Folarin Alakija, son of the richest black woman, Folorunsho Alakija, had a lavish wedding to Iranian beauty, Nazanin Jafarian Ghaissarifar, at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England on Saturday.
The fairy tale ceremony, which attracted guests from all over the world, is estimated to have cost around £5m.
It is the second marriage for Folarin, who lost his first wife, Chena, to cancer some years ago.
The father-of-one is an entrepreneur, investor and cinematographer; and one of the four sons of 66-year-old oil tycoon, Folorunsho Alakija.
His bride once dated American reality TV personality, Rob Kardashian.
She studied Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Manchester, has a graduate Diploma in Law and has also worked as a model and marketing consultant.
As a model, she has previously featured in a campaign for Monkee Jeans, an organic denim brand, and dated Rob Kardashian in 2013.
Folarin and Nazanin tied the knot in front of friends, family and celebrities, including Victoria’s Secret Angel, Shanina Shaik; Nigerian pop musician, Mr Eazi, and Femi Otedola’s daughter, Temi Otedola.
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According to the venue’s website, the cost of hiring the whole venue is on application but hiring just the palace and state rooms costs £33,000.
Jeff Leatham, known for his floral arrangements and elaborate decorating of the Kardashian’s homes, oversaw the flowers.
Bringing over 30 staff members to the UK for the ceremony, he did not only work with copious amounts of roses but white orchids as well.
Jeff, who can command up to £250,000 for flowers, has worked for Madonna, Oprah and Tina Turner. He was also the man behind the flowers at Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s wedding.
Guests were also treated to a surprise performance from Blurred Lines singer Robin Thicke, who reportedly costs around £150,000 to hire, as well as a magnificent firework display in the hotel grounds later in the evening.
The bride stunned in a traditional strapless white gown with lace embellishment as she was walked down the aisle by her father. She accessorised her look with a dazzling diamond necklace and white Manolo Blahniks.
She later changed into a racier, floor length white gown with sheer panelling. She let her hair down as she danced the night away with her new husband and glamorous wedding guests.
The cake, which was adorned with hundreds of roses and ornate doves, was created by Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium. Prices start at £300 per tier and Elizabeth’s clients include British, European and Middle Eastern Royalty, celebrities and high net worth individuals.
With eight tiers on their cake, the base price would be around £2,400 – and that’s excluding the elaborate iced flowers and doves.
Elizabeth is also the only three times winner of The Great Cake Bake, a show which featured the best wedding cake makers in the country.
The event was planned by Sade Awe of The Bridal Circle whose impeccable taste and selective eye for the exquisite make her a trusted resource for an elite clientele and luxury partners alike so it was little surprise she was called upon.
Hamish Shepard of BrideBook.co.uk, said: “The preparations and construction of their custom clear marquee, including a bespoke marble floor with their gold initials, would have required up to a week of exclusive hire of the Palace, with the cost of the marquee on top.”
“Venue hire would likely be up to £150,000 with the bespoke marquee with marble floor and production around £200,000 on top.
“The spectacular endless flowers by Jeff Leatham are likely to have cost at least £200,000. With food and drink, Robin Thicke (at £150,000) and all the other items for the big day, including the dress, on top, the wedding will have no doubt cost more than £1million and potentially several million more.”
Folarin and Nazanin became engaged last year and had a traditional Nigerian wedding at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on November 19, 2016.
Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari; wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki; wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gimbiya Yakubu Dogara; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Oluranti Adebule; President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote and several other high-profile guests witnessed the traditional wedding.
