African Weddings

After a fun filled week full of wedding festivities including their Traditional Wedding and Civil Ceremony, Deji & Ona ended their wedding festivities in style by holding their spectacular Wedding Reception at the beautiful Meridian Grand. They fell in love with Meridian Grand as soon as they set their eyes on the venue and they just knew they wanted to hold their final celebrations here.

Guests started arriving at Meridian Grand at around 3.30pm, straight after the Ceremony finished at their local Church. As guests entered the luxurious foyer area, they were greeted with prosecco, juice and a variety of tasty canapes provided by Jemmy’s Catering.

With the 4m Swarovski chandelier glistening in the foyer area, amused guests talking and taking pictures on the marble staircase whilst jazz classics were playing in the background through Meridian Grands sound system, it was the perfect ambience before the party started!

During this time, Deji & Ona arrived at the venue and went to the VIP Bridal Suites through the main entrance, greeting all the guests as they walked in. The hostess helped them to settle down and provided them with food and drinks whilst they freshened up before their big entrance.

At 5pm, the Grand Ballroom doors opened for the guests. Guests were amazed by how wonderful the Grand Ballroom looked. A mixture of extravagant pink floral centre pieces and gold candelabras centred the tables – matching perfectly with the big gold mirrors. The white sweetheart table was decorated beautifully with pink flower garlands, candles and big floral arrangements which were provided by Beverley Wilson & Adivah’s Hire. Meridian Grands mood lighting was set to tones of pink and purple complementing the décor perfectly. Guests were left reminiscing whilst the slideshow of pictures were playing on Meridian Grand’s in-built projection screens.

At around 5.30pm, The Families, Bridal Party, Groomsmen and the Bride & Groom gathered in the Meridian Ballroom ready to make their entrance. The room was bursting with energy and excitement whilst the Event Planners helped to get everyone in order. At the drop of the beat, the Meridian Grand team opened the doors for the Bride’s family, and in true Nigerian style, the family danced into the Grand Ballroom. Next, it was the Groom’s families’ turn followed by the Bridesmaids & Grooms Men. It was the perfect way of hyping up all the guests for the Bride & Groom’s entrance.

As the MC announced the entrance of the newly wedded couple, guests were praising and applauding, whilst the Bride & Groom made their way into the Grand Ballroom, joyful, dancing and having the time of their lives!

As Deji & Ona took to their seats, all eyes were on the Bride & Groom as they sat on their throne. Dinner was then served.

It was then time for speeches – some emotional, some funny and entertaining! The Bride & Groom then took to the centre of the dance floor where they played the famous Mr & Mrs Shoe Game, leaving guests laughing away!

Cake cutting was next on the agenda. Guests gathered around the dancefloor whilst Deji and Ona cut their exquisite cake handmade by Ona’s Auntie.

Shortly after, Deji and his mum took to the dancefloor for the Mother & Son dance, followed by the Father & Daughter dance. The gorgeous newly married couple were called up to do their first dance. It was a perfect moment. Love filled the room as they danced to Samm Henshaw - Only Wanna Be With You.

At around 8.30pm, the dancefloor opened for guests to join in. During this time, Deji & Ona went up to the Bridal Suites to change their outfits and take pictures around the venue in their new garments. They surprised guests with a special balcony appearance before they joined in on the party!

MC Tolu (A Comedian by the name of Don’t Jealous Me) & DJ Tallest created the perfect party atmosphere and everyone was dancing until 12am! Everyone clearly had a wonderful time on this joyous occasion.

Deji & Ona shared their happiness and appreciation with the Meridian Grand Team ‘It was an unbelievable day. You and the team at Meridian Grand were superb in helping out and making sure everything was right! Thank you so much for all your help and I’m sure you can be proud of another Nigerian wedding delivered!’

Deji & Ona it was a pleasure helping to create your dream wedding day and we wish you both all the happiness in the world.

A big thank you to all the suppliers that turned Deji & Ona’s dream wedding into a reality:

Event Planners: JB Wedding Planners

Caterers: Jemmy’s Catering

Décor: Adivah’s Hire

Florist: Beverly Wilson

DJ: DJ Tallest

MC: Tolu

CAKE: Loretta (Ona’s Auntie)

PHOTOGRAPHY: Helen Abraham Photography

VIDEOGRAPHY: Wedding Film Makers

PHOTOBOOTH: Heavenly Photobooths