ANNIE/2FACE’S SAT. MARCH 23 DUBAI WEDDING

THE SHAPE OF ANNIE/2FACE’S SAT. MARCH 23 DUBAI WEDDING

+ Preparations @ feverish pitch

+ Fall-out of the Eket traditional marriage carnival

COME Saturday, March 23, 2013, wonder boy of pop, 2Face Innocent Idibia would conclude his marital journey with long-time lover and Nollywood actress, Annie Uwana Macaulay.  To be staged outside our shores, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to be precise, ENCOMIUM Weekly previews the celebrity wedding many have been looking up to...

THE AUTHENTIC GUEST LIST(?)

About 250 guests are expected to attend 2Face/Annie's white wedding in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Here are some of their guests…

Ini Edo-Ehigwina, Kate Henshaw, Susan Peters, Chika Ike, Sound Sultan, Efe Omorogbe, Chef Tony Okoroj, Larry Gaga, Ayo Animashaun, Stephen, Hyacinth and Charles Idibia, bride's parents, groom's parents, Wisdom Macaulay, Kcee, Iyanya, Timaya, D’Banj, Faze, Tony Tetuila, Ubi-Franklin, Akwa Ibom State delegation, MaryAnn Bassey, Julius Agwu, Keke and D1, Genevieve Nnaji, Rita Dominic, Frank Okamigbo, Bisi Olatilo, Chief Dele Momodu, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Ayeni Adekunle, Bayo Omisore, Hassan Muhammed, Chinedu Ikedieze, Osita Iheme, Moses Armstrong, Senators Ita-Giwa and Helen Esuene, Dotun Omotoye and wife, Kween…

JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL IS WEDDING VENUE

Like ENCOMIUM Weekly first exclusively reported, 2Face and Annie's white wedding would be held at Jumeirah Beach Hotel (JBH), Dubai's luxury beach hotel.  It is precisely taking place at the Safinah Ballroom amidst tight security.  The church wedding would be followed by a cocktail.

HOW THE WHITE WEDDING WOULD GO

There would be a two-hour church service at Jumeirah Beach Hotel from 3 to 5 p.m.  A clergy  from Nigeria would solemnize Annie/2Face marital union and declare them man and wife!

THE WEDDING RECEPTION

Multiple sources have hinted that the couple's guests would be ferried to one of the 19 beach resorts of JBH, Royal Beach Island for the wedding reception.  Largely sponsored by 2Face's billionaire pal, Ayiri Amani, guests would start leaving JBH at 5.30 p.m for the star-studded ceremony kicking off around 7 p.m.  Ayiri's yacht, we also scooped have been reserved for the couple.

Royal Beach Island is an exotic beach facility, and the toast of blue-blooded Arabians and high-heeled foreign nationals who can afford it.  The reception would be rounded off around 12 a.m in time for an after party at Kiza Club owned by Nigerians.

A ROYAL TREAT

Call it a royal treat for 250 lucky guests.  It is also a buffet setting with sumptuous meals on offer at an exotic venue generally called The Royal Island Beach Lebanon - the world Dubai.  And the couple have not stopped telling gate crashers that attendance is strictly by invitation.

WE FIRST TOLD YOU IT'S OAKEN 

EVENTS THAT'S TAKEN CHARGE

Oaken Events, Ayiri Oladunjoye's events management company is still managing 2Face/Annie Dubai white wedding.  And like ENCOMIUM Weekly exclusively reported, they are fully in charge right now.

BRIDE AND GROOM’S WEARS ARE READY

Haunted by the embarrassing delay in delivering the groom's attires at the traditional wedding, the couple have already taken delivery of their wedding wears.  Annie's £20,000 fabulous wedding dress by Yvonne Couture is now reportedly history as she may have settled for a Nigerian-born UK designer.  ENCOMIUM Weekly was reliably informed that Annie’s £7,000 (N1.7m) wedding gown was inspired by Kosibah’s creative director, Yemi Osunkoya.  2Face is also said to have finalized arrangement for his designer suit for the Dubai wedding.

ABOUT ANNIE'S $12,000 GOLD LACED

 CHAMPAGNE DIAMOND RING

2Face's wife would also be walking down the aisle with a precious diamond ring.  The gold-laced champagne diamond ring cost 2Face about $12,000!

HOTEL RESERVATIONS CONCLUDED

Those running things for the couple have since made provisions for their guests.  Some of the hotels they booked are Frazier Hotel and D'Atlantic Hotel.  Annie and her friends and family would be staying in Jumeirah Beach Hotel while Burj Arab, a seven-star hotel has been reserved for 2Face, D'Banj, Iyanya, Sound Sultan, Ayiri Emami, movie stars and politicians attending the wedding.

911 BAND BOOKED FOR THE DAY

With D'Banj, Timaya and Iyanya support, 911, the popular Warri, Delta State based live band would be performing at the wedding reception.

