Nigerian actress Ruth Kadiri has warned that elaborate weddings can put mental pressure on couples and affect their marriages, arguing that the stress surrounding the ceremony can change how partners experience their relationship.
Kadiri said some couples date for years, love each other and spend time together comfortably, only to experience a change after going through a big wedding ceremony.
“Big weddings put pressure on couples. It puts pressure on the marriage itself. Big weddings, it puts pressure on people and they don’t seem to have realised that,” she said in a video.
The actress explained that her concern was not limited to spiritual considerations but also the mental pressure people face when preparing for marriage.
“Do you know that people that have a phobia, fear, people naturally have fear of what marriage is? But they could date, they would date this girl, love her, be with her every day, every day, every day,” she said.
She questioned why a relationship could appear to work well before a wedding but become difficult after the ceremony.
“And then after this whole damn ceremony, have you asked yourself what changed? Marriage, that wedding is part of what changed,” Kadiri stated.
According to her, the expectations and pressure surrounding weddings can leave couples struggling with the reality of marriage after the event is over.
Kadiri urged people to reconsider the pressure they place on themselves when planning weddings, suggesting that the focus should be on building a marriage rather than meeting society’s expectations for a grand ceremony.
