Veteran actors, Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva met at the National Theatre, Lagos in 1981. They started out as very good friends and four years later, they were married.
Wondering what happened on their wedding night and why a new bride slept alone? Joke reveals in this interview:
In what year did you get married?
I got married on November 16, 1985.
How was the crowd like?
It was not a very large crowd on that day. I had a moderate wedding. I think we had about two hundred guests maximum. Even back in those days, people used to have elaborate weddings but I just didn’t want a huge wedding.
What was most memorable about your wedding day?
After getting dressed and was about leaving for the church service, my mum called me to her room and prayed for me and I still remember every word of the prayer. Funny enough, I didn’t cry until when she started crying while I was leaving later in the night and her tears made me cry too.
Usually, the bride is always known to be late, were you late to church on your wedding day?
I wasn’t early to church; I was right there on time but my husband was two hours late. I didn’t have a sleepless night because I slept very well.
Was there any awkward thing that happened on that day?
Well, apart from my husband arriving two hours late for the church ceremony, there was nothing awkward that happened. Although it got to a point when I was being questioned if he’d still come and I kept saying he would until he showed up. He came late to church because of the bachelor’s eve that they had a night to the wedding; they were all tired and overslept.
Was your wedding gown bought in the country?
Yes, my wedding gown was made in Nigeria. It was aso-oke. I got married in Lagos. I didn’t have a white wedding because I was not a fan. I wore a blue dress made from aso-oke and lace.
What are the usual things that happened on your wedding day?
All those things that happened weren’t my business because my mum and cousins handled all of them. I didn’t allow anything to ruin my day at all.
Can you share with us how you spent your wedding night?
Well, yes I slept alone because they were all out partying and I was too tired to stay up with him. I had to sleep early. Although he later came in to sleep next to me, I didn’t even notice when he came in because I was fast asleep. The stress of the day wore me out. I woke up and saw him next to me.
Source: PUNCH