The Abuja Wedding That Almost Finished My Account Before The Rice Even Cooked

My cousin's wedding in Abuja last month, and I am doing the math on the aso ebi. One wrapper, one head tie, one gele that I cannot even tie myself. ₦85,000. That is just for the fabric. The tailor is a different conversation entirely.

Then the bride's mother calls me. "Zainab, you are the senior one in the family now, you must spray well at the reception." Spray well. As if the ₦85,000 aso ebi was free. As if the transport from Wuse to the venue and back is free. As if I am not budgeting school fees for my daughter in the same month.

I showed up, I sprayed my small, I ate jollof that was honestly not worth the stress. And on Monday morning, one colleague at the parastatal asks me how the wedding was. I said fine. Because what do you want me to say? That the aso ebi cost more than my monthly food budget? Wallahi, we need to start having honest conversations about this wedding economy. Or is it just me?