Ẹnitan Kẹhinde

Mr & Mrs Joseph Ameh

An early heavy downpour of rain was not enough to upset celebrated dancer Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau's wedding, which took place over the weekend, as the mother-of-one walked down the aisle in style to wed her fiancé, Psquare's live band drummer Joseph Adakole Ameh.

It was the second celebrity wedding in two weeks, after Nollywood actress Funke Akindele's three-part combo wedding with hubby Kenny Almaroof; truth be told, there were going to be major comparisons.

The pretty dancer and handsome drummer took it a notch higher, staging a four-part wedding, which involved a Nikkai service, a traditional and church wedding ceremony, and finally, a reception.

The wedding, which was held at Bespoke Centre along Lekki-Epe Expressway, began two hours later than announced with a Nikkai service on the top floor of the building. The hour long service was attended only by the couple's parents, family members and close friends.

The traditional wedding followed immediately below in the grand hall, which could accommodate about 600 guests. Both parents sat opposite each other as the groom Joseph came in, followed by the bride Kaffy, who danced her way to meet her parents, before walking into the warm embrace of her husband.

The couple rushed back to their dressing rooms and returned for a white wedding. Joseph looked supper-dapper in his one-piece bespoke suit while Kaffy looked resplendent in her wedding gown. The white wedding was officiated by Joseph's father, a pastor himself.

The atmosphere between all three ceremonies looked a bit awkward for two reasons:

The ethnic background: While the bride's family and friends were clearly enjoying the Western-themed traditional wedding, the groom's folks (who hail from Benue) weren't too comfortable, but still participated, with the moderator often speaking in Yoruba language and goofing while trying to speak in English.

The religious background: Because the groom is a Christian and the bride a Muslim, the ceremony was forced to feature both a Nikkai and white wedding solemnization, which obviously stretched the time and was a bit tiring for the guests. The couple's parents and family were however patient enough to attend both ceremonies.

A reception then followed, with the couple cutting the beautifully designed cake and then hitting the dance floor. The simple cake was conceptualised as a stage, with a drummer and dancer performing.

It was a low turnout of celebrities as only a handful turned up at the event. The couple's close friends Psquare and J Martins were missing. Psquare are still in South Africa honouring engagements while JMartins had performed at a Star Trek event in Lagos a day before which ended in the early hours of that day.

Celebs that were present include gospel singer Nikki Laoye, R&B hottie Tiwa Savage, Project Fame music instructor Ben Ogbewi, producer Tee-Y Mix, Sammie Okposo, Channel O VJ Denrele Edun, Tee A amongst a few others.

It seemed like the couple, who were guests at Akindele's wedding a week earlier, had done their homework, as the organization and execution was near-perfect, making it far better and classier than Akindele's star-studded but poorly-managed ceremonies

The Bridal Train

Unlike Akindele's wedding, Kaffy and Papy J opted for a celebrity bridal train; rapper Muna, singer Waje and TV personality Yvonne 'Vixen' Ekwere were joined by Kaffy's sister Bimbo Shafau who was the Chief Bride's maid.

Joseph had artistes Sound Sultan and DIPP as part of his Groom's Men with popular artiste-philanthropist Lamboginny as his Best Man.

Food and Drinks

The food was served by FAB Foods while drinks and cocktails were supplied by Sunset Café and Cocktails.

Security

Security was by G40 Security. G40 had well briefed personnel at all entrances and staircases. There were also a few mobile police men at the main gate of the event centre. However, the couple walked freely without any escorts.

Bride's Dress

The bride's wedding gown was provided by Mai Atafo Bridals while the groom's suit was provided by Occasion and Events.

Sound and Techniques

This was provided by BusyHand Media, while music was from the iconic DJ Jimmy JATT.

Make Up

The bride was beautifully made up by Lola Maja.

The Cake

The cake, made by Arabas Cake, wasn't the commonly seen 'tier upon tier' cake. Rather, it featured a beautiful design of a dancer, and a drummer on his drum set.

Invitations and Wedding Programme

The IVs and wedding programmes were designed by KOZA Invitations, which also handled  printing for Funke Akindele's wedding.

Event Planners

The event was planned and coordinated by Savvy Events.
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