England and Lions rugby captain, Maro Itoje and his new wife celebrated their union last weekend in a spectacular wedding that was less a quiet ceremony and more a vibrant, joyous festival of Nigerian heritage, stunningly displayed in the heart of London.
After a private ceremony in May, the couple postponed their main festivities until after Itoje’s duties as captain of the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia were complete.
Itoje’s wife, Mimi is a model and artist and was in Australia to celebrate her husband’s success with the Lions.
Dancing in a spectacular array of traditional Nigerian attire, Itoje and Mimi were the embodiment of joy.
Itoje later celebrated the day on Instagram, proclaiming, “Uhrobo culture to the world…” and adding, “In case you haven’t realised I had my traditional Nigerian wedding last weekend… A time was had.”
No Nigerian celebration is complete without the iconic “spraying” tradition, and Itoje’s wedding was no exception. During the energetic dancing, guests participated in the custom of ” spraying money” (owambe), throwing Naira notes into the air to shower the couple with blessings, prosperity, and good fortune. The scene was one of pure, unadulterated joy, a whirlwind of dancing, laughter, and floating currency.
The guest list was a who’s who of English rugby, including Alex Lozowski, Elliot Daly, Ollie Lawrence, Nick Isiekwe, Marcus Smith, and Ben Earl. The group even teamed up for a lively TikTok video filmed by teammate Andy Onyeama-Christie at the celebration.
