Nigeria's mass wedding - and how to tell lovers from fraudsters in Kano - BBC News

The scheme is for couples who cannot afford the significant financial costs associated with marriage.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, All the new wedding outfits are paid for by the Kano state government

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 to 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.