MAYOKUN Emerald and Gold Aso Oke Bridal Outfit | Yoruba Traditional Wedding Attire with Gele

Emerald aso oke woven through with gold, so the cloth reads deep green in shadow and molten bronze in the light. Rows of hand-strung emerald beads across the shoulders and down the body, a scalloped beaded hem, and a matching gele. Made for Mayokun, cut to measure for you.

The cloth

Aso oke is woven in narrow strips on a traditional loom and hand-joined into panels. This one runs gold metallic thread through an emerald ground, and the effect is genuinely dramatic: look at the indoor shots and it is bronze, look at the outdoor shots and the green comes forward. It is one cloth photographed on one day.

That behaviour is worth understanding before you choose it. Under warm hall lighting the gold dominates. In daylight and in flash the green does. If you have a fixed idea of which one you want to be wearing in the photographs, tell us and we adjust the ratio of metallic thread when the cloth is woven.

The beadwork

This is where the hours go. Emerald beads are strung in close parallel rows across the shoulders and around the neckline, forming a bib that follows the scalloped edge of the bodice rather than sitting on top of it. Further beads scatter down the body in loose vertical runs, thinning as they descend, and the hem finishes in a scalloped beaded border that catches light every time you take a step.

All of it is worked by hand and tonally matched to the cloth, not contrasted against it. That is a deliberate choice. On a metallic ground, contrasting beadwork competes with the weave and both lose.

The cut

A scalloped neckline sits wide across the collarbone, with long sleeves fitted through the arm and finishing in a beaded scallop at the wrist. Below the waist the line is a clean fitted column to the floor. Nothing here is oversized or draped, which is unusual for a trad and is the reason this outfit photographs as sharp rather than ceremonial.

The gele

Woven from the same cloth and shaped to your head, not bought in as a generic pre-tie. It arrives already formed and ready to place, so you are not depending on finding a gele tier at seven in the morning. It is included with the outfit.

The bridal fan

The beaded fan carrying the bride’s name is the detail that ends up in every photograph, and it is the piece guests remember. Ours are made to order in the same palette as the outfit, with your name set in metallic lettering. Tell us at the point of ordering, since a personalised fan cannot be made at short notice.

On the day

Photographed at the traditional ceremony, styled with coral beads, a gold floral choker and a beaded clutch. The metallic ground is what lets this outfit sit in a green palette without disappearing into it, which matters when the whole party is dressed in one colour. We make the bride’s outfit only. The groom’s attire shown in these photographs is not a Bojamiley piece.

Included

• The outfit, cut to your size or to your measurements
• Matching aso oke gele, shaped and ready to place
• Garment bag

Personalised beaded fan priced separately. Beads, bag, shoes and jewellery shown are styling and not included. We make the bride’s outfit only.

Details

Woven in your colour

Emerald and gold as shown, but the cloth is woven to order, so the colour is open. Royal blue and silver, burgundy and gold, the classical etu indigo and sanyan beige, or an exact match to your aso ebi palette from a swatch photograph. The beadwork is then matched to whatever ground you choose.

Regular alterations: a heavier or lighter bead run, a plain hem instead of the scallop, a wider or narrower sleeve, a fuller gele, an ipele shoulder sash, and simplified versions for mothers, sisters and the aso ebi group. Group orders need a much longer runway, since every metre is woven before anything is cut.

Ordering from outside Nigeria

Most brides who commission an outfit like this never see the Lagos studio before the box arrives. The process is a video consultation, a measurement guide we send so a local tailor takes the numbers correctly, progress photographs through production, and tracked shipping. We deliver routinely to the UK, US, Canada, Ireland and Australia.

Plan for two things. Weaving plus this density of hand beadwork takes weeks, and the atelier accepts a limited number of bridal commissions each season, so send your date before ordering and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible. And import duty is charged by your own customs authority on arrival, not by us. Ask for the declared value and commodity code up front so you can check your rate.