Guests at a wedding in Lagos await the start of the ceremony and lunch. The wedding industry in petrol-rich Nigeria is big business.等待典禮開始和午餐

Nigeria Ever After by Glenna Gordon (2014 Sony World Photography Awards Finalist)

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Groom Shadrach Uchenna, a wedding photographer, and his bride Ekpo Peace Emem sit at the front of a banquet hall during the wedding as guests greet them in Lagos, Nigeria.接受賓客的祝福 2

Most Nigerian weddings have a small couch, usually enshrouded by curtains and sometimes by lights as well, like this one, at the front of the room for the bride and groom. 覆蓋窗簾布的小沙發 3

金錢與婚姻在奈及利亞，婚禮並不是私人事件，而是新娘和新郎在公眾面前展示財富的機會。音樂聲非常吵鬧，這裡有充足的沃洛夫米飯（ Jollof Rice ），慶典可以持續數小時。不論會參加與否，每個人都會受到邀請。在奈及利亞華麗的婚禮現場上，私人宴會廳中通常會有上千名賓客。從擁有眾多賓客的婚禮就可以預見奈及利亞的經濟情況：奈及利亞有 1.6 億人口，號稱在非洲 GDP 排名第二。在奈及利亞，工人們每天生產 250 萬桶原油，政府部門人員有穩定的工資和大量盜用公款的機會。這裡富人的情況是奈及利亞以外的大多數人無法想象的。

Money and Marriage in NigeriaWeddings in Nigeria are not private affairs – they are public displays. The music is loud, the jollof

rice is plentiful, and the festivities go on for hours. Everyone is invited, and those who aren’t come

anyway. Nigeria's rich and poor live vastly different lives in this unequal country, but for weddings

everyone primps, postures and spends as much as they can. These photos are about what it costs

to get married in Nigeria: what money can and can’t buy, and the quiet moments during...

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Bride Temitope Caulker poses with her bridesmaids, who in typical Nigerian fashion, wear outfits that match the decor of the wedding hall.伴娘們穿著典型的奈及利亞風格服飾 5

The mother of the bride always chooses "Mommy Lace" -- a fabric that all of her friends will purchase and have tailored into dresses they wear to the wedding.新娘的母親總是會選擇一種名為“媽媽蕾絲”的裝飾

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The groom and his friends must always prostrate themselves in front of the bride‘s parents before the union is formally sealed. 婚禮之前新郎和他的朋友必須始終匍匐在新娘的父母面前之前 .

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A groomsman “sprays” money at the bride and groom at a wedding in Lagos, Nigeria. “Spraying” is the throwing of small (and sometimes large) money at the bride and groom. Lagos, Nigeria. 撒錢炫富 8

A bridesmaid collects “spray” - Naira notes (and sometimes dollars too) thrown at the couple as they dance. While spraying is technically illegal and considered an abuse of currency by the Nigerian government, the practice is common and shows the importance of displaying wealth and excess during celebrations. 炫富 撿拾鈔票 9

A "little bride" is a common feature at most Nigerian weddings instead of a flower girl.“ 小新娘”比花童要常見得多 10

An opulent wedding for nearly a thousand guests was held at the banquet hall of a private housing estate in Lagos, Nigeria. Guests wear matching outfits and hats chosen by the bride‘s family. 豪華婚禮上的近千賓客 11

A disassembled cake is brought to a wedding in Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos, Nigeria. 婚禮的裝飾蛋糕 12

Waiters collect plates of food to bring to wedding guests at a wedding in the Lagos City Hall. 服務人員 13

A guest at a wedding in Lagos, Nigeria. 賓客14

Families of the bride and groom always give gifts to the guests. At one wedding, a giant bottle of dishwashing detergent complete with the couple‘s face was passed out to guests. Guests also contribute financially to weddings, often buying drinks or paying for different portions of the lavish affairs. 送給賓客的清潔劑

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Most couples rent a fancy vehicle to make an entrance and exit to their wedding.花俏的車輛 16

A hostess at a large high and high end wedding in Lagos wears a dress tailored from the same fabric that is used to decorate the chairs.女主持穿著同椅子上裝飾布相同面料的套裙。 17

Christiana Etim walks through her neighborhood in Jos, Central Nigeria, on her way to the church to get married . 走向婚禮教堂的路途中

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Guests gather outside a church in Jos, central Nigeria, just before a wedding.婚禮前夕，賓客們聚集在教堂外 19

A wedding photographer snaps a northern bride with her husband and brother at a ceremony in Kano, Nigeria. 與親友合照 20

Weddings in the Muslim northern part of Nigeria are celebrated by men and women separately. 北部穆斯林的婚禮是由男性和女性分開慶祝 21

A man dances at the lady‘s part of a Muslim wedding in Jos, Nigeria 舞會

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Dancing at Nigerian weddings can go on for hours. 婚禮的舞會可以持續數小時23

Waiters clean up after a large wedding in a Lagos suburb. The wedding industry in petrol-rich Nigeria is big business. 服務員在婚禮後清掃現場 24

The aftermath of a wedding in Nigeria. 婚禮過後 25

Guests at a wedding in a constructed tent in Lagos, Nigeria.搭建的婚禮帳篷

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27A chicken runs through the bridal tent in Yaba, a working class neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria. 新娘帳篷內

A woman awaits her marriage license at the chaotic Federal Wedding Registry in Lagos, Nigeria. 等待結婚證書

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When the pastor of a mega church in a slum in Lagos got married , his bride arrived in a yellow Hummer. 黃色悍馬車 29

An 18 year old bride in Northern Nigeria prepares to be a man's second wife.18 歲新娘嫁作第二任妻子 30

Women ascend to the head table at a wedding in Jos, Nigeria

313/02/2014王文堯 Kaohsiung Taiwan R.O.C All photos were taken from NG…Internet.More : Glenna Gordon THE END