BN Exclusive: Munachi Abii is “The Bride” – Weddings by MAI – The Dream Wedding
Posted on Thursday, July 28th, 2011 at 10:40 AMBy BellaNaija.com
Ohimai Atafo‘s bridal and eveningwear label, MAI has been crafting bespoke wedding dresses for brides for the last few years. Beautiful brides including BN Bride, Omeyi Yangs (See Wedding Post Here), glowed in MAI on their respective wedding days.
MAI is launching Weddings by MAI with a very special event this weekend.
Here is a peek at what you can expect from Weddings by MAI.
Exclusively on BellaNaija.com
The Bride
Bridesmaids
****
Renowned Nigerian designer, Mai Atafo, who is well-known for his clean-cut suits and red carpet dresses will host an invite-only launch of his wedding line, ‘Weddings By Mai’ on Sunday, July 31st 2011.
This tasteful production will replicate a formal wedding ceremony and will incorporate our favourite wedding traditions like the toast, the first dance and the toss of the wedding bouquet.
Fifteen brides and their bridal party will walk the runway serenaded by our special guest performers – Bez, Waje, Praiz, Chidinma, Yemi Alade and others.
Weddings By Mai will partner with BellaNaija, The Wedding Company, Newton & David, Cakes by Tosan, The Incubator and make-up maven, Banke Meshida-Lawal.
As a token of appreciation, Atafo will give away a N300, 000 wedding dress to the lucky lady who catches the wedding bouquet.
Tune into the Beat 99.9 FM, Inspiration 92.3 FM, Cool 96.9 FM and Rhythm 93.7 FM, next week for a chance to win an invite to this exclusive wedding soiree.
The Dream Wedding is supported by:
- Tunics by Ruru
- Evertop Concepts
- Chiavari Banquet Chair Rentals
- Liquid Kraft
- Kots Catering
- Rosalita’s
- Minimum Favours
- Maid Of Nubia
- Audio Visual First
- DJ Top
- HairKraft
- Debola Falana
- Zuby
- Ruby and Pink
- Just Colours
- Cytech Pro Sound
- Ene Maya
- www.michaellawanson.com
Women may rule the world but there will be 50 invited bachelors in attendance, so single ladies make sure you purchase your ‘Dream Wedding’ invites.
For information and invite inquiries, please call Noya on 0813.755.5204 and Dorcas, 0702.910.4311.
Ticket Price: N10,000
BN readers will receive a special discount, be sure to mention BellaNaija.com when you call!
Photography: Oladipo Oladapo
Tags: MAI, Muna, munachi abii, ohimai atafo, Oladipo Oladapo
nice one munachi
O yeah! the 1st wedding dress is UBER-CLASSY! its timeless ( I wished I hadn’t done my wedding, i would’a gone for this style
)
Gorgeous…wish there’d been more…
I love that the bridesmaids don’t have same styles but same fabric.
Breathtaking….absolutely fabulous
The dresses remind me so much of Kosibah’s designs.
Exactly! I feel like it’s a replica of Kosibah dresses. Pretty but not original
if u know anything about kosibah u’ll know he’s the king of corsetry, there’s barely any of that here so ur observation holds no water…
anyway, the red additions r tacky…
hmn.. dat 1st dress is so gorgeous, its something i’d really like to wear. wish i cud attend.
Simply beautiful! Bless you Ohimai Atafo.
i love and want the first gown … but pls i need ur advise pple .. would it fit a smalish person .. am a size 6
the dress is gorgeous..im sure wen u go for the fitting, they’l come up wit a way to suit it for ur body bt the dress look like it will be chic in all sizes…its the body shape that will matter reali.
I don’t think it’ll fit you seeing u are a size 6. i think it’ll look nicer on fuller figures.
I like the first gown, so lovely. Wasn’t feeling the bridesmaid’s dresses sha.
SMASHING EXCELLENT, AND DIVINE! SIZE 6 @ TAMA WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR I’M A SIZE …. AND YOU 6<:D JUST MAKE SURE IF HEIGHT IS AN ISSUE HEM IT! GOOD LUCK!
This is a very smart idea! I’m sure it’ll be a great event.
I think I had the big O when I saw the 1st dress. It’s exactly what I have in mind for my D.Day. Now I’m begining to consider Mai as a serious designer. I never did until now! All the best in this new venture – Ohimai.
nice ,just that everything smells Kosibah, lack of originality,my opinion
you took the words outta my mouth..its very kosibah and nuthing original..im so sorry. he should stick to his suits abegy
The dresses are stunning and the model’s are beautiful but I have to say that the design’s for the wedding dresses are not original at all… The first dress is a Maggie Sottero dress, the second dress is Kosibah creations and the last is Sottero and Midgley…
Original design’s would have been more inspiring… The bridesmaid’s dresses are lovely though…
thank you, I thought I was the only one who noticed.
hope the event is great though.
