Grooms to be: The Engagement List - A lengthy and perhaps expensive fun item on your to-do-list

A few weeks ago, I got to thinking about Nigerian traditional wedding traditions. I could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia as I thought about how much I've missed being back home. How much I have missed the fun and excitement surrounding the wedding ceremonies in Nigeria. Yes sometimes these ceremonies may seem extreme and over the top, however it is for the most part the general consensus that it is altogether fun times.

One thing I did also come to realize was that I was pretty clueless about some of the intricate details of the ceremony. In an effort to reconnect myself with the world of Nigerian weddings, I decided to do some reading on the internet to see how much of the tradition I could learn about online.

Here's Part 1 of our 3 part Series

The engagement ceremony in all 3 major tribes in Nigeria is an important part of the entire wedding planning process. Of particular attention on this day is the Engagement List. The engagement list is a long grocery list of items required of the groom by the bride's family. Traditionally and historically, each item on this list has a particular significance to the new marriage and as such it is important to have all items fulfilled. In addition, failure to provide items specified on your list could result in "enuf yawa" and could put a financial dent in your pocket.


Part 1: The Yoruba Engagement Wedding List

Alright brothers,drum rolls, curtains drawn and voila here's what your list could look like if you are getting hitched to one of my Yoruba sisters.

Engagement Bible		Owo Isigba(fee to open the gifts on this list (usually packaged))
Engagement Ring		Dowry
One Big Suitcase		Owo Omo Ile Okunrin(Money for all male children)
2 Different Pairs of Shoes and Bags		Owo Omo Ile Obinrin(money for all female children)
2 Head Gears (of high quality)		Iyawo Ile - (money for all wives in the family)
Gold Wrist Watch		Owo Iya Gbo(money for bride’s mother’s consent)
1 Traditional Cloth (Aso- Oke)		Owo Ijoko Agba (money for all the elders in he family)
4 Other Assorted Clothes		Owo Ijoko Iyawo(Money to bring in bride)
42 pcs Obi (Kola nut)		Owo Isiju Iyawo(money to unveil the bride)
42 pcs Orogbo(Bitter kola)		Owo Ikanlekun (Entrance fee)
42 pcs Atare (Alligator pepper)		Owo Baba Gbo (money for bride’s father’s consent)
1 Decanter of Pure Honey		Owo Phone(money for phone calls)
1 Big Dish of Aadun(peppered Corn meal)		Owo Plane (money for travel to groom’s family house)
1 Big Dish of Sugar		Reading of Letter
42 pcs Big Eja Osan (Dry fish)		Owo Alaga Ijoko(money for MC)
1 Big Dish of Salt		4 Cartons of Five Alive
42 Tubers of Big Yam		4 Crates of Can Drinks
1 Roll of Sugar		6 Bottles of Wine
1 Big Bag of Salt		2 Crates of Can Malt
Umbrella		1 Empty Decanter

                                                                       credit:namywedding.com

Sisters, please feel free to bring your beautiful selves to this once in a lifetime event as the guest of honour. Her Royal Highness. The newest Mrs to be.

There it is. All laid out for you. Please note however that this list is by no means exhaustive and depending on how your in-laws feel, amounts and items might vary. :)

So brothers, if you are by any chance planning on popping that question to your Yoruba lady, please "consider yourself oh". Don't say you weren't given the heads up on this. No matter who you are or where you are from, the list must be complete A to Z.

Since every item on your list has an underlying significance to your marriage, it is in your best interest that you leave none out. However, please feel free to add to it (e.g. The keys to that BMW she's been eyeing would be much appreciated). No worries, I'm pretty certain she will find an underlying significance for that too. :)

Dearest Arewas, if the question gets popped by your lovely sweetheart, please smile and say "YES", after all you know you've got "enuf stuffs" coming your way and the way of the Iyawo Iles.

Haha. Enjoy the Loot. :)

Ada Ada by Flavour

Had to share this wedding music video by Flavour ... Ada Ada. 

Love, love this video! The bride and her ladies looked gorgeous, plus the traditional dancers, the decor, the traditional attires were all on point. As the song says "Better soup na money kill am!...". We love Nigerian weddings :)

Enjoy!

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) inspired wedding bouquet

When Will and Kate got married in 2011, we were all awed at how simply and elegantly put-together Kate was. Her wedding dress, flowers and bridal party were not over the top. Apparently, Kate had requested that her bouquet be "unpretentious, simple and natural" which seems to be a true reflection of her personality. Kate looked graceful and poised, a testament to how secure she felt transitioning into her new role as William's wife, future mother to their kid(s) and Britain's future queen. 

