A CHURCH in Braintree was the focus of a white wedding with a difference.
St Michael's Church in Braintree was the setting for the marriage of Bibiana and Sam Bajoba, both 26, whose families are from Nigeria.
The couple arranged to be wed at St Michael's Anglican church in Braintree by the Reverend Charles Mason, before having a reception at The Fennes country house in Bocking.
But what made it unusual was the presence of the BBC, filming for a series called A Very British Wedding, which highlights the variety of multicultural weddings that take place in British society today.
Revd. Mason said: "Sam and Bibi realised that they couldn't have their reception at The Fenns and get married at their church in London – that was going to be much too far. Then they realised that finding a church wasn't like picking a restaurant."
But despite going against convention, Revd. Mason agreed to marry the couple, who live in east London, on the condition that they travelled to worship at St Michael's for at least six months.
Only then was he informed about the film crew who would be attending.
"We were committed to the wedding before we were committed to the filming," he laughed.
"It took up a lot of my time, but it was enjoyable. It was very interesting because we have all probably seen things like that happening in other countries, like when the Queen visits, but to have it in your own quite traditional church, where everybody is joining in and dancing in the pews, it is very natural to them but quite strange to us."
Sam and Bibi's wedding took place in July last year, and while Bibi, a dentist, wore a traditional white wedding gown, guests donned traditional Nigerian dress and the service featured some of their Pentecostal-style worship.
"As an experience it was very refreshing, and I hope that what came across in the film was that we sought to accommodate them," added Revd. Mason, who has since wed another couple in a similar Pentecostal fashion.
Episode Two of A Very British Wedding is available to view on BBC iPlayer until April 9.
