Ruth Kadiri urges young couples to skip big weddings, warns of pressure
- Ruth Kadiri said in an Instagram video that elaborate weddings pile mental and spiritual pressure on marriages.
- She suggested a small traditional rite and a 30-guest court ceremony instead of multiple events.
- Kadiri, married about seven years, said a simple wedding helped her marriage.
Nollywood actress and filmmaker Ruth Kadiri has advised young couples not to bow to pressure to stage big weddings, saying elaborate ceremonies can weigh on the marriage that follows.
In a video posted on her Instagram page, Kadiri said the strain is not only spiritual but also mental. She said big weddings "put pressure on couples; it puts pressure on the marriage itself."
She spoke about the fear many people carry into marriage. According to her, couples can date, love and see each other every day, yet something changes after the ceremony. She asked intending couples to consider what that change means for them.
Her advice: keep it small
Kadiri, who said she has been married for about seven years, suggested a simple path. For the traditional rites, she recommended inviting a few family members to the parlour to pay the bride price. For the white wedding, she proposed a court ceremony with about 30 guests, a pastor's prayer, and then home.
She said such simplicity helps couples settle into married life without debt or anxiety, and linked lavish ceremonies to pressure from society. In her words, Nigeria "puts too much pressure on us" with engagement, court, white and traditional weddings, and many people believe their marriage will fail without all of them.
Kadiri also said she did not have a big wedding and believes that choice is part of why her marriage has lasted. She said she has seen people marry and divorce within two months.
She extended her advice to parents, asking them to ease the pressure they put on children to succeed and bring money home quickly.
Her comments touch a familiar debate in Nigeria, where wedding ceremonies can stretch family budgets, sometimes with borrowed money. For young couples, the choice between a modest ceremony and a costly celebration is often shaped by family expectations as much as by their own pockets.
