Nigerian Wedding Photography in the Twin Cities

If your Nigerian wedding includes both a traditional ceremony and a church wedding, plan photography for two different events. Book coverage for each, plan aso ebi colors with the camera in mind, and ask both families which customs will lead, since Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and other traditions differ.

This guide is for couples and families in the Twin Cities. This guide draws mostly on writing about Yoruba and Igbo customs, so if your families are Hausa, from another community, or blending traditions, use it as a set of questions for your parents, elders and planner. For the general questions I ask any couple with several events, see my Twin Cities multicultural wedding photography guide.

Nigerian Minnesotans and the two-ceremony wedding

Minnesota Compass estimates 25,310 Nigerian Minnesotans (margin of error 9,024) in 2024. In its 2020 to 2024 estimates, about 59 percent were born outside the U.S., and 81.7 percent live in the Twin Cities.

Traditional customs can treat marriage as a bond between families. Ebonyi State University scholar J. Chidozie Chukwuokolo writes that in traditional Igbo society, marriage was contracted between two families rather than two individuals, and that betrothal ceremonies vary from village to village and clan to clan. Reporting on Nigerian weddings in Houston for the Council on Foreign Relations, John Campbell describes guest lists numbering in the hundreds, a holdover from Yorubaland and elsewhere in Nigeria, where life events include the entire community.

Some couples hold two ceremonies. The nonprofit Being African notes that most Igbo couples who want a church wedding begin with the traditional wine-carrying rites and hold the church wedding afterward. Whether yours fall on one weekend or months apart, each deserves its own plan.

What happens at a Yoruba or Igbo traditional wedding?

These outlines follow the published accounts listed below. Your families' version may add, skip or reorder steps.

A Yoruba engagement

In Legit.ng's description of a traditional Yoruba engagement, the Alaga Ijoko, usually an experienced family member and sometimes a professional, runs the ceremony for the bride's family, while the groom's family brings an Alaga Iduro. The groom arrives with friends and young men from his family, and together they prostrate before the bride's family. The bride is brought in with her friends, letters asking for and granting her hand are read, and the groom's family presents a list of engagement items.

The Alagas run the program, so I'd talk with them before the day. They know when the prostration, the bride's entrance and the letters will happen, and they can call family groups up for photos without stalling the ceremony.

Igbo wine carrying

Being African lists four stages of Igbo marriage: iku aka, or knocking; ihe umunna, the items for the extended family; ime ego, the dowry; and igba nkwu, the wine carrying. At the public igba nkwu, the bride is given a cup of palm wine and searches for the groom, who is seated somewhere in the crowd, then gives the wine to him.

The search is the photograph. Tell your photographer where the groom will sit, give them a clear path to follow the bride through the guests, and consider a second photographer facing the groom for the moment she finds him.

Other traditions

If your families are Hausa, Muslim, from another community, or blending customs, ask for your own sequence rather than borrowing either outline above, and ask whether a religious ceremony will have its own photography rules.

How do you plan aso ebi colors for photos?

Aso ebi is a Yoruba custom of dressing alike for social events. Writing in The Conversation, Susan Olubukola Badeji explains that the term means family uniform, that it once identified relatives at celebrations, and that it has been embraced by other ethnic groups in Nigeria and the diaspora. At modern events, she writes, a celebrant chooses the fabric, from wax prints to lace and brocade, and sets its price for guests. Arrangements vary: John Campbell's Houston report describes couples paying for the matching attire of family and friends.

However your families handle it, color choices shape every group photo:

• Check a fabric swatch under the reception room's lighting, not just in daylight.
• Keep uplighting neutral if the aso ebi is bold. Colored light shifts fabric and skin.
• If each family chooses its own aso ebi, tell your photographer which color belongs to which side, so groups can be arranged by family.
• Metallic lace and sequins can flare under direct flash. A photographer who knows ahead can bounce or diffuse light.
• If guests wear tall head wraps or hats, plan group rows with height in mind.

My post on how reception lighting changes your wedding photos covers uplighting colors in more detail.

