WNBA Star Chiney Ogwumike and Boxer Raphael Akpejiori Marry in Epic Four-Day Wedding Celebration (2024)

Chinenye "Chiney" Ogwumike has tied the knot!

On Monday, the two-time WNBA All-Star and ESPN host, 31, announced she had married heavyweight boxer and mechanical engineer Ethasor "Raphael" Akpejiori, 33, via The Knot. The couple celebrated their nuptials in an epic, four-day event that included not one, but two wedding ceremonies and a staggering 10 different bridal looks for Ogwumike.

The festivities kicked off with a welcome party on Nov. 15 at Ogwumike's family home, followed the next day by a traditional Nigerian ceremony at the Igbo Catholic Community Center in Houston, Texas, which was attended by more than 900 guests. Ogwumike is a first-generation Nigerian-American, and Akpejiori was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria.

"It was a royal celebration of Nigerian culture, family and community," the athlete tells PEOPLE. To pull it all off, she worked with wedding planner Doyin Fash in collaboration with The Knot.

Ogwumike added, "The Knot helped tremendously, particularly with vendors and the invitations."

Per Ogwumike's Igbo culture, the ceremony unfolded in three stages, beginning with the groom introduction and bride's welcome. During the "Wine Carry" stage, Ogwumike went "on a search" for Akpejiori.

"He's hiding in the crowd, she finds him and offers him palm wine to drink, he drinks it and they go receive a blessing from her parents," she explains.

Next, the bride and groom were married and officially introduced as a married couple. At that point, Ogwumike became an Edo bride as she assumed her husband's culture.

The ceremony also incorporated other Nigerian wedding traditions including the presentation of the kola nut, a prayer of thanks to the lineage and people who came before the couple, and the blessing of the newlyweds by their parents.

In a touching detail, Ogwumike's mother sketched and designed many of her Nigerian wedding looks for the day with the help of two "top-notch" Nigerian tailors. "My mom also sourced all of the wedding fabrics," Ogwumike adds.

The bride donned a blue look by Anulika Ugwu symbolizing her "maiden" status, followed by a traditional white beaded Igbo look by Sapphire Lily that showed she was "ready for marriage." After she and Akpejiori married and received their parents' blessing, Ogwumike wore a traditional Edo red strapless gown adorned with coral beads by Anulika Ugwu.

Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a buffet of traditional Nigerian foods including coconut rice, rice with stew, yam porridge, abacha, moi-moi, egg rolls, meatballs, puff puff, nuts and plantain chips.

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On Nov. 17, amid their wedding events, Ogwumike and Akpejiori — who got engaged on Christmas Eve last year — attended a Burna Boy concert at the Toyota Center with some of their loved ones. The couple has a special connection to the Nigerian singer, as they met up at one of his Los Angeles shows for their very first date after meeting on a dating app. They also saw him perform in Miami on their first anniversary together.

"With help from the Houston Rockets, we surprised our wedding party, family and friends with tickets to the concert," Ogwumike tells PEOPLE of the Toyota Center outing. "I got to present Burna with his own custom Houston Rockets jersey after the concert alongside my older sister Nneka Ogwumike and my guy!"

For the occasion, Ogwumike wore a custom two-piece set by Anit Cuts. "I went with apant set comboso that I could move and have fun at the concert," she explains. "Also, I was wearing dresses all weekend so I wanted a different look for Burna Boy."

The next day, on Nov. 18, the couple said "I do" all over again — this time, in a "white wedding" ceremony held at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, surrounded by 700 guests. Ogumike worked with Nigerian designer Nneka Alexander of Brides by Nona to create a custom gown for the occasion.

"I said yes to the sketch on WhatsApp!" she jokes of the virtual design process with Alexander, which ended up going down to the wire. "I tried on the dress for the first time just 10 days before the wedding."

To honor her culture, Ogwumike also wore a traditional Nigerian dress, a yellow design featuring a 10-foot detachable train. She later changed into a black party dress with hip cutouts and ombré beading.

Her wedding jewelry — including her engagement ring and wedding band — was designed by Happy Jewelers in Fullerton, California.

The newlyweds celebrated their marriage with a reception at the Sans Souci Ballroom in Tomball, Texas, the town where Chiney was born. Celebrity guests included former WNBA player Lisa Leslie, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, retired NFL star Emmanuel Acho and singer Tamar Braxton.

Dinner was a buffet featuring a fusion of southern cuisines and Nigerian delicacies, including Italian butter chicken, jollof rice, coconut rice, sweet yams, vegetable lasagna, Singapore noodles, southwest cabbage and greens, meat pie and suya bites.

Due to their busy work schedules, the couple plans to forgo a honeymoon in favor of a series of "mini-moons" throughout 2024. "Extended weekend trips to places like Bora Bora, Aruba and beyond. We are looking forward to it!" Ogwumike says.