Nah I’m screaming, Africans in Jersey really threw a fake wedding for vibes. As in no one is actually getting married
— Africa? She at work (@bukkyismyname) June 28, 2021
The pandemic had everyone missing different things and now that outside is open, people are satisfying their cravings even if it means having a fake wedding.
When it comes to weddings, Nigerians can never carry last. Nigerians will never pass up on an opportunity to party and weddings are one of them. Every weekend in Nigeria, there will always be a wedding to attend. It’s a whole day affair that even includes a wedding after-party so when New Jersey-based comedian and student, Ini Owotade aka Ini Cash made a post on Instagram about missing the vibes of a Nigerian wedding, it was understandable.
When Owotade jokingly made the post about Nigerian weddings, he even went as far as to say he would organize one himself and be the one to get married. At the time, he didn’t have a plan to actually do this and most people thought he was joking until his friend/wedding planner made him reconsider.
“I was like yo, I want to throw a party but the theme is going to be a wedding so everything that happens in a wedding. We are going to get that vibe by fire by force,” said Owotade.
In case you missed it, a fake wedding was trending on social media. It brought a lot of mixed reviews. We’ve all gone for a wedding for the vibes so is it really far fetched to plan an event like this? Just like you, we had so many questions and decided to speak with Owotade to find out how such a party came about and all that happened.
As we all know weddings aren’t exactly the most affordable thing, it’s the reason why people wait almost a year to walk down the aisle. This was initially the problem with his idea. Once his friend and planner Dammy, gave him the idea to plan it like a regular party and have people pay for the experience, the wedding party was brought to life.
For starters, just understand that everything was based on vibes. The idea, the planning, and even the day of the event. A wedding that ideally takes months to plan was planned in two months. Owotade had the help of his friend Dammy and a few friends that doubled as part of the bridal train and groomsmen. Dammy is also not a professional event planner so the fact that she was able to pull this off should make her consider a career in this industry.
As said before, the bridal train and groomsmen were all friends and some of these friends were dancers so they were able to put on a show for the wedding entrance. Finding the bride was a bit different but this decision was also based on vibes.
“I was looking for a bride and asked people to fill out a form and I was going to see who’s more qualified but I wasn’t really getting what I wanted. The bride I chose replied to my story or I replied to hers and asked if she wanted to be the bride. I have only met her twice but I really enjoyed her vibes and the chemistry was just on point,” said Owotade.
To plan a fake wedding, you also need a fake proposal. To create some buzz around the event, Owotade got down on one knee at the beach to propose to the bride, Iyanu. It worked because the event went from under 100 people and turned into a 300 plus event. Initially, people were confused by the concept and more posts about the party were made to clarify the event. The event started with a few free tickets then tickets started at $50 and there were packages for those with multiple guests and bottle reservations.
“ I was just running everything on vibes. So I posted it on Tik Tok and it blew up. This was when people were like, yo, this guy’s really throwing a wedding, and then at one point I showed proof that I secured a hall already. We sold 150 tickets a month before the event and had to expand to a bigger hall,” said Owotade.
The wedding consisted of the actual ceremony and reception and everything took place at the reception. The fake couple said their vows and shared a kiss to seal the deal and shortly after the reception started. This wedding appeared so real that some of the guests believed it.
https://twitter.com/ini_cash/status/1409620218050080771?s=20
“It kind of felt like I was getting married. People were congratulating me and the chemistry between me and Iyanu was great so it made everything look real. It felt like an accomplishment,” said Owotade.
https://twitter.com/ini_cash/status/1409620322026889220?s=20
The reception was everything you would expect that would go on at a Nigerian wedding. There was rice, swallow, drinks and even an unexpected twist during the single ladies section of the event. Ladies made their way to the front to twerk to Shedi Bala Bala by Dj Basplit. The reception had a concert vibe to it when SMBE, Justin Ug, Ini Cash, and D-Vine came on the stage and performed their song Vibes and Trips.
https://twitter.com/ini_cash/status/1409620421335412741?s=20
“ It was definitely a wedding, party, and concert vibe but not too much of a club vibe. I feel like people are tired of going to clubs so we had everything in one. It was the perfect package,” said Owotade.
With a wedding that’s run on vibes, there are going to be some challenges along the way. The wedding was a success but Owotade learned some things that had to be improved if he wanted to plan another event like this. The team working the event played multiple roles so it was a struggle working out the logistics during the event.
“I would plan ahead of time, strategize better, and use social media platforms to spread awareness. I didn’t know I needed a liquor license for the hall,” said Owotade.
Right now there’s no plan for the wedding party part two but if you would like to see it come to your side anytime soon, in the words of Ini Owotade, “You guys drop money. We will run it!”