I wore FOUR wedding gowns on my big day – it was over the top but I’m an extra person and I wanted to honour my Nigerian heritage
A bride has reflected on her 'over the top' decision to wear four wedding dresses when she married her husband this year.
Londoner Monique Amaka, 30, married her husband Bunmi, 31, in July and wanted to up the style stakes on her big day.
To add maximum glamor to the affair, the TikToker chose the four dresses for the wedding and then asked her partner to pick four of her own outfits to match each dress.
Throughout the day they made the outfit changes, taking about 30 minutes at a time.
Her first dress, which she wore for their Western ceremony and cost £1,600, was a white wedding dress in Mikado silk, and the couple's three-year-old daughter Aaliyah wore a bridesmaid dress in the same material.
Monique Amaka, 30, who married her husband Bunmi in July, wore a total of four wedding dresses to celebrate the occasion
Her second was a white and gold beaded dress, a nod to her Igbo heritage, handmade in Nigeria and donated by her family.
Monique, who works as a content creator, chose a cornflower blue number for her third outfit, traditional for Bunmi's tribe, Yoruba.
This was also gifted to Monique – who admits she is an 'extra' person, which is slang for someone who can be over-the-top – as a wedding gift and was also made for her in Nigeria.
London's Monique wore custom-made dresses on her wedding day, including a figure-hugging white beaded dress
After picking out her wedding dresses, Monique asked her now husband Bunmi to choose outfits that matched hers.
Monique and Bunmi tied the knot in July – and Monique joked that her husband had no choice but to go along with the custom-made outfits
The couple's three-year-old daughter, Aaliyah, wore a bridesmaid dress made from the same material as one of her mother's dresses
The couple first met while they were both studying at the University of Bedfordshire in 2011
Both traditional outfits were worn for their Nigerian wedding which followed their western ceremony.
The custom dresses took eight months to create and Monique didn't see them until the week of the wedding.
Her final change of clothing was a form-fitting, white, beaded garment, which was also custom-made for her in Nigeria.
Monique from London said: 'I'm quite an extra person, so our wedding day would be no exception.
“I knew I wanted to celebrate our Nigerian culture and having multiple dresses is part of that – and it was a lot of fun too.
Monique said it was “very special” to see her daughter, who was a bridesmaid, wearing a dress made from the same material as her mother's dress.
The family had many of their outfits made in Nigeria, but the dresses and suits were later shipped to London, where the couple married.
Monique said the wardrobe changes were not rehearsed, but she was relieved that they went 'smoothly'
'We didn't have any rehearsals for the dress changes, but they went surprisingly smoothly.
'I only saw my second and third dresses during the wedding shoot, five days before the big day, because they were custom-made in Nigeria.
'The dress I had made as a symbol of my husband's tribe was still on the plane on the morning of our wedding shoot, but fortunately it arrived in London on time.
“I think my favorites were my classic white wedding dress or my blue Yoruba wedding dress with the matching headband.
'It was so special to see our little Aaliyah in matching material: she looked like an angel.
“Bunmi went along with it, as if he really had a choice!”
The couple, who met while studying at the University of Bedfordshire in 2011, welcomed their daughter Aaliyah in May 2020.
Bunmi, who works in property management, proposed in Dubai in March 2022 while the family was on holiday.
Deciding they didn't want a “long engagement,” the couple went straight to planning their wedding, including shopping for clothes.
Monique needed the help of family members who arranged for her traditional dresses to be made in Lagos, Nigeria, and given as bridal gifts.
“Bunmi and I come from different tribes, so it was important that we had traditional outfits to represent that,” Monique said.
'I had a lot of confidence in the process because all we gave the Nigerian seamstress were my measurements and preferences via WhatsApp, and I didn't see the dresses in person until the month of the wedding.
'I was nervous that they wouldn't get there on time or wouldn't fit, but all worries melted away when I was able to try them on.
'I was able to go shopping for my white wedding dress with my mother, sister, grandmother and aunt and I tried on more than 20 of them, which was great fun.'
On July 20, 2023, the couple had 450 guests at their wedding venue, Meridian Grand, North London, starting with their Western wedding ceremony in the morning and their traditional Nigerian ceremony immediately afterwards at the same venue.
Monique said: 'Don't get me wrong, it was manic behind the scenes but I had such an amazing bridal crew helping me.
'I would definitely advise brides considering multiple outfit changes to make sure they have pragmatic and calm people around them.
'Any bride will tell you; the whole day goes by in a flash, but the outfit changes helped break up the day.
“I was able to take 30 minutes to step away and put on a different dress.
'But I was happy when I wore my fourth and final dress because it was the sparkliest thing I've ever worn and it meant celebration!'