard of for guests to bring people along, as there’s often no formal guest list. Generally though, it’s best to avoid this if you’re not absolutely sure that it’s okay with the couple.
As there are usually so many guests, Nigerian weddings tend to take place in large venues, places like hotel conference rooms, town halls, or even dedicated venues designed to cater to such large numbers of guests.
Browse Large Wedding Venues here.
The Attire
In most cases, guests would either wear evening wear or aso-ebi, traditional attire, to a Nigerian wedding. This choice is usually down to the couple’s discretion, and they will inform you more specifically on the invitation.
However, one thing which you can anticipate is that there will likely be a colour scheme for the wedding which you could match. Often, the two families wear aso-ebi, usually colour-coordinated to identify which family they are with, so if you’re a friend of one member of the wedding couple, you might consider ‘representing’ them by wearing their colour!
The Ceremony
Nigerian families originate from a number of different tribes with different customs. As well as this, many are religious, with Islam and Christianity the most common religions, so the specifics of the wedding ceremony are likely to depend on the background of the couples and their families.
Usually, the majority of the cultural routines are performed at an official engagement ceremony a week or so before the ‘main’ wedding. Some examples of traditions which you might encounter include the kola nut ceremony, where the nuts are broken as a sign of welcome. In some cases the groom may also prostrate himself (laying face down, stretched out on the ground) in front of the bride’s family as a sign of respect and a request for their acceptance. The ceremony itself usually takes between 30 minutes to an hour.
The Reception
Food
One thing you can guarantee about a Nigerian wedding is that the food will be plentiful and delicious! Look forward to a menu of traditional Nigerian cuisine, including jollof rice, spiced meats and other delightfully indulgent treats!
The main course is usually served buffet style, and - as mentioned before - typically there’s no formal guest list at a Nigerian wedding. This means that there’s usually enough food to cater for hundreds of guests, just in case. So make sure you try a bit of everything - there will be plenty to go round!
Drink
Nigerian weddings tend not to have the association with alcohol which you might be used to at other marriage celebrations. Often the couple are having a religious wedding, so there may not be any alcohol at all.
Even if there is alcohol at the reception, Nigerian weddings are focussed on the union and the celebration of the couple’s happiness. As such, it’s imperative that you don’t overdo it with the alcohol.
Entertainment
One of the most common customs at a Nigerian wedding is the money spraying. This is similar to the rituals seen in lots of other cultures, and involves the guests showering the couple with banknotes as they dance.
This is both a gesture of good will from the guests towards the couple, and also a signal to the couple to keep dancing. Often, the notes the guests throw are American $1 bills, so it may be a good idea to head to a bureau de change before the wedding day!