Well I honestly think this is a statement that has become true to my life.
My best Friend recently got married in an extravagant African wedding and I was so happy when she asked me to be Maid of Honor.
I have never been so happy to see my friend getting married that it actually made me think about my own wedding day.
I knew that it was possible to feel broody when you see babies, but I honestly never thought such could be said about weddings/marriage until I experience it myself. I found myself panicking all of a sudden with a feeling of pressure to settle down and find a husband.
I am the youngest in my group of friends, at 22 I honestly don't think I am ready for marriage, heck I was not even thinking about it until all my friends started getting engaged, pregnant and married. Yes, my friend are older than me, in fact most of them are 27/28 years old which I guess is the standard age to think about marriage and settling down.
The wedding took part in Nigeria, a country I had heard a lot about but never had the pleasure of visiting until now. Initially, I was rather skeptical about going because I'd heard about people getting kidnapped and all sorts of stories.
Upon arriving, I realized that it was EXTREMELY hot and humid!! Unbelievably so for someone who lives in a cold country like the UK.
Another thing that struck me and took me by surprise was the difference in culture. People in Nigeria are so friendly and welcoming, everyone is happy and polite and you are treated like royalty by those around you.
Life is different over there, from how women are expected to behave, to the pressure there is for young girls to settle down, get married and be good wives to their husbands. In other words, European culture and African culture are WORLD apart, which is rather refreshing and eye opening.
The wedding itself was split into two segments, the traditional wedding first, to be then followed by the white wedding one week after.
I got to wear a traditional African dress which I designed myself and it turned out beautifully. I was so nervous about it because I did not get to see it until the day before the wedding,but everything went well.
The Bride had bride-Zilla tendencies (Bless her) and it was my job to ensure she didn't have a nervous break down or in fact, kill somebody as most of us feared she would on a few heated occasions with family members. Moments like this made me realize that I wasn't ready for a wedding, let alone a marriage because that's for life... A VERY VERY long time indeed.
Below are a few pictures I wanted to share that captured the moments and shows how beautiful the wedding was.
It was filled with love and blessing and I was over the moon to be a part of it.
unfortunately, I did not find my groom. Despite the pressure and insisting of nearly every "Aunty" that wanted me to marry her son or Nephew.
Lots of Love
Bree
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