‘You Don’t Need A Big Wedding’: Ruth Kadiri Shares Marriage Advice With Young Couples

Nollywood actress Ruth Kadiri has urged young couples to resist the pressure to organise expensive weddings, saying elaborate ceremonies can place unnecessary stress on relationships at the beginning of married life.

Kadiri gave the advice in a video shared on her Instagram page, where she spoke about the mental, emotional and financial consequences of planning weddings primarily to satisfy societal expectations.

The actress argued that many couples fail to consider how the pressure associated with wedding preparations can affect their relationship after the celebration ends.

According to her, a couple may spend years dating happily before experiencing a different level of pressure when preparing for marriage and organising a large wedding.

She questioned whether intending couples had considered how the ceremony itself could change their emotional experience of entering married life.

“I do think that big weddings put pressure on couples; it puts pressure on the marriage itself. Big weddings put pressure on people, and they don’t seem to have realised that,” she said.

Kadiri added that her concerns were not limited to spirituality or financial expenditure, explaining that mental health should also be considered when couples make wedding plans.

The filmmaker, who said she had been married for seven years, drew on her own experience to encourage couples to choose simpler celebrations.

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She explained that she did not have the elaborate wedding experience she believes many people now pursue and suggested that her approach had helped her marriage.

“I never had that kind of marriage, I didn’t, and I feel like it’s part of why I’m successful,” she said.

Kadiri recommended that couples conduct their traditional marriage rites with a small gathering of close relatives. For those planning a civil or white wedding, she suggested inviting approximately 30 guests, obtaining a pastor’s blessing and returning home afterwards.

She argued that couples should not feel compelled to organise multiple ceremonies simply because society expects them to do so.

The actress also warned that excessive wedding expenses could leave couples dealing with financial strain and anxiety when they should be concentrating on their new life together.

However, she went beyond financial concerns by suggesting that some people invited to wedding ceremonies could expose couples to spiritual harm. She linked such concerns to difficulties some couples allegedly experience after marriage, including problems having children. These claims reflect her personal beliefs rather than established evidence.

Kadiri also addressed parental pressure, urging families to stop demanding immediate success and financial contributions from young people.

She said the current generation needed to change expectations that place excessive burdens on children.

Her message has highlighted the importance of setting realistic wedding budgets, communicating openly as partners and making decisions based on personal circumstances rather than public approval.