Image of bouquet on left by Christine's Creatives. 
Images of Royals on right by Jens Rost

Two years later, we find that brides are still inspired by her simple and elegant style. Over the weekend, we created a Kate inspired bouquet for one of our brides, and she loved it! Among the sea of colors at her wedding, her white airy bouquet created out of 'Baby's breath' stood out as simple, elegant and unique. 'Baby's breath' is used as a symbol of purity and being pure of heart, and was definitely a great choice for our bride.

While Kate's bouquet was created with more expensive flowers, it wouldn't break the bank to create a similar bouquet for the regular bride. We love this style, and agree that there is definitely something about understated wedding bouquets that exude an airy sense of simplicity and self-security. 

Cheers!!!

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• What type of bouquet should a bride carry? (christinescreatives.com)
• Kate Middleton Named UK's Most Influential Beauty Icon (gossipcenter.com)
• Kate To Give Birth At Same Hospital As Diana (news.sky.com)

How would you pick your Bridesmaids/Maid of Honor? (PART 2)

(Photo credit: Egui_)

Based on our readership yesterday, I think it is fair to say that the issue of how to pick your bridesmaids/maid of honor is a hot button topic for a lot of brides - and rightfully so. Funny thing is I had the same discussion with a friend yesterday at lunch time. She is also a wedding planner (amongst all the other maaaaaany things she does) and is going to be the maid of honor at a wedding in 2 weeks. 

Interestingly, as we continued to chat we both agreed on the same thing - managing a bridal party with individuals who have very different temperaments is not easy - and this is not just bridesmaids specific, it also relates to groomsmen. She's had to deal with members of the bridal party coming to her to complain about each other, instead of resolving issues amongst themselves, and has also had to deal with groomsmen being too laid back and not wanting to participate in any of the planning activities. To provide some context, my friend is not Nigerian (or even African) so these issues definitely cut across cultures.
Read more »

How would you pick your Bridesmaids/Maid of Honor? (PART 1)

Bridesmaids (Photo credit: Mo_Lishomwa)

Seriously...How would you pick your Bridesmaids/Maid of Honor without causing drama? For a lot of brides, picking the ladies on their bridal train isn't quite so easy. There's family politics to consider, and there are friends who just assume they'll be on your train because you've know them since forever, or because they invited you to be on their train... yep!

Here are a few tips that may (and i stress 'may') make selecting your bridesmaids a little easier:

1. Bachelorette party - Pick bridesmaids who will make it their mission to throw you the funnest bachelorette party ever! After all, it's the last time you get to celebrate as a single woman. Do not complain that 'no one has your time or cares' if you decide to pick ladies who are too busy or just don't have a clue - that's all on you dear!
Read more »

For the groom: orange and green color palette

Seeing as we have focused on bridal accessories over the last couple of posts, I figured it is only fair that we give the guys some real estate on here. Besides, yesterday was father's day... so they get special preference  :) Below is an orange and green color palette for the groom. What do you think?

Credits (top left to bottom right):
1. Tie and boutonniere - The Knot
2. Cufflinks - Etsy
3. Boutonniere - Christine's Creatives
4. Tie clip - Etsy

Dubbler - the 'new' cool kid on the block

So... we just found out about this new cool voice messaging app called dubbler! We think its super awesome and just gave it a test drive. It allows you to record voice notes for up to 60seconds, and then allows you to share it with your friends and followers across multiple social media platforms.

One of the more fun features is that it allows you to add sound effects to your voice, and changes the way your real voice sounds. So on the dub below, I sound like a dude when in fact I'm not :)

Listen to the voice note below and share your thoughts.... maybe even create a dubbler account and have some fun with it!!!

'#Grateful mood. Hope y'all have a great weekend by Christine's Creatives (www.christinescreatives.com) on #Dubbler

 
Have a great weekend folks!

Do not forget your wedding vehicle decor ...

There are so many moving parts when you start planning your wedding, and you really do not want to forget your wedding vehicle decor. Decorating the bride, groom, and bridal party vehicles is just as important as the boutonnieres and flowers for the bridal party. Besides the beauty and sense of festivity the wedding vehicle decor provides, it also helps to single out the most important vehicles of the event. Simply put, decorations on the wedding party vehicles should be just as beautiful as they are functional.

Think about it.... decorating your wedding vehicles is just as good as a VIP pass. Have you seen how politicians and government officials clear traffic with their sirens and lights? Well, your wedding day is your day to be THE VIP. Your decorated vehicles will open up parking spots and clear the way for you if there is traffic on your way to your wedding/reception venue. 

Read more »

Can you spot the difference?

This a picture of a church we decorated for a wedding. Can you spot the 3 differences in these pictures?

Related articles

• Centerpieces: Your event is your own production... make it a true reflection of you (christinescreatives.com)
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• Essential tools for event planning (christinescreatives.com)

A plethora of THANKS to you - our fans & customers!

