LadybrilleNigeria.com readers it is that time of the year where we take our vacation. I was thinking about what story we should leave with you all and I concluded it should be a personal one and one that I, the Editorial Director, share with you. I chose the story of my friend Chichi Nwoko who is the Deputy Director of Sales and Sponsorship and the Project Manager for Nigerian Idol.
If there is one story on LadybrilleNigeria.com that we get loads of questions and comments on, it is on Nigerian Idol. That coupled with the fact that we are talking weddings during wedding season in Nigeria, only makes perfect sense.
I had the privilege of attending Chichi Nwoko and Ike Udeokoro’s wedding. Even more specifically, I was one of nine (9) bridesmaids supporting Chichi as she tied the knot with Ike. I met Chichi in 1999 while I was working as a law clerk for a law firm in Washington DC. Being the “shopholic” that I was, I walked into the local mall in the DC/Maryland area and entered the Bebe Store to shop. Who greets me? A woman in a sky blue ribbed long sleeve turtle neck paired with blue denim and heels. . . Her smile was huge and highly infectious. Already someone who laughs very easily, I couldn’t help but extend my equally big smile to respond and greet her. We ended up hitting it off and the icing on the cake? We found we were both Nigerians!
Chichi ended up selling me, a law student at the time, a rather expensive $300+ red leather jacket. Expensive when you are on a student budget. She was a good saleswoman and those skills she certainly has taken to Nigerian Idol in her role as Deputy Director of Sales.
In any event, over the years Chichi and I built a solid friendship. When she left the USA to help bring into fruition the Nigerian Idol show, I was proud of her. I was even prouder when I saw what her and her team at Optima Media Group did to turn Nigerian Idol to a highly coveted show.
So of course, On October 21st-22nd, 2011 it was indeed an honor to stand beside some really beautiful American, Spanish, Nigerian, Liberian, Ghanaian and Cameroonian women to witness our friend Chichi take her vows to love, cherish and be with Ike for a lifetime.
There were two weddings planned. On October 21st, 2011, the first wedding was a traditional wedding. It was held at Knights Of Columbus off Cherry Hill Road in College Park, Maryland. I had never been to a Nigerian traditional wedding, and certainly not a traditional wedding in the USA. It was so much fun. I learned a lot, as a non-igbo person, about the Igbo culture and traditional weddings in general. Some of the more customary aspects of the traditional wedding was short lived given time constraints; and the fact that it was not in Nigeria where a more comprehensive and strict adherence to rituals might have taken place.
My favorite part of the traditional wedding was when we the bridesmaids were invited to show up so the groom could identify whether his wife was among us. It was a lot of fun to see the elders question the groom. The groom had such sense of humor he made all of us laugh. Ultimately, the traditional marriage was finalized and it was dancing, great food and great times thereafter. The bridesmaids loved to dance. It was like Chichi put a dancing team together. We danced so much with our beautiful “Iyawo” and provided a preview of what was to come.
On October 22nd, 2011, the actual “White” wedding took place at The First and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland. I have attended a handful of weddings and I can unequivocally say none felt as beautiful as Chichi’s. It wasn’t so much the tangible elements of the wedding i.e. the colors, food, music etc. Those things were perfect and on point. But, the beauty in her wedding were the intangible elements. The unspoken yet firm assurances that the people who showed up at her wedding were not there to forward their own agenda. They were there because they genuinely cared and wanted to celebrate Ike and Chichi’s union. For example, the bridal train included lawyers, science researcher, engineer, successful business women and women in top management. Yet, not one person turned “diva.” When things needed to be done, without hesitation, someone always stepped up and said, “here I am. Let me do it?” It was so nice to witness that.The room was so full of love from all angles you could feel it. As one guest Harrison Nwozo of Tribe X Entertainment, organizers of Nigerian and African events in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area, put it, it was an “off the chain wedding.”
I am going too fast. Let’s back up to the church wedding ceremony which was simply inspiring. In a time where people barely show up to witness church weddings, a good size showed up to witness Chichi and Ike exchange vows. The sermon by the Pastor was beautiful and his message resonated with many in the audience drawing deep responses of “Amen.”
The reception on October 22nd, 2011 that wrapped up the wedding festivities maintained the same positive, fun, deeply caring and carefree spirit of the weekend. The reception was held at The Grand Ballroom, Grand Lodge of Maryland in Hunts Valley, Maryland. Opening the reception were the groomsmen and bridesmaid. The newlyweds danced their way into the reception room. Shortly after, there was a battle of the sexes dance off with all participants being goofy and dancing to D’Banj’s and Don Jazzy’s Oliver Twist. After that it was simply lots of festivities, food, dancing and lots of money spraying on the couple.
Oh! How I could I forget? The bride stole the show with her performance of “Who run the World” by Beyonce. Overall, it was great times at Nigerian Idol’s Chichi Nwoko’s wedding.
Enjoy the pictures and video clip. Thank you again for visiting us this year. We doubled our growth from last year. We will see you January 9th, 2012. Happy New Year !!
Uduak Oduok
Editorial Director
Ladybrille Nigeria
Ike & Chi Chi Wedding in Baltimore, MD from Christian Villatoro on Vimeo.
L-R: LadybrilleNigeria’s Uduak Oduok, Chisara Osisioma, Nana Danquaah-Osafo, Ashley Uwaje, Nkem Uwaje
Bridesmaids Chisara Osisioma and Bride Chichi Nwoko
L-R: Allison Franks, Nkem Waje, Chisara Osisioma, Lema Ricks, Chichi Nwoko, Uduak Oduok, Pauline Mendo, Nana Danquaah-Osafo, Sabrina Williams
Photocredit: Chisara Osisioma, Kemistry and Akua Pipim
Founded in 2007, Ladybrille® Magazine is a California based pioneer digital publication demystifying the image of Africans in the west through contemporary African fashion and celebrating the brilliant woman in business and leadership, with an emphasis on the African woman in the diaspora. Our coverage includes stories on capital, access to markets, expertise, hiring and retention, sales, marketing, and promotions.
Awwwwwwwww….LOVE IT!!! Uduak,i literally just relived the wedding.