Nigerian spends £5 million to wed Iranian girlfriend in UK

Nigerian spends £5 million to wed Iranian girlfriend in UK

His mother is the world’s richest black woman 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 is in his late 30s and 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.

While Folarin makes his money as an entrepreneur, investor and cinematographer, it’s his mother who has an estimated fortune of $2.1 billion. Forbes rank her as the 14th richest person in Africa but the richest woman in the country. She is number 80 on its global Power Women list and 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 bespoke marble floor with their initials etched in gold costing around £200,000 on top.

Highlights:

Folarin, who is one of Folorunsho Alakija’s four sons, married Iranian beauty Nazanin Jafarian Ghaissarifa

Folorunsho Alakija, 66, is one of the richest black woman in the world with estimated fortune of $2.1 billion

Event at Blenheim Palace had one million roses, surprise performance from Robin Thicke and A-list guestlist

Father-of-one is an entrepreneur, investor and cinematographer who lost his first wife to cancer

Folarin’s new wife studied Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Manchester

Dailymail.co.uk