Spot on!!!
I got married last year and spent a whole year looking at Maggie Sottero, Pronovias and co, so the dresses are very familiar to me.
I’m curious to know the price range sha, hopefully they’re affordable.
U r sooooooo on point! u got all the designers so right! Big ups! originality zero….to me!
Lovely dresses. So how is the event by invite only when the tickets are for sale?
i dunno about these dresses o. hmmm nice bridal stuff tho. Bridesmaids collection not so much
Muna is pretty but she wasnt emoting in the pictures!Nice one Mai…the models and dresses are gorgy!
all the wedding dresses are fabulous, the bridesmaids’ are not just working it for me, tink ohimai should av incorporated some short pencil gowns as dat is also one of the hottest trends around. let me equally add that munachi looks gorgeous in dem gowns
had no idea muna was this shapy, meanyle i know the Kosibah dress u’r referring to the designs are vaguely similar but that happens all the time when fashion designers have similar sources of inspiration doesn’t mean ohimai isnt creative, and if i remember correctly kosibah’s is even a 2 piece and the top is a corset. anyway pls since muna is the ‘bride’ biko who is the ‘groom’?
nice ones!
The model (bride) is very pretty
MAI is a fabulous designer! He made Sandra Otohwo;s wedding dress and the bridal train’s as well! And he is such a lovely person. The 1st and the 3rd dress blew me away!
First Dress has Kosibah all over it.
BN in my honest opinion there is still so much room for improvement, if we pour praises only it would not be a balance view, the dresses do not have a wao factor, there are so many people in Nigeria who can do the same and have better finishing, so for the standard he has put himself he needs to raise the bar seriously
hi , i sincerely hope you came ………………u would have had your skepticism with an answer
These dresses lack originality, they all look like Kosibah designs….. That’s just sad cos Mai is talented. I guess he was just being lazy. The bridesmaids dresses don’t work for me, I won’t want my bridesmaids in any of those.
“He was just being lazy”?????? You, the untouchable, creative, know-it-all slouched in front of a pc for the last 30 mins, 1 hour, 2 hours, are not in a position to call MAI lazy.
I agree that we have seen these designs before and MAI could push his boundaries further, but to assume “he was being lazy” is such an unwarranted insult.
Your inappropriate criticism is totally off the mark.
Something about the 2nd dress has my name all over it. I like the first one too but not as much as the 2nd dress.
This is Koshiba naaa
Dresses 1 and 3 are too close to Kosibah’s designs for comfort. One only needs to go to his Facebook albums for proof. Dress 2 looks very, very familiar as well. In any case, there’s a place for knockoffs but I hope Mai’s pricing reflects that. Congrats to him and his new venture.
The fabrics look lovely and the overall designs are current and spot on but the dresses lack structure. The lower half of the dress will loose shape and form as soon as the bride moves. MIA will do very well to copy the signature support and structure of a Kosibah dress and use her design to adorn the outer look of the dress to create an attractive dress
Nice but let’s admit we have seen these dresses before.
why would i want to wear a bouquet of flowers on my hip?
I LOVE U
the third wedding dress is lovely, something that is timeless and not too trendy. you dont wanna look back on your wedding pics 20 years later and think “WTF was i wearing?!”
i love the fourth bridesmaid dress, simple, cute lovely. it can work on a lot of different figures.
Nice one Mai, Munachi looking as good as always.
I love the first wedding dress… Nice
The only thing separating these dresses from kosibah’s designs is the fact that munachi is modelling them. original Kosibah knock offs….mschew. expected something better MAI.
i love the idea of the wedding line, love the second dress, i can totally rock it, seem like the bridesmaid dresses are not in there sizes…..well done mai. prouda ya! (Y)
Please can Kosibah design’s not be insulted. Ife anwu? Compared to kosibah’s designs? Please can it not be done. The designs needs to be looked at again. The dresses needs to be longer and the fabrics more looked into. The fabrics are cheap looking though – they may be expensive in price. Bellanaija please publish o. If not, i go talk say na ojoro, abi, freedom of speech…
Lovely stuff, keep it up!
………….*still staring at Munachi not the wedding dress*………RICH DUDE HERE!
Hmmm……. I say this without beef; the fabrics look cheap.. Even the cheapest wedding dresses should have luxurious or luxurious looking fabrics. The finishing of the bridesmaids dresses is very poor, there’s no structure, bad fitting…. Phew!!!
I won’t go into lack of originality, when God gives ideas he throws it out there so two or more pple can run wiv it!!!
