Lindsay and Konye! Nigerian Wedding Celebration, Indianapolis, Indiana

“You are now my African Queen. And I know that this means that, you’re the only one that I will serve, I’ll give you my heart, my love, my body , and my money, and every other thing you could think of…”

So, remember the beautiful black and white shot back in November, of a couple walking in front of the Indianapolis capital building?  Ya, well that was Lindsay and Konye at their first wedding, and now I get to share images from their Nigerian wedding celebration!  Konye’s parents came to Indy to visit for a month from Nigeria, and while they were here, they held a Nigerian celebration with Nigerian food, Nigerian head wraps, Nigerian dancing, and this whole traditional theatrical- Nigerian wedding ceremony with a goat, and reading of scripts between the two families.

It was AMAZING.

I seriously loved loved LOVED being there.  Seeing how different cultures celebrate weddings is so SO cool!

And, you’ll notice since their last wedding, they have added a sweet little girl to the mix!  Meet Aris!  She wasn’t completely into the whole photo thing, BUT she was really adorable in her little dress, and was such a sweet baby during the whole celebration.  Taking it all in and being passed between all the aunts and uncles and grandparents that CLEARLY love her so so much.

You two!  Thanks so much for inviting me to photograph your celebrations [both of them!]  Loved celebrating with you and being a part of your party!  [In case you missed it, I posted a selfie of my own coral head wrap on my personal Instagram HERE].

You guys are the best!

~Maike

Hair : Salon Lofts [Natalie Postma – when it was up], and Yvonne and Sinaria [Konye’s sister’s] helped place the Calabar headdress (which was heavy!)

Make Up : Becky Lee – MAC freelancer

Florist : Nigerian weddings don’t do the whole flower thing

Sound/Lights : Teeklef with Hipnavi – he kept the Nigerian music going and also MCed the event

Dessert : Shug’s Cakes [it was pretty amazing]

Catering : A local Nigerian caterer helped us, but Konye’s mom and sisters made the soups

Dress : My dresses were made in Lagos, Nigeria

Shoes : Michael Kors

Other Traditional Dresses : The dresses were all custom made in Nigeria, same with the “Geles”, the head wraps. (A HUGE credit goes to Pearl, Konye’s sister, who coordinated all the gorgeous outfits from Nigeria)

BRIDE & GROOM Q&A:

Most memorable moment?

Lindsay: The whole day was surreal. Traditional Nigerian weddings are SO different from American weddings. We tried to re-create the events that would normally take place over the course of a few days. (Thus, the live goat that represented part of the Bride Price paid to my parents!) So I will always remember the tremendous role of family and friends in the day, the gorgeous outfits, the spicy food, and the glorious dancing. It truly was a beautiful thing to witness–the coming together of two distinct cultures. Everyone seemed to really embrace the cultural experience they were a part of. I truly loved that. On a personal note, one of my favorite moments was late in the evening Konye’s best friend Owen requested the song “African Queen” by 2Face. Konye sang every word of that song to me while our friends and family looked on. It was in that moment that we were reminded it was just us, that our lives have been winding to each other for years and years. And that is a really beautiful thing.

Konye:Wow. Dancing with my wife, singing to her, watching her find me with a glass of wine from her father, and watching her stride around in her full regal Onyon-yon dress.

Advice for future brides/grooms?

Konye: Dance, sing, and save some reception food for a late night dinner in bed with the wife. (Didn’t we have this advice last year?!?)

Funniest memory?

Lindsay: The goat was definitely the unexpected, hilarious nugget of the day. I think it really surprised the group that we had a real goat (a mature, female goat to be exact) in the ceremony. (And thanks to my hometown girl Jenni and her family for bringing the goat!)

Konye: Funniest memory was watching my Caucasian American in-laws try to figure out the traditional proceedings expected of them. It was hilarious.

Lastly, are there any other vendors that you LOVED and want to give a special shout out to?

This was a family effort. We can’t thank all the family members who helped make this truly an authentic, traditional day! From the food, to the clothes, to the music, it couldn’t have been more beautiful. Thank you to everyone who made this day a memory we will hang on to for many years to come!