From the first conversation to the last fitting.
Civil, traditional and white — three different dresses for three different days, and most brides commission at least two. Eight to fourteen weeks, four fittings, a toile before the real fabric is cut.
Silver Gele Ensemble
₦570,0008–14 weeksGlam Couture
Sky Drape Gown
₦720,0004–7 weeksGlam Couture
Marigold Mermaid Gown
₦680,0004–7 weeksCivil
The registry. Short, sharp, photographed in a government office and at the lunch after.
Traditional
Aso-oke, gele and the family colours. Cut contemporary, read as heritage.
White
The aisle. A toile first, four fittings, and a train measured to your actual venue.
What they said
Named, with the specific thing they are praising.
I sent three photographs from my sister’s flat in Manchester and the gown fit at the first fitting in Lagos. I had prepared myself for alterations that never came.
Four of us wore aso-ebi and mine was the one people asked about. That is the whole point and they understood it without my saying so.
They told me my date was too close for what I wanted, and offered something simpler instead of taking the deposit. I came back the following year for the wedding gown.
The measurement tool flagged my waist as uncertain and a fitter went through it with me on a call. That honesty is why I trusted the rest of it.