The days of brides wearing one wedding dress all through their wedding may be gone in a few years, as more and more brides are choosing to change into a different dress for their wedding reception.
I was blown away at my brother-in-law’s wedding a few years ago when his bride showed up at the wedding reception in a different dress, a stunning gold gown that fit her like a glove. She looked so beautiful, and I realised a wedding day is one day where a woman is truly, inarguably, the star. She should be able to enjoy it the way she wants.
Design by @isabellanarchi.
However, many brides have found that getting the perfect second dress can be just as tough as picking a wedding dress, and in Nigeria, it’s even tougher.
When Joanne Oji-Chukwu, an Abuja-based lawyer/prosecutor, was getting married, she hunted for a second dress to no avail, and that’s when she decided to start the Instagram page, @seconddressng, to help other brides avoid what she went through.
“SECONDDRESS.ng is an Instagram page opened to give brides-to-be ideas and inspiration for their choice of a second dress. I created the page after my wedding because during my wedding planning I realised there was no page I could get ideas from for a second dress. The already existing wedding pages were not meeting that need. I eventually had to give up the idea of a second dress and wore one dress all through my big day,” she says.
For Joanne, this is not a money-making venture. It is simply a labour of love for now. “I don’t sell the dresses I post. Every designer is tagged on their pictures posted on the page. I get messages daily from brides to be on how helpful the page is and frankly I think that’s all the fulfilment I need.”
Apparently, this is a win-win for the designers AND the brides; all free of charge! Will there be something in it for Joanne someday?
“I’m focusing on just building the brand and garnering followers. In the future I hope to make money from ads and consultancy for brides to be.”
If you’re planning a wedding, or you know a bride who needs ideas for a second dress, check out the Instagram page @seconddress.ng. You can also follow the SECONDDRESS.ng BBM channel: C001B54E8