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Bride who wore no make-up to her wedding is Nigerian and has spoken out on why she chose to go bare-faced.

In August, a beautiful ‘Ghanaian’ bride was trending because she wore absolutely no make-up to her white wedding. Now, the bride has been revealed and confirms she is actually Nigerian.

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Her name is Bisola Umoren. She was born and raised in Lagos State and her husband is from Akwa Ibom. Bisola said the reason she went bare-faced to her ceremony is because her husband loves her without any make-up. She said: “When my husband first met me, I had not had my bath, but he saw and fell in love with my natural look. “My hair was due, my face looked way older, I was even tying nylon on my hair when he came to me on that fateful morning, yet he loved what he saw. So, who am I supposed to be making all that up for on my wedding day?” “Secondly, For a good start, I’m not the make-up type. I don’t even wear ear-rings or like to drop my hair. I don’t like any form of inconvenience or discomfort on my face, my neck and entire body. It is not a church thing, it is just me and my personal decision.”

On her love story with her husband, she said: “We met last year, December 16, 2015 after I was robbed besides Abiola Garden, Lagos at about 9am. The robbery was a horrible experience; I lost my Blackberry phone, tab and some money. A close friend then volunteered to come help me massage my leg when he heard what happened to me.”

“When he was coming that morning, he came with his long time friend (who is now my husband). After the first visit, he (my husband), came back alone on December 26, to see me and that was how our relationship started. Few weeks later, he proposed because he was scared that if he wasted more time, another man would take over. (laughs).” “He is very caring. He showered me with his love and care that I had no choice but to succumb. But his tribe was almost a barrier for us; he is from Akwa-Ibom while I’m from Lagos State. We had our court registry in February 2016, barely three months after we met.”

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Getting engaged is no doubt a reason to celebrate, but once the excitement wears off, many couples face the oft-dreaded task of saving for a wedding. These days, the average cost of a U.S. wedding is roughly $30,000, though in some parts of the country, it’s considerably more. Take Connecticut, for example, where the average wedding costs close to $44,000, or Massachusetts, where the average wedding comes in at just under $40,000. And if you live in or near a major city, you might be looking at double those figures. The average Manhattan wedding, for instance, costs a whopping $88,000.

If those numbers are enough to make you book the next flight out to Vegas and elope, worry not: Saving for a wedding is often a matter of careful planning and prioritizing. Here are four ways to do it.

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1. Come up with a budget

Your first step in saving for a wedding involves coming up with a realistic budget. Start by looking at venues, meeting with vendors, and collecting pricing info. Next, break down your costs by category (such as venue, photographer, band, florist, and so forth), and prioritize the categories that are most important to you. If, for example, you care more about your band than your photographer, you can leave yourself room to spend extra money on music as opposed to pictures.

Once you have all of your numbers, add up your anticipated costs to come up with a grand total. Don’t forget to include smaller expenses that might add up, like tips for your wait staff and transportation to and from your wedding. If that figure is one you can afford based on parent contributions and your current and anticipated savings, you’re all set. If not, you’ll need to work backwards toward an amount you can swing. Otherwise, you risk taking on wedding debt, which is not a great way to start off a marriage.

2. Establish a savings timeline

The average U.S. engagement lasts 14 months, which gives you a fair amount of time to save money for the big day. That said, it’s important to map out a savings timeline to ensure you stay on track. If, for example, you have a year to save for your wedding, your estimated costs total $30,000, and you only have $15,000 coming from savings or parental gifts, you’ll need to save $1,250 a month, on average, until your wedding date arrives.

Furthermore, you should create a schedule of when you need to pay your vendors so you’re not caught off guard down the line. You might, for example, need to give your band a deposit three months before the wedding and pay the balance shortly after the fact. In other words, even if your wedding is a year away, you may not have a full 12 months to save up all the money you’ll need to pay for it.

3. Look for extra sources of income

If saving a chunk of your salary will only get you so far in financing your wedding, your next move should be to seek out additional sources of income. You could try selling some unwanted furniture, electronics, or collectibles to bring in extra cash. Another option is to take on a side job to generate more income. While the extra work might be a lot to juggle, it’s something you’d conceivably only need to do for a limited time.

4. Take advantage of discounts and lower-cost alternatives

If you’re willing to compromise on certain aspects of your wedding, you could wind up slashing your costs significantly. Some venues, for example, charge less for weeknight weddings than they do for weekend events, while others charge less during what’s considered the off-season. If you have 150 guests and can knock your cost per head down from $100 to $90 by postponing your wedding for a month, or getting married on a Thursday evening, you’ll save $1,500.

You also have the option to bypass certain vendors to cut costs. Have a friend take a video rather than pay a videographer, or skip the fancy limo and ask your bridesmaids and groomsmen for a ride. Finally, sending out electronic invites versus paper ones could easily save you close to $1,000, and you might have an easier time tracking responses to boot.

