Are you a groom planning to marry an Eshan/ Edo woman, and ready to meet her parents for the bride price? If you’re like most men, you probably want to get an idea of what the bride price and Eshan Traditional Marriage List looks like. This post will give you a sneak peek, thanks to our guest expert, an Edo state wedding makeup artist.
In this post, we will be giving you an insight into what to expect to budget for when going to ask to marry an Edo woman. You will also find out what days are forbidden to hold marriages and steps on how to go about asking for her hand in marriage, from her family. Read on for the Edo state Traditional Engagement List!
I’m not from Edo state, so I invited my trusty Benin-based makeup artist, Henrietta Eromonele Oziengbe, to provide this groom’s guide for you. She is from Uvue quarters in Emuhi village Ekpoma, Esan West local government area of Edo state). You can find her biz contact info at the end of this post.
Now, read on to see what’s inside the Edo bride price list, and also get to know what forbidden dates to avoid when going to pay the bride price.
Isan (Esan) Bride Price & Traditional Marriage List (an expo for grooms-to-be)
- The Holy Bible – 1 (one)
- 1 Umbrella
- 1 suitcase filled with clothes (box of wrappers)
- 2 bottles of hot drinks (schnapps)
- 1 crate of malt drinks
- 1 plate of kolanuts
- 1 bag of salt
- 25 liters of palm oil for the bride’s mother
- 1 jar of palm wine
- 1 carton of wine for sundry use (the groom should hold this)
- 3 crates of malt for women of the lineage
- 6 carton of beer for men of the lineage (broken down into 2 cartons of small Guinness stout; 2 cartons of Star beer; 2 cartons of Gulder beer)
- 28 tubers of yam arrange in groups of seven
- 14 tubers of yam for the eldest man in the lineage
- N1,500 cash for the dowry
- N5,000 cash for the bride’s mother
- N3,000 cash for the bride’s father
- N9,000 cash for the men in the bride’s lineage
- N6,000 cash for the women bride’s lineage
NOTE: Note that Edo state is made up of many sub-tribes and villages, each of which has a slight difference (significant, in some) from the other. So, use the below bride price list as a guide to drawing up your marriage introduction budget, and be prepared by saving up before contacting your future in-laws.
Forbidden Days to Avoid When Fixing a Date for Eshan Pay Bride Price Payment or Marriage Introduction
When choosing a date for the Edo traditional marriage introduction event, there are dates to avoid. AVOID the market days, because it is forbidden to pay bride price or conduct traditional marriage ceremony on market days. That is the custom of the people of Emuhi village in Ekpoma part of Edo state, so you’ll have to ask your wife-to-be for their own village’s forbidden days.
By the way, it is expected that you first, and later your family, must establish a relationship with the bride’s family before agreeing on a date for the marriage introduction.
Now that You Know this, What Should You Do Next?
Please note that the aim of this post is to help a serious groom prepare in advance , so that he knows how much to save-up and budget for the bride-price and traditional marriage list. Now that you’ve seen the Edo/ Eshan Traditional Marriage and Bride Price List, you should go to the market to get prices for the items and total them up so that you know what amount to budget for the traditional marriage list.
a) The above traditional marriage list is a guide for you to prepare, so plan for some extra differences, just in case: My guest expert contributor, ‘Nele, advises that you should expect a slight difference in the bride price list and traditional marriage process IF your fiancé is from another part of Edo state. She says that the traditional marriage custom across Edo state is generally similar.
b) Ask Bride’s Parents Officially for the Traditional Marriage List (that is the custom): Grooms, the above list is just a guide to help you budget ahead and be prepared. When you’re ready, you are required to officially request the bride price list and engagement custom from your future in-laws (father-in-law and/ or mother-in-law) – ask your wife-to-be which person to ask, in a case where one or both parents are dead or separated.
c). Every woman is PRICELESS so the above Edo/ Ishan bride price list monetary value and any other culture’s bride price list is not the price of your wife-to-be. Bride Price and Dowry are customary gifts and symbolic – the custom did not start today. You cannot buy a woman for any monetary amount. So after paying her bride price, treat her well because you did not buy her. Traditionally, the bride price/ dowry list is the customary gift items that a groom takes to the bride’s family when asking for the bride’s hand in marriage.