Decor by Christine's Creatives

If you are one of our facebook fans, you probably noticed that we decorated a wedding over the weekend. It was a beautiful wedding, and we were honored (as we always are) to be invited to decorate the event. 

As is normal with most event decor projects, there were situations that tested our resolve to 'make it happen' (we call it the Naija effect :) ). Thankfully, with all the experience we've accumulated over the years, it was easy to be patient, proactive and creative in dealing with unforseen situations and curve balls. The icing on the cake for us, were the many compliments and thanks we got from the guests and families of the couple.

In turn, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers, fans and customers who have supported us over the years. Your likes, comments, emails, orders and phone calls have kept us going over the years and we truly appreciate you. Without you we wouldn't be here today, and we recognize that. Muah!

Please feel free to leave us a comment or send us an email about ways in which we can make your experience with us even better. Our customers always come first! Thanks again and we look forward to many more years of service to you. Bless.

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• Centerpieces: Your event is your own production... make it a true reflection of you (christinescreatives.com)
• Wedding flowers...It's all in the details (christinescreatives.com)
• Essential tools for event planning (christinescreatives.com)

Ifeoma and Uyi tie the knot in Lagos

The smile on Ifeoma's face as she walked down the aisle with her dad to meet her love - Uyi was... priceless!!! 

Ifeoma and Uyi tied the knot in Lagos on June 1st, 2013. We are so happy and congratulate the both of them.  Ifeoma wore a beautiful form fitting lace wedding dress that flattered her figure and flowed gracefully as she walked down the aisle. She carried a beautiful hand-tied bouquet with multi-colored roses, and was accompanied by her bridemaids dressed in elegant orange dresses.  

Read more »

Gbemi & Yewi tie the knot in Dubai

As you all know we LOVE! LOVE!! LOVE!!! weddings, and today we could not resist writing about a story we found on another blog (http://womeninwedding.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/colorful-nigerian-wedding/). Congrats to Gbemi and Yewi's for tying the knot in April, 2013.

Gbemi & Yewi's wedding in Dubai

 What caught our attention about this wedding is the simplicity, creativity and class that you can see and feel through the pictures.  

The bride is dressed in a simple lace and satin dress, Jimmy Choo shoes and is carrying a beautiful posy bouquet. You can tell it's expensive, but not overdone... she is simply classy! 

The bridesmaids are all wearing bright colored dresses that complement each other and carrying a single rose. Absolutely no fuss, and definitely classy. We are definitely loving the this wedding already!!!
Read more »

Take Wedding Pictures that tell a Story

In this age of advanced photography and videography, there's no reason why you cannot create a story out of your wedding pictures. In addition to the regular pictures you take with friends and family after the wedding ceremony, you should also consider taking pictures that tell a funny/interesting story. Sometimes, you may be lucky to get funny wedding pictures taken without planning ahead, but a lot of times you have to take deliberate action to make it happen. The video below is a pretty cool example of how to deliberately plan with your photographer to take cool wedding pictures.

 

Finding a very creative and imaginative photographer may cost a little more in terms of time and money, but it is usually very well worth it - especially when (in the future) you have excellent quality pictures and videos that allow you to reminisce with joy on the days and events that led up to you wedding day. 

As with any other aspect of wedding planning, ensure you do your due diligence and get referals before hiring a vendor. Sometimes you may not be able to get personal referrals, but the vendor's social media presence may help you decide whether or not you would like to hire them. 

As we like to say, your event/wedding is your own production - make sure its a true reflection of you! Have fun & Cheers!! ;)

Related articles

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• Adam Alex Photography: Amber Ridinger's Bridal Details from the DNA Royal Wedding (myfashioncents.com)
• Live abroad but planning to get married at home (Nigeria)? (christinescreatives.com)

Event Planning: Role of the ideal host

So you were selected as the honorary event planner/host at your workplace; you planned the perfect event - food, drinks, decor, music, theme - the whole shebang. Everything on point! You are super proud of yourself and pat yourself on the back!

You can see everyone's enjoying the live band while chowing down on the 3 course meal, all of a sudden you hear one of the guests shriek "Ewww.... there's a fly in my drink!" What do you do? (a) size her up and down, then decide whether or not she's V.I.P enough to deserve your attention (b) pretend you didn't hear a thing - after all you are only the event planner/host and not the 'help'? (3) be the perfect host and get one of the servers to replace the drink... for real, how would you deal with the situation?

There are a few things to consider when it comes to event hosting etiquette. Regardless of the type of event - cocktail, gala, workshop, barbeque, luncheon - it is your responsibility as the host to ensure that every guest (regardless of VIP status) is adequately taken care of. Obviously, it is fine to assign specific servers to VIP guests, however, you need to ensure that your other guests are not neglected.