First dress is stunning! I will totally wear that dress
Actually, I think the bridesmaids dresses look better than the wedding dresses and would infact work well or maybe even better as wedding dresses. But naija girls don’t like simple/classic for wedding dresses. They prefer gaudy, dramatic and over-the-top. So maybe MAI is catering appropriately to his market after all. Lol
o wow! that first dress is absolutely beautiful…my kind of dress….simple and elegant.
” But naija girls don’t like simple/classic for wedding dresses. They prefer gaudy, dramatic and over-the-top. So maybe MAI is catering appropriately to his market after all.” Lol
*sigh* style is relative, sweetheart. just because you like something doesnt mean everyone else should. “dramtatic, gaudy and over-the-top” is very relative. Dont be a fashion elitist wanabe.It’s not cute.
Sassycassie
The wedding dresses are state of the art, but I’ll be damned if I let any of my bridesmaid’s wear any of those bridesmaid dresses. SO ur tryna steal ma thunder or what? Warn ur self dear bridesmaids. lol
ohimai…mai o mai,now we have finally seen your mainmain collection and sorry im not wowed…everything thing looks very kosibah…please stick to yo mail suits which il pick over paul smith at least… no biffs o but this is totally underwhelming but for the efforts..nice try
Thanks @ sisieko…..u took d words right outta my tots….. som of d bridesmaids dresses are so ill fitted….they’ld hav done beta on full bodied models….. YES!!! D fabrics r cheap…..even if its bridal……u just dont do bridal satin of #350 per yard…… Ah Ahn!!!!
But I dnt agree dat Mai’s gone Kosibah’ish……. can any designer ever be sooo original on bridals?? Derz lil or nothing more u can do on bridal designs dat will turn out all new…….its either figure fitting or some ball gown, a burstier or wiv som bollero or sleeves…….. I fink the fabrics just lack d ostentatiousity they deserve. Congrats Mai…..uve capd anoda feather.
i’m loving the third wedding dress, wish I could have a second wedding.lol
Ladies, thr is very lil innovation in d wedding industry, d new trend is lace over d corset as even dutchess kate dorned, did d mcqueen designer also copy kosibah?? Kosibah himself is influenced by other designers and trust me, go to 5 bridal stores and u’ll find d exact same design ideas. Ohimai has done very well, its not easy to make a weddin dress, if u think it is pls try wearing one made by ur local sura tailor on ur wedding day. I knw for a fact dat muna doesn’t have such a tiny waist in proportion to her hips so mai’s corsetry is definitely on point. And for d record, kosibah isn’t d king of corsets, vera wang is so go figure!
And before all the criticisms, why not lets see the show first…..I know of a truth that Tosan Jemide (Cakes by Tosan) is designing the cakes for the show using the inspiration from some of the dresses, asides other surprises that awaits you from other maestros set to partner @ the show……
I am getting married soon. I got my dress from a very famous and fabulous designer in Spain. I spent a small fortune on it, but the dress is so much like the pronovias dresses, since its a lace and co. Now, does that mean that the designer of my dress stole pronovias ideas. NO. Most wedding dresses are similar, depending on style of Fabric you use. Whether it is Maggi, or Badgley Mischka l.. or the Wtoo Brides by Watters .. But one thing I do know, is that if you want a distinct dress, then you can go for a Vera Wang or a Monique Lhuillier, or even a John Galliano dress or Oscar de la Renta. But we know most of us won’t want to go for those dresses for one reason or the other. I am familar with Kosibah’s design and to be truthful, I did think it was his designs, but since I have been thrawling from one website to another, shop to shop, designers to designers, I can therefore conclude, there is common feature in most wedding dresses. The art of having the same template and working around it. Go figure.
Very anticlimatic to be honest. had been waiting with bated breath to see the great Mai Atafo wedding dresses…. was expecting him to break my sworn declaration to marry in a Pnina Tornai, Kosibah or Zuhair Murad dress. Needless to say, my declaration stands gidigba…. Mai, step up your game. You can do much much better
Such beautiful dresses!!!
Lola x, London
http://lola-x.blogspot.com
am in luv with the first wedding dress
the bridesmaid dresses are also fab
welldone MAI
First wedding dress…… lovely!!!!!! just my kinda dress. i hope the dresses are not too expensive tho. very well put together.
nice one
Not very impressive. Expected so much more……….and much better fitted clothes. These look like they were made locally by a tailor. Lanre Da Silva makes beautiful wedding dresses …….she should put on a show too.
DID SOMEONE JUST SAY MAI IS A NICE PERSON? YAWNING!!! ATTITUDE…ABYSMAL! BELLA POST MY COMMENT COS THIS IS SOOO TRUE