Edo Traditional Marriage Introduction Process: Grooms Wedding Planning Guide
Conclusion: Planning for Your Edo Traditional Marriage
This post is part 1 of our Edo Traditional Wedding Planning Guide for grooms, click here to read PART 2. This article series is part of our wedding planning guides for Nigerian grooms or foreign grooms who are preparing to marry a Nigerian woman.
You can use the above Edo Traditional Engagement list to make your budget, but also budget for other things like transportation, couples attire, food and drinks, etc. Ensure to start early to budget for your Edo Traditional Marriage and figure out how save money for it. Once you have enough funds, you can then begin to schedule meetings with your bride’s parents.
So, there you have it – the Eshan/ Edo traditional Engagement List. Hope you found the article helpful. If you’re from Edo state or have already collected the engagement/ bride-price list, tell us how similar or different it is from the list above. Comment down below to tell me – I want to hear from you. Also, don’t forget to help us share this post on your social media page.
The Above and Explanation for this Post were provided by Henrietta Oziengbe Eromonele (aka Nele):
Nele is an Edo / Benin city based makeup artist that specializes in bridal makeup, headgear (gele) tying, bridal hair, rental and making of beads costume for brides and grooms and sales of pro makeup tools. To book her wedding and event services, call her on 08062522976 OR email her at [email protected]
Hi good day, thanks for the post.I am an Igala and planning to marry an edo babe, what is the first thing to do in terms of visiting my inlaws, what are the thing I should/can buy when visiting them for the first time, who are my suppose to take along with me? Thank you..
Hello Adejoh. First off, congratulations on your upcoming marriage introduction. Regarding your question, we also did a detailed guide for grooms on the process for guys going to marry an Edo woman (click).
Check out that post for the answers to your questions, and let’s know if you still have a question.
Cheers!
good evening,
My name is Helen Idemudia and am from officially from edos state. i would to know how the edo marriage is done. Especially when that my dad is late but my mum still alive. ho is it done. ?
Thanks
Hi Helen, the best person to ask is your Mother, since she is still alive.
I wish I could answer you, but since we are not from every part of Nigeria, I’ll refer you to your mom or Uncles and Aunties.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for this your write up,my woman is from Edo state and am going for the introduction this weekend and this has giving me an idea of what I will expect from their list.
Hello Benson, thanks for the feedback. I’m happy that it helped you get an expectation.
We wish you all the best, as you go for the marriage introduction.
Nice job Stella. I am from ESAN land in Edo State and this article has just enlightened me and guiding on my preparations to marry my love from the same place. Thanks and keep it up
Hi Joshua, I’m very happy to hear that this article was of help to your your Esan Traditional Marriage preparations. Thanks for your feedback, and congrats in advance. Know that we are happy to feature the wedding on this blog, after the D-day – just tell us.
I thought our bride price was just #28. I might be mistaken. Anything added on top of that is just them asking you to top that up but the price is actually none of those thousands I’m seeing/reading. I might be wrong (not) though.
Good piece though.
Hello Uyi, and welcome here. Thanks for reading.
In customary marriage rites, across most parts of Nigeria (North, South, East and West), the groom is expected to come with a set of CUSTOMARY GIFTS (aka engagement list), when coming to pay his bride’s price.
>It’s a tradition since the old days (everywhere in Nigeria), not a newly introduced thing – they have been doing it for a long time.
>So, the list above is for the ESAN PEOPLE. On this blog, we have also written on the Igbo and Yoruba versions, as out little way to educate grooms preparing to go take a wife.
Fear not, they are usually not that expensive (lol).
Hello Stella,
Thanks for clearing this up. This would have been an important debate at our household during the Christmas break. My wife is Gambian and their’s is similar but the best part is the groom isn’t present when negotiations are being done 🙂 only needed to go after all the hustle and humiliation (friendly banter) received by my family to just show face once it’s all been done.
Hello Uyi, I’m happy to hear that the above tips were helpful to you.
Lucky you – you didn’t have to be right “there” during the customary bride-price negotiations. Lol.
