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Celebrations have turned the northern Nigerian city of Kano into a riot of colour and excitement over the last week as 1,500 couples married at a mass wedding.
For days the city's streets have been buzzing with bridal parties and their families preparing outfits and attending other organised events.
On Friday, brides in red hijabs with grooms in matching red hats and white robes went the palace of the Emir, the city's traditional Muslim leader, for the main ceremony where they officially became husband and wife.
The nuptials culminated on Saturday with a wedding breakfast hosted by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who offered his blessing to the newlyweds.
The Kano state government sponsored this initiative, spending 1.5bn naira ($1m; £815,000) to support those tying the knot - providing the bride's dowry and furniture for the couple's first home.
Mujahid Aminudeen, deputy commander-general of the Hisbah, the city's Islamic police force, admits it is not an easy task.
"Whenever we find out that there's something dubious or fishy about a couple, we disqualify them," he tells the BBC.
He says some couples will go to great lengths to convince the authorities that they are a genuine love match when their eye is more on the benefits on offer.
- Author: Mansur Abubakar, BBC
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