The traditional wedding of Blessing Douglas and Olusoji Jacobs took place in Port Harcourt last weekend and as expected, it was a fun-filled event. The beautiful mental health advocate sat down for an interview with Brides.ng where she discussed her relationship, wedding planning and lot more. blessing, during the interview, spoke glowingly about her culture and the marriage rites, revealing that her ‘Iya’ marriage, is actually one of the most expensive in her culture. Read excerpts below;
How did you meet Soji and how long have you guys been dating?I met Soji in Lagos. I have known his mother for like 5 years because I have worked with her in quite a few projects, so based on that relationship, I got to know the rest of the family members, which includes Soji, his brothers, and his father. We started dating in 2016 when I graduated from the college and went to Lagos for my NYSC. 
Why is Soji so special? He is everything I ever prayed for in a man. He is very calm and very disciplined. He is religious as well, not in terms of being self-righteous or being a fanatic, but he respects God and upholds the biblical principles and so I was drawn to all those qualities. Most importantly, he knows how to say “I’m sorry” when he is in the wrong and when he is in the right. We also have communication about everything, because communication they say, is the most essential in any relationship and so we communicate a lot. 
What is your greatest fear about being married? Initially before now, my greatest fear has always being the family I am marrying to as you know in Nigeria, you are getting married to the family and I have always prayed that God places me, that they will accept me and love me like their own childI and I won’t have any issues with my inlays. don’t count myself lucky, but I can say I’m blessed to be in this family because they are everything I prayed for. They don’t have any issues at all. They are very loving and very supportive, and the fact that I have known them for this long is more convincing for me to know that I won’t have issues.
What is the most expensive accessory you will be wearing for your wedding?This is the most expensive wedding in my tribe and it is called the IYA marriage. It is the most expensive and the highest in the land because it is the king that gives you out, so everything I am wearing is expensive.
Can you give an estimate of what the wedding cost in terms of preparation? The preparation cost a lot because this house as you can see is still being re-painted. There was a lot of renovation and everything. You will get to see more in Port Harcourt. I’m sure you are seeing a lot of security presence, making sure everyone is fine. You have also seen the calibre of people coming in.
Photo Credit: Brides.ng
