Sarah Omakwu, founder of the Family Worship Centre in Abuja, has revealed that she wore a borrowed wedding dress because she and her husband could not afford one at the time.
She shared the story during a sermon on June 21, 2026. According to her, the experience showed that a strong marriage matters more than an expensive wedding ceremony.
Omakwu said they married in the United States with very little money. She recalled that her husband, Ifeanyi Omakwu, could not afford to buy a wedding dress.
She added that a married woman offered her own dress for the occasion. The dress fitted perfectly and was used for the wedding.
“Let me tell you how Pastor Ifeanyi and I got married. We got married in America. I went there; he didn’t have money for my wedding dress. A lady who had married before loaned her wedding dress to me, and somehow it fitted. We were married in the church. It was a nice wedding done by Dr Gizzle then.”
According to Sarah Omakwu, the wedding was a modest church ceremony. She said guests were served a simple drink made from Kool-Aid, sugar, water and orange slices before leaving for their homes.
She said:
“After the wedding, they served Kool-Aid outside in a foyer. It is just sugar and colour and water. They sprinkled oranges on it, and people drank it and went home.”
She criticised the trend of lavish weddings. According to her, spending millions on a ceremony does not guarantee a successful marriage.
The cleric said many couples invest heavily in their wedding day, only for the relationship to break down soon afterwards.
“Spending N40, N50, N60 million on weddings, then after six months they are divorced,” she said.
Sarah Omakwu has advised women not to place financial pressure on their partners over wedding expenses.
She said the focus should be on choosing the right life partner and building a stable home, rather than spending heavily on a lavish wedding celebration.
“I want to encourage the ladies, please don’t put anybody under stress or under pressure. Please, you can take pictures, you can wear your wedding gown and take pictures.”
In the caption of a video shared on Instagram on June 21, she said many people postpone marriage because of the high cost of weddings.
She urged women not to focus on elaborate ceremonies, saying a simple wedding is enough to start a godly home.
She then cited Proverbs 17:1 to support her message.
“Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.”
