His mother is the world’s richest black women so it’s little surprise that Folarin Alakija’s wedding was a lavish, no-expense spared, fairytale affair.
Folarin, who is one of 66-year-old oil tycoon Folorunsho Alakija’s four sons, married Iranian beauty Nazanin Jafarian Ghaissarifar in an extravagant bash at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire over the weekend, which is estimated to have cost around £5m.
The father-of-one, who lost his first wife to cancer, tied the knot to his stunning wife in front of friends, family and celebrities, including Victoria’s Secret Angel, Shanina Shaik.
Folarin, an entrepreneur, investor and cinematographer, is the son of Folorunsho, who has an estimated fortune of $2.1 billion. Forbes rank her as the 14th richest woman in Africa and she is number 80 on its Power Women list; she overtook Oprah Winfrey as the richest woman of African descent in the world in 2014.
It is thought the family flew hundreds of close friends and family members over from Nigeria, who were no doubt put up in the lavish hotel for the weekend.
The Woodstock venue, which is the ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill, was kitted out with one million white roses, a lavish cake decorated with hundreds of ornate white roses and even hosted pop star Robin Thicke at an estimated cost of £150,000.
Wedding planners believe the venue hire was exclusively hired at a cost of £150,000 with the bespoke marquee and marble floor and production costing around £200,000 on top.
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.
Searcys are the approved caterer for the Orangery at Blenheim palace and three course meals start at £52 per head – excluding alcohol.
The breathtaking flowers were the work of Jeff Leatham, who is known for his elaborate decorating of the Kardashian’s homes.
Bringing over 30 staff members to the UK for the ceremony, Jeff adorned every inch of the venue with copious amounts of roses and white orchids.
See more photos;
SOME OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE ELEMENTS OF THE WEDDING
Wedding venue: £150,000
Marble floor and marquee: £200,000
Flowers: £200,000
Robin Thicke: £150,000
Food: £52 per head
Cake: £2,400
(Prices are all estimates)
PHOTOS: NIGERIA’S RICHEST WOMAN, FOLORUNSO ALAJIKA’S SPENT A WHOPPING £5MILLION ON HER SON’S WEDDING
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Peter Ebuka