No matter what steps you take to save for your wedding, the key is to avoid overspending and starting your marriage off in the red. An estimated one-third of couples go into debt to pay for their weddings, and at a time when you’re supposed to be enjoying the newlywed phase, you don’t need that burden weighing you down.

The $15,834 Social Security bonus you could be missing

If you’re like most Americans, you’re a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known “Social Security secrets” could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more… each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we’re all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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Congratulations! You are getting married soon, and you are caught up in a whirlwind of planning activities. There are so many details to consider that you may forget one important detail that applies if you are changing your name — applying for a new Social Security card.

Social Security uses your earnings history to calculate your benefits. The 35 years in which you earned the most (adjusted to account for wage changes over time) are used in the benefit calculation. If you forget to notify your employer and the Social Security Administration (SSA) about your name change, any W-2 forms received after the name change may be incorrectly recorded and your Social Security benefits may be incorrectly calculated.

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You may not even be aware of the problem until you retire and find your benefits to be lower than you expected. It could take some time to straighten out years of earnings filed under the wrong name. Your benefits may be delayed as a result, or even reduced if the correct earnings cannot be established.

How do you apply for a new Social Security card after a name change? The SSA does have an online service, but unfortunately, you cannot use it to apply for a new card. You will have to either send an application in by mail or bring it in to your local Social Security office, along with the necessary supporting documents.

To receive a new Social Security card, documents are required to prove identity, citizenship, and the legal basis for the name change. For a name change, your new card will be issued with the same number as your old card.

In the case of a name change, you will not need to establish citizenship unless citizenship was never established in the first place. If you do need to establish citizenship, the most common documents to use are either a passport or a birth certificate showing U.S. origin.

Suitable identification documents include a U.S. passport, U.S. driver’s license, or a non-driver ID card issued by a state agency. All documents must be originals or copies certified by the issuing agency — no notarized copies or photocopies are allowed. Driver’s licenses or non-driver ID cards must be current. While passports or state issued IDs are preferred, you may be able to use other ID cards such as employee, school, or military ID cards that contain relevant information. Contact your local Social Security office if you are not sure that a particular ID is suitable.

To prove that your name change is legal, you will need to provide the documented proof of your marriage. Note that proof of name change status is necessary for any name change reason (decree of divorce, Naturalization Certificate, etc.).

Check here for further details on the required documentation for your new card. Under the “Type of Card” category, select “Corrected.”

If you are part of a same-sex couple and planning to change your name, the same rules apply. Thanks to the recent Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, same-sex coupleshave the same options as opposite-sex couples in determination of Social Security benefits.

Be sure to include the SSA in your wedding plans to avoid problems when you retire. They may not send you a gift for your reception, but you will receive your “gift” down the road with a smooth transition into your retirement benefits. That is much better than an engraved gravy boat.

Let the free MoneyTips Retirement Planner help you calculate when you can retire without jeopardizing your lifestyle.

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Planning a wedding is intimidating, stressful process. Reading the following article in its entirety will help you plan a successful wedding.

When you are planning your wedding festivities, alcohol needs to be a consideration as to what type you want to serve, and what type will be the most cost efficient. Ask the venue about which alcohol service options.

If you plan on doing the catering yourself, look to wholesale markets such as Sam’s or Costco to buy supplies. This will enable you to save quite a bit of money. You can also see if your friends to chip in with food costs.

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When planning speakers for your wedding, have them rehearse the material before you so that you can make sure everything is appropriate. There will be many different generations at the wedding, and what may seem funny to a younger person may not be humorous to an older crowd.

Use someone’s property for a wedding.

Do not avoid eating just so your wedding dress fits. You are going to find yourself dehydrated and get dizzy by rushing weight too quickly prior to your wedding. You don’t need to faint during the altar.

The first thing to consider when you have to think about is the person you marry. This lifelong decision is one that should not be rushed into. Think about this person and what things will drive you crazy, as well as the things that will drive you up the wall.

Look at samples of past work before hiring a makeup artist you are considering for your wedding day. Is the makeup style pleasing to you? Make sure it is something you love it. You do not want to be an hour before your wedding with all parties involved.

Instead of spending too much for a large wedding cake, try getting multiple tiers of mini-tarts or cupcakes. These arrangements are typically much cheaper and affordable. Guests can serve themselves or even take a party favor of sorts.

Make sure the lights at your wedding reception venue have dimmer switches. This may seem like it’s trivial, but the option should be there if you prefer to have low lighting for your first dance, and switching to brighter lights for the remainder of the event. Check out the venue about these specific options before picking one.

It could get stained or wrinkled while hanging in your closet.

If the guests are going to enjoy a meal consisting of multiple courses, use small dishes of candies to keep guests amused while they wait. You can also offer crackers, thin crackers or any other type of little treats.

Ask someone to borrow an item to wear something of theirs on your wedding day.

Silk flowers make great alternatives to various other flowers that you can purchase for your wedding.

You possibly want to think about fusing two or multiple menus together making the best of both families and comfortable for everyone present. You can add little twists in different food items, or even edible wedding favors.