If you are planning/hosting an event soon, below are some hosting etiquette you could consider for your next event:

• Ensure all your guests have food and drinks within a reasonable period of time. The last thing you want is people complaining about not having enough food and drinks at the event

• Ensure alcoholic beverages are put away at least 1 – 2 hours before the event ends (this reduces the risk of people driving home intoxicated. It’s your party – you set the rules!)

• Mingle – make sure you are available to your guests, and that you are moving around and making small talk. Do not hangout with only one group of guests, that could make other guests feel less important  

• Make sure everyone is having a great time! Introduce guests who may have come alone to other guests. This will ensure no one feels left out

• One last thing, make sure the music volume is at a comfortable level so people can hear themselves when they chat at the tables, and those who feel like dancing can also dance.

Now that you have these 'perfect-host' tips, how would you respond to the guest who found a fly in her drink? :) . 

Have a great time planning/hosting your next event and enjoy the video below! Cheers!!!

Related articles

• Centerpieces: Your event is your own production... make it a true reflection of you (christinescreatives.com)
• Essential tools for event planning (christinescreatives.com)
• First Impressions... closing the deal - or maybe not. (christinescreatives.com)

Marriage on your mind? How do you pop the question?

You have decided that you love her, and she is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with; the question is how do you pop the question? You realize it is a moment you do not want her to forget, and would love her to cherish for the rest of your lives together. Also, you realize it is a significant milestone in both of your lives, where you are both consciously deciding to 'walk this walk of life' together. How do you plan the most romantic wedding proposal for the love of your life?


Wedding proposals can be lavish affairs or very simple, depending on what style you choose. You can choose to propose over a romantic dinner, or surprise her by creating an event just for her. Below, is a beautiful and very romantic wedding proposal... what do you think?




Regardless of how you choose to propose, sharing beautiful moments together is part of what builds a relationship. Life throws us curve balls from time to time, and we have to sometimes make a conscious effort to create our own beautiful moments. Wishing you all the best, and lots of love, fun and happiness as you plan your romantic wedding proposal...

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• Live abroad but planning to get married at home (Nigeria)? (christinescreatives.com)
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Flowers for the ones we love... in this life and the next

 Flowers for the ones we love... in this life and the next.

As florists, we know how important it is to express feelings through flowers. Giving flowers to friends and family when they are still around is a way of saying you appreciate, love, acknowledge and care for them. When they pass on, flowers are also a way to say, they may be gone (for now) but they are never ever forgotten.

Wreaths by Christine's Creatives Nigeria Limited

When a loved one passes on, people think about what they can do to symbolize their love for the individual that has passed on, while also acknowledging their grief of losing that person. For thousands of years, people across nationalities, race and creed have recognized flowers as a symbol of life, hope and love. Floral baskets, Casket sprays, Laying-in-state floral gardens, Casket floral blankets, Floral pillows and other floral set pieces are floral designs that bring color and a sense of hope to a laying-in-state or funeral service.

Read more »

Nigerian Traditional Wedding Cakes

 
Nigerian traditional wedding cakes are a thing of beauty and sheer creativity. The detailed work that goes into telling a story through a Nigerian traditional cake is astonishing. 

From ankara prints, to traditional gourds, beads, clothing and even people -  Incorporating traditional cakes as part of a traditional wedding adds color, richness and depth, while also acknowledging the Nigerian culture.

Read more »

For brides with natural hair

For brides with natural hair, it is sometimes challenging to decide how to style your hair for your wedding day. While browsing, we found a few bridal hairstyles that we think may inspire you.

These natural hair bridal pictures are from Munaluchi Bride Magazine - a bridal magazine that provides inspiration for women of color. Their print publication is released twice a year, and they provide updates on their website in between issues.

Read more »

We absolutely love weddings!!!

Planning and designing weddings is quite a bit of work - but very well worth it if an event turns out the way you envisioned it.... as we like to say, "its all in the details..."

Event Decor by Christine's Creatives Nigeria Limited

Time management and vendor management are two key factors that can make the difference between a well planned event, and a not so well planned event. Which means, if you are going to be using the services of an event planner, you may want to ensure you check their references first - These days it is easy to get a sense of what kind of vendor you are hiring by checking them out on social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. 
Read more »

Rebranding

  Work in progress - Shop Front 1

rebranding (ˌriːˈbrændɪŋ) - the process of giving a product or an organization a new image, in order to make it more attractive or successful.

We are currently in the process of rebranding from Rareflowers Nigeria Limited  to Christine's Creatives Nigeria Limited. As part of the rebranding process, we are reemphasizing our corporate culture, diversifying our product offerings, changing our marketing strategy, and upgrading the physical image of our stores.

Our goal is to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers, and to provide a positive work environment that encourages professional growth for our employees.

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