I wish you a fun-filled white-wedding planning, and marriage.
hello ma’am,
I am planning my best friend’s wedding, she is from Edo state. I followed your suggestions for the wedding budget plans.
I am having a small issue with finding someone who can help me in dressing the bride for her traditional wedding…
I would really appreciate your help with this. also, any advice going forward is welcomed.
thank you for your time.
best regards
Hello Anase,
Thanks for reading our posts and now leaving us a comment. It made my day to hear that you followed my Nigerian wedding budget planning guides. Thanks for the feedback.
You did not say the type of person you are having trouble finding – someone you will pay or ____?? Anyway, I’ll just assume that you plan to do what most Nigerians do in this situation, which is to find a close friend or family member of the bride to fill this role of dressing up the bride. >>Let’s call these people the ” BRIDE’S GLAM SQUAD”. Just look within her bridesmaids. Dressing up the bride is part of their official role at the wedding (in case they do not know, inform them). >>ALSO: ask the bride to suggest the fashionistas in her family or circle of friends, who she would want to dress her up – get her to ask them to help on that day.
Next is to hire a good makeup artist and hair stylist to glam up her face and hair in the morning of her wedding. You may hire people or have someone in-house do this – depending on whether her wedding budget can accommodate these costs.
However, if the bride has a fat wedding budget, you can afford to hire a professional stylist to dress her up.
Gud evening, am planning my traditional marriage soon n my both parents r dead though my dad sister is representing dat part. Pls I will b getting married to a northern man n dnt kw wat to wear, pls cn u giv m some advice. Am from owan-west edo state sobe
Dear Rose,
First, let me congratulate you on your upcoming wedding.
Now, let me answer your question on what to wear for your inter-tribal traditional marriage ceremony:
-You are the bride and should wear your own people’s cultural attire, because traditional marriages are done at the bride’s place (the man will come to your place and you should be dressed as a maiden/ bride from the place you were born (Owan in Edo). >>That is how it is done.
-OPTIONAL: However, since your husband-to-be is from a different tribe (the North), you may want to have a change of outfit on that day, and dress up in his people’s cultural wear (maybe, he’d also wear a matching attire).
Hope that helps – that’s how most brides do it.
good piece
please can i get the full comprehensive for the binis this is quite urgent
i shall appreciate …….
We don’t have that at this time, but will try… In the mean time, request for it from your inlaws – they will be happy to make it available.
Hahahahahaha… This list is just one page out of the 6 pages that I collected from my inlaws, still in South-South, but in another state. I collected the list and it was later that I started wondering how I got home. I coughed out over N1.5m for Traditional list alone, in this recession. It was only love and God, else I wud have run away. My friends even advised me blank the girl, but love conquers all. If u no love girl well well, no follow am go Eket in Akwa Ibom o.
Hahaha. Ubong, that was very funny, but a familiar experience recounted by many grooms-to-be preparing for a traditional wedding. Thank God that you got it sorted.
Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of a N1.5m traditional marriage list – was a car in that list? LoL
Anyway, congratulations!
i like edo girls if you love her and she also love you don’t need to worry she cover all the list well bros/dad Ubong i really rejoice with you
I LOVE THIS WHICH YOU ARE DOING, LIKE THE EDO DRESSING.
Thanks for the enlightenment of the price list of traditional marriage in Ishan,Edo state. I think price list is not the same all round Esan land,it differs from one village to another,even from one linage to another.In Ugboha where i came from,Bride price is very low,low because it is understood that you are not selling your daughter outright,no amount of money the woulnd-be-inlaw might come up with that will be equated to the value of the life the girl in question.Though,there are certain items that were mentioned above that are very important in traditional marriage in Esan land,and some of them not relevant in some quarters. In all,do not let the list scare you,the beauty of the bride price lies in the powerful negotiation of the spokes man on the day of wine carrying.
Thank you so much, Amikhoria, for that awesome addition. I love it. I totally agree with you that bride price and engagement list varies from place to place – across Nigerian states, no only in Edo state.
*I would like to include those tips of yours into the article above – would you like that?