THE BRIDAL TRAIN

With Annie's cousin and friend, MaryAnn as chief bridesmaid, and oil and gas baron and 2Face's pal of many years, Larry Gaga chosen as best man, the bridal train is already set to Dubai.  Hyacinth Idibia, 2Face's kid brother and Sound Sultan, Faze, D’Banj and Tony Tetuila are also part of it.

WHY THEY'RE HIDING THE 

WHITE WEDDING INVITE

I'm sure you haven't seen the couple's invitation card for the Dubai white wedding.  Don't lose sleep over that, you are not alone.  The invite is quietly being passed on to those on their guest list.  In fact, this invite was already out during the Eket traditional marriage.  It was further revealed that it is only being given to those who are 100 per cent sure they can fund their trip to the world's tourist haven for the celebrity wedding.

FORGET THE N100M 

WEDDING BUDGET RUMOUR

You and I know that 2Baba largely lives on goodwill.  Again, he's not the loud type.  For instance, at the Eket traditional wedding, the pop star didn't go for a five-star hotel in Uyo, the state capital.  Even at Villa Vanila, Senator Helen Esuene's hotel he lodged, he shunned the Diplomatic Suite and settled for a more economy apartment at less than N40,000 per night at a discount!  Movie and music stars that lodged in any five-star hotel obviously had their hotel bills picked by 'sponsors'.

Food was not a free-for-all-thing at the hotel, guests were lodged as many would have expected.  And at the traditional wedding venue, you can count the bottle of drinks, alcoholic and beverages consumed there.  That is 2Face and his extremely frugal wife, Annie for you.  Where then is 2Face spending almost N100 million when about 90 per cent of his guests would be flying and accommodating themselves in Dubai?  If this is the case, the couple's personal money that would go into the Dubai wedding might not be more than N20 million!  The major financier of the Dubai wedding is Ayiri Emami.

THE LOW KEY LAGOS BACH EVE

The social media was agog with news that the couple were to organize a bachelor's eve at a lounge at Elegushi Beach on Friday, March 15, 2013.  The party held and it was practically a low key affair.

ANNIE GETS MORE ‘ENEMIES’

There are side talks from left, right and centre insinuating that Annie has the final say in who gets invited to their wedding.  And her friends and fans have defended that it's her day.  Right or wrong, this has won her more enemies than friends.  Not a few close friends and artistes are also complaining that unnecessary secrecy is being wrapped around the much-talked about wedding.  This may explain why only few of 2Face's colleagues in the music industry stormed Eket for the traditional marriage.  

There may be no room to settle issues again since the Dubai wedding is even more private than the Eket traditional wedding.  2Face has, however, been calling those who were not invited to apologise to them.

PREPARATION FOR DUBAI 

AT FEVERISH PITCH

All is now set for 2Face/Annie white wedding holding this weekend in Dubai, United Arab Emirates capital.  The over 200 guests would have secured their visas and booked flight to and fro the world's tourist capital.  The crew and service providers would also fly in early this week while those on Etihad flight would leave our shores this Wednesday or Friday morning since they don't usually schedule flights on Thursdays.  

AKPABIO RECANTS ON CAR GIFT

Governor Godswill Akpabio has surprisingly made a u-turn on his pronouncement on Friday, March 8, 2013, at the Apostolic High School, Esit Urua, along Eket-Ibeno Road, Eket, Akwa Ibom State.  Interestingly, ENCOMIUM Weekly was there and recorded the Action Governor's speech.  It is true Chief Akpabio didn't promise two Prado jeeps as wedding gifts.  That wouldn't make sense since they are one.  It was only an assumption taken too far.  Trust the generous governor, if not the public outrage that greeted his wedding largesse, 2Face and Annie would have been luckier. 

 They have since received the brand new Prado jeep.

We had also maintained that the governor made reference to sponsoring 20 guests and not 29 to Dubai.  But where Dr. Akpabio lied is in the 'senseless' twist that the government is sponsoring 20 members of the bride's family.  That's not true.  Dr. Godswill Akpabio said the state government would be sponsoring a 20-man government delegation to Dubai.  Let the truth be said.

After all, Annie Uwana Warrie Macaulay is from the oil-producing part of the state that largely accounts for the billions her governor is throwing about.  She is from Idung Adiakot, Esit Urua, Eket Local Government of Akwa Ibom State.

THE DUST RAISED BY

 AKPABIO’S CASH GIFTS

Governor Akpabio's present at Annie/2Face wedding was obviously the most significant part of the event.  But the dark side of it is the blanket categorization of movie and music stars including news men as those he gave jumbo cash gifts.  We have since found out that those close to the governor know best what they did with his money.

CULLED FROM ENCOMIUM MAGAZINE