Weddings are normally a huge deal. There are about a thousand things to consider and all those considerations will cost you, whether in money, reputation or relations, and that’s just Western weddings. Nigerian weddings take everything to a whole new level. Nothing is arbitrary and everything is spectacular. Proper Nigerian weddings always fall somewhere between luxurious and ostentatious.

It all begins a long time before the wedding, where the families of the bride and groom meet to exchange gifts and partake in traditional ceremonies. The specifics differ from tribe to tribe but they all involve the groom having to prove his worth to the bride’s family, whether through a show of strength or through gifts that are either expensive or hard to find, sometimes both.

Once the families give their blessing to the couple the wedding planning starts. A lot of Nigerian weddings are two-fold: one ceremony being traditional and the other Western in customs. Every bride, as a matter of pride, has to have unique wedding attire. They spare no expense to make sure that their luxurious lace or silk dress, top clothes and geles (an ornately folded fabric on top of her head) are unique and extravagant, and that their husbands match.

Unlike with Western weddings, not only the bridesmaids need to wear matching clothing. The family of the bride and groom all have to wear clothing that fulfils specific requirements so that any witness at a wedding can tell which family belongs to whom.

The catering is simply as much food as you can afford because, at Nigerian weddings, everyone is welcome to join. No guest lists here.

There is no way of knowing exactly what will go down at any specific wedding, but one thing is for sure: it will be lots of fun. It’s common for Nigerian weddings to include unique performances and surprises that set them apart from others. The point of a Nigerian wedding is to have the town talking for as long as possible.

Nigerian Top Weddings features 24 couples whose weddings have managed to stand head-and-shoulders above the rest. Come along for the journey from beginning to end and experience all the ups and downs of these glamorous affairs.

Mondays to Fridays at 8 PM on FoxLife (ch 133, from May 19^th)