Again, thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you around more 🙂
Pls can I get the wedding list for the ottah side igbanke cos my wedding is coming up in 2 months time and there are some things I want to check thanks
Hello Onyekachukwu, I recommend you personally request that from your future inlaws. This one here is a general guide to help you do a budget, and have an idea of how much to keep aside, so that you’re (almost) ready financially when you go to request for the engagement list.
So, budget with this list and set aside about that amount, and BOLDLY request for the list. You’ll find out that it’s not far from your budget.
Let us know how it goes 🙂
please help me out,my wedding is in few months and am an Edo tribe,my husband to be is a Yoruba. am confused about the attire to wear for the traditional wedding.pls I need your urgent response, thanks.
Hello Faith, first, let me congratulate you on your upcoming wedding. For Nigerian inter-tribal weddings like yours, there are 3 ways people do it:
(1) You can either wear your Edo trad wear and your husband-to-be wears his Yoruba native wear.
(2) The second way is for both of you to have 2 outfits for the day and change twice – you both wear the Edo outfit first AND later change to the Yoruba attire. It doesn’t matter which one you wear first – it can be the Yoruba outfit first OR Edo outfit first.
(3) He wears your Edo mariage attire for men, and you wear the Yoruba marriage attire for women.
Hope the above tips are helpful…
Hello Stella, The mention of Edo in the article is generally misleading because as some comments already pointed out, bride prices vary from one village/lineage to the other in Esan land, though this list can be accepted as the VERY LIST across the state, there is also need to title the list particularly an Eshan list as the comments bellow mostly reflects on just one tribe.
My main reason to add my contribution is that the sequence you listed here is not accepted in the Bini tradition for instance for a groom to dress in his native attire while asking to marry his beloved bride from the bride’s family. The groom in the Esan tradition wears a beaded cap but doesn’t in the Bini tradition. I’ll like to also point out that the bride price in the Bini tradition (all over the Bini kingdom) is fixed at 25 Naira only, grooms are advised to keep that in mind because only that sum will be taken from whatever his family drops on the table, the rest will be+returned to him to enable him to take care of his wife.
Hello Erin, I am impressed with your details. Would you mind sending me a write-up of the Bini version of this article? Please, please… >Thank you very much for that detailed explanation of the Bini traditional marriage custom and bride price, especially where it differs distinctly from the Eshan traditional wedding custom.
You convinced me with your details, and I appreciate.
I have now made the title change, including Eshan. I hope you can help us narrate the marriage custom for Bini side of Edo state. Thanks, once again.
well am an edo girl and I know our culture please most of the things on the list are not correct we don’t charge that much on the brideprice
Thanks for your comment, Betty. Edo state is very big and has very many LGAs and villages, and I know that bride price/ engagement list IS NOT THE SAME FOR EVERY PART OF EDO STATE, while some parts share the same/ similar marriage list. Our contributing writer for this Edo marriage list provided the one for her part of Edo state and we will be happy to have you share with us what the list and bride price looks like for your own part of Edo state 🙂
I am an Edo man, planning to marry an igbo lady. She is from Enugu State, precisely Enugu Ezike, have not really visited the family and am not based in Nigeria. I knew the girl before I travelled out and in my working place, they gave me a maximum of 40days to return back to work. Please enlighten me about that part of ibo marriage. And I want to do my marriage in not just luxurious way but simple and comfortable way.
Hello Oleghie, welcome to NaijaGlamWedding. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and thanks for your question. Here ae answers to your questions:
-I wrote a detailed overview series of articles to enlighten you and other grooms-to-be on the igbo marriage process (click here to read). Cheer up, it’s simpler than you thought;
-I also have a series of posts with practical tips on how to plan a small but classy Nigerian wedding (click here to read).
-Also, you can read our Traditional Wedding checklist of things to do months/ weeks and days before the D-day.
*Ensure to read the other related posts mentioned in each of the above articles.
I hope our traditional wedding planning tips from the above-linked posts would help. I wish you the very best.
This is very perfect, and well explanatory. I love this page.
Thanks, Mowaninuola. I’m glad you enjoyed reading our Edo bride-price list. Be sure to see our other traditional wedding planning guides for brides and grooms.