Last year was filled with celebrity marriages. Over the years, some of our favorite celebrities have thrown larger-than-life, over-the-top marriage ceremonies: Adesua and Banky; Linus and Stephanie Idahosa. Ring a bell? Celebrity marriages have become something the nation looks forward to, not just for nuptials, but the fashion, the celeb guests, and the answer to the big question: How far will they go this time?
2020 hit and everything went left. Marriages stopped and it’s not because your favorite celebs aren’t getting together. Of course, the obvious reason is the pandemic, but then again one could choose to have a few people around and get married. But celebs do things differently and we’re breaking down all the reasons why.
Safety Comes First
Until recently there has been a total lockdown because the coronavirus is contagious. The government banned all gatherings and suspended all church activities. For many, a wedding held by a priest over Zoom might be unacceptable. Although some individuals chose to get married this way.
When Funke Akindele threw a birthday party for her husband, the internet came down on her, with people calling her out for being “reckless” and “selfish.” Although she issued an apology, it didn’t stop people from petitioning NCDC to strip Akindele of her Ambassadorial position, which they did. Akindele also lost some other contracts.
Celebrities would not want a backlash like Akindele’s. And for the ones who truly care, taking safety into account is a major step.
Larger-Than-Life or Nothing at All
Non-celebrities might want to opt for a small wedding for reasons including personal choice and finance. But with celebrities, bigger is better. Some celebrities go as far as hiring a public relations company to promote and control the narrative for the wedding, make exclusive photographs deals with magazines, and invite the high and mighty of the society.
During the pandemic, people’s choices have shifted. Magazines are losing money and, for some, paying to cover a celebrity wedding is no longer a priority.
People are trying to stay alive and make sense of the pandemic, raving about a wedding is the last thing anybody wants to do.
This means that a typical Nigerian wedding at this time would not make as much noise as it would if not for the pandemic.
If you’re yet to experience a celebrity wedding, we recommend watching The Wedding Party. It depicts the lavishness that goes into these weddings.
A “Local” Wedding is Not on The Menu
Who could forget Linus and Stephanie Idahosa’s private wedding ceremony in Paris, France? Or Banky and Adesua’s Cape Town, South Africa mega wedding? A wedding away from Nigeria seems to be the way to go. And this doesn’t apply to just celebs, some wealthy non-celebs are taking this route.
They have their traditional marriage in Nigeria and, for the white wedding, would fly everyone who needs to be there to the foreign destination.
These foreign weddings have been halted due to the lockdowns and grounding of all international flights.
Here’s to hoping that by next year things would return to normal.