Despite all the hard work involved, keeping this advice in mind will help your big day go smoothly. These tips should have helped you have more fun with your wedding planning.

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If you tied the knot like Rachael and Jamie, we’d love to share in your celebrations .

To take part, just fill in the simple form at the end of this story. And if you’re from the South Wales Echo area, you will be featured in our newspaper, too.

It doesn’t matter where you married, as long as one of you is Welsh or you live in Wales.

This week’s couple live in Newport.

The couple

Jamie and Rachael Walkingshaw-McGuinness. Jamie, 30, is a sales adviser at Source Insurance in Penarth and Rachael (nee Murphy), 25, is a claims handler at Admiral. They live in Newport.

The venue

The wedding took place at Canada Lodge and Lake in Creigiau on March 17.

How they met

The couple met using dating app Plenty of Fish in June 2012 when Rachael sent Jamie a message. Rachael travelled from her home in Gloucester to Cardiff to meet Jamie, where he was living at the time.

She said: “It was rather nerve-racking as I had never been to Wales before. We went for food at TGI Fridays and the rest is history.”

The couple had their first official date a week later at Bristol Zoo, and began a two-year long distance relationship seeing each other every other week, before moving to Newport.

The proposal

The couple went to Jamie’s sister’s home in Llanrhystud, near Aberystwyth, for Christmas 2014. Jamie bought the ring four months earlier and was keeping it out of sight in his work backpack.

On Christmas Eve, at midnight, he told her she could have her present early. She said: “He blindfolded me and walked me up into one of the gardens, by the chicken coop, where he had put fairy lights all around the trees and even bought fake snow to scatter on the ground.

“When he was ready and down on one knee, he asked me to take off the blindfold and asked me to be his wife. I remember being so shocked but more so proud that he had gone to so much effort to make a memory that will last for ever.”

Photograph: QueenieWedding

The wedding

Because Rachael’s family are Irish, the couple held the wedding on St Patrick’s Day.

The couple only viewed one venue, Canada Lodge, and said: “We fell in love with it instantly, with its gorgeous views and tranquil location, we knew it was the venue for us.”

Rachael got ready with her three bridesmaids and Jamie got ready with his best man Doug.

The venue was decorated in a rustic fashion, with fairy lights hanging across the ceiling and bunting running across the top of the room. Florist Anne-Marie from Petal Power decorated the reception room using wooden centrepieces.

The food was provided by Spiros.

Rachael and Jamie Walkingshaw-McGuinness married at Canada Lodge and Lake on March 17

The evening guests arrived at 7pm, as did the photo booth which came with props including oversized glasses, hats and even a horse’s head. Rachael said: “They are photos which we could not stop laughing at.

“Our wedding day was absolutely perfect and it felt like we were in a dream the whole day. There’s nothing we would change and will enjoy the memories of that day for a lifetime.”

The honeymoon

The couple went on a mini-moon to Iceland in February, and are saving to buy a home together.

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Sarah Tressa and David Grega were united in marriage on Saturday, June 13, 2015, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Swoyersville, by Father Joseph Pisaneschi, followed by a cocktail hour and reception at The Westmoreland Club, Wilkes-Barre.

The bride is the daughter of Michael and Michele Tressa, Forty Fort. She is the granddaughter of Michael and Bonnie Dailey, Watertown, South Dakota, and the late Raymond and Sophie Tressa, Swoyersville.

The groom is the son of David and Diane Grega, Kingston. He is the grandson of Frank and the late Delores Walkowiak, Edwardsville and Helen and the late Vincent Grega, Dunmore.

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The bride was given in marriage by her father and chose her sister Kathryn Tressa, Forty Fort, as her maid of honor. Bridesmaids were sister of the groom, Danielle Grega, Kingston; Katelyn Pitcavage, Dallas; Nicole Maffei, Pringle; Chelsea Wilson, Kingston, and Kate Bowen, State College, friends of the bride.

The groom chose brother of the bride Andrew Tressa, Forty Fort as his best man; Groomsmen were brother of the bride Michael Tressa, Chicago; Richard Pitcavage, Dallas; Thomas Benesky, Kingston; Gennero Zangardi, Pittston, and Joseph Graziano, Pittston, friends of the groom.

Mrs. Grega is a 2008 graduate of Wyoming Valley West High School and a 2014 graduate of Wilkes University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood/elementary education with a concentration in special education and a minor in reading. She is currently employed as a teacher at Wyoming Valley Children’s Association, Forty Fort.

Mr. Grega is a 2004 graduate of Wyoming Valley West High School and a 2008 graduate of Wilkes University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He is currently employed as an audit manager at McGrail, Merkel, Quinn and Associates, P.C., Scranton.

The Bride was honored at a bridal shower hosted by her mother and bridesmaids at the Gallery at Pierce Plaza, Kingston, in April.

The couple honeymooned in Hawaii and reside in Kingston with their dogs, Duke and Landry.

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