Money spraying, dancing and the pace of the reception

NPR describes money spraying as throwing money at couples during their wedding dance, a practice seen at weddings and other celebrations. One person NPR interviewed called it a show of love and appreciation. For photos, it can be one of the liveliest moments of the night, so plan it:

• Decide when spraying happens, such as the couple's entrance or a dedicated dance, and tell the DJ or MC.
• Ask a few relatives to gather the bills so the dance floor stays safe and the couple can keep dancing.
• Keep the dance floor bright. Colored party lighting looks lively in person but can turn faces purple or green.
• Give your photographer a spot in front of the couple, and a second photographer the reverse angle on the guests.

Receptions with long dance sets reward flexible coverage. Book hours that run past the scheduled end rather than leaving during the best dancing, and if you want the motion and music as well, see my Minneapolis wedding videography page.

Coverage hours for a traditional ceremony and a church wedding

Book the two events separately. These are starting points I'd plan from:

Event	Coverage I'd plan	Why
Traditional engagement or wine carrying	5 to 7 hours	The MC and families set the pace, so leave it open-ended
Getting ready before the church wedding	1.5 to 2 hours	Two locations call for a second photographer
Church ceremony and family formals	2 to 3 hours	Ask the church about flash and where photographers may stand
Reception with entrances, spraying and dancing	5 to 6 hours	Book past the scheduled end

My guide to how many hours of wedding photography coverage you need breaks down what each block captures, and my second photographer coverage page explains when two photographers are worth it. Collections start at $3,100, and the wedding photography packages page shows what each includes. For another event-by-event example, see my multi-day Indian wedding photography plan.

Family portraits and respectful questions to ask families

With two extended families, the portrait list needs a plan. Photograph elders first with seating ready, group relatives by family side so they arrive in batches, and name one person on each side who knows every aunt and uncle by name. My guide to building a family formal photo list goes deeper on grouping order.

Questions to ask before the day

• Whose traditions lead each event, and will a religious ceremony have its own rules?
• Who is the MC or Alaga, and can the photographer coordinate with them?
• Which moments matter most to each family, such as the prostration, the bride's entrance, the wine carrying or the spraying?
• Are there moments or people that should not be photographed?
• Which aso ebi colors belong to which family groups?
• How should elders be addressed, and who can help call family groups?
• How late will the reception really run?

Frequently asked questions

Do Nigerian couples have two weddings?

Some do. Being African notes that most Igbo couples who want a church wedding begin with the traditional wine-carrying rites and hold the church wedding afterward. Yoruba, Hausa and other families follow their own customs, and some couples blend them. Ask both families which ceremonies are planned, then book photography for each as its own event with its own timeline.

What is aso ebi?

Aso ebi is the Yoruba custom of dressing alike for celebrations, and the term means family uniform. The Conversation reports that at modern events a celebrant chooses the fabric and sets its price, and that other Nigerian ethnic groups and the diaspora have embraced it. For photos, check the colors under your venue's lighting before you commit.

How do you photograph money spraying?

Plan it like a key moment. Decide when it happens and tell the DJ or MC, keep the dance floor well lit, and ask a few relatives to gather the bills so the couple can keep dancing. The lead photographer works in front of the couple, while a second photographer catches the guests doing the spraying.

How many hours of coverage does a Nigerian wedding need?

Plan each event separately. As a starting point, I'd book 5 to 7 open-ended hours for a traditional engagement or wine carrying, and about 9 to 11 hours for a church wedding day with getting ready, family formals and the reception. Add a second photographer when families prepare in different places or the guest list is large.

What should we tell our photographer about the traditional ceremony?

Share the order of events, the name of the MC or Alaga, the moments each family cares most about, and anything that should not be photographed. Add the aso ebi colors for each family group, elders' names and titles, and who can help call people for portraits. A written sequence keeps the day from depending on guesswork.

Sources

• Minnesota Compass: Nigerian population, cultural communities
• Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development: Igbo Philosophy of Marriage (J. Chidozie Chukwuokolo, 2019)
• Council on Foreign Relations: Here Comes the Bride: Nigerian Weddings in Houston
• Being African: Igbo Marriage Practices
• Legit.ng: Traditional Yoruba engagement ceremony
• The Conversation: Nigeria's flamboyant aso ebi dressing style is popular, but it's become a financial burden
• NPR: In Nigeria, the government is cracking down on money spraying at festive events