Eto-Okuku and Coral Beads: Traditional Bridal Makeover in Edo Culture

The Edo people of Nigeria are well known for their rich and elaborate cultural heritage all across Africa. Edo is located in the southern part of Nigeria with the Bini, the Esan and the Afemai making it’s major sub-ethnic groups. I am so much in love with the traditional bridal makeover of Edo people and I have been working on brides for some year now.

In this post, I bring to you the traditional bridal makeover in Edo culture and also share some pictures from my past works.

The Edo bridal costumes include Eto-Okuku, which simply means hairstyle made into a bun shape. Bride’s hair is made into a high bun hairstyle typically created with black gel. Coral beads are then sewn into the hair or extensions in to the form of a crown. Many brides often opt for wigs that are ready made with the hair and crown.

Other items are:

Ivie-Uru or beaded necklaces
Ivie-Ebo or hand beads
Emi-Ehorivie or bead earrings
Ekpa-Ivie or beaded clutch
Ewu-Ivie or beaded top/cape.
In recent times, brides now wear beaded footwear, thanks to modern fashion creators.
Brides also tie beautiful wrappers made from fabrics like velvet, lace and george.

Here are some more pictures from my past works:

All the pictures in this post are from my past works as a bridal makeover.

If you find this post interesting, kindly upvote. You can also leave comments and I will be glad to answer your questions where required.

Thanks for reading.