13 Hidden Wedding Costs You Should Know About When Planning Your Nigerian Wedding
Every couple’s wish is to be able to stick to their wedding budget. However, these hidden costs keep creeping up and significantly increasing the wedding budget.
Many times, couples are not always prepared for these hidden costs and may end up being frustrated at how much they still have to spend on all these hidden costs.
To ensure that you are able to stick to your wedding budget, it is important to take note of these hidden costs you are most likely to encounter when planning your wedding in Nigeria and be prepared for them.
In this article, I would be sharing some of the factors that affects these hidden costs, when planning a Nigerian Wedding.
Hidden Wedding Costs To Factor In When Planning A Nigerian Wedding
1. SERVICE FEES AND LOGISTICS.
Almost every Nigerian Wedding vendor charge a percentage for service fee and logistics and this is normally not part of the main fee.
WEDDING TIP: Whenever you get a quote from a Nigerian Vendor, be sure to ask them for the service fee and logistics fee, because not all of them remember to add it to their quotation.
2. TRANSPORTATION AND ACCOMMODATION EXPENSES
It may surprise you that apart from the normal running around transportation expenses, your vendors may actually charge a fee for this, especially if your event is out of state for the vendor. (Destination Weddings too)
Even for some in state vendors like your makeup artist, hair stylist, photographers and videographers may have to come to your hotel a day before to ensure that there are no disappointments where time management is concerned.
WEDDING TIP: Do not assume that a vendor has included transportation and accommodation fees in their invoices. A lot of Nigerian vendors do not include these two items in their invoices, so be sure to ask them about it, because this may be different from their service fees.
3. COMPLIMENTARY SERVICES
Some add-on services come at an extra cost. For example, a makeup artist may not add any complementary services to their packages, so you may have to pay extra for touch-up’s. Your wedding planner may charge extra to provide coordinators that would help assist or may charge extra for other complimentary services, which may not be a part of their main services, like asoebu shopping and sorting.
4. SET UP AND TEAR DOWN
So I recently started seeing this fee in some decorator’s packages and was wondering what’s up… but the truth is that some decorators charge a fee for set up and tear down and this is not a part of their main fee. And it may run into millions, depending on the vendor.
5. VENDOR MEALS
Many Nigerian Wedding Planners have argued whether or not vendors deserve to be given food at weddings or not.
Well, I say give them food. Because whether or not you do, Nigerian vendors will find a way to get food from the caterers. So if you do not prepare adequately for them, you will end up with a shortage of food because vendors can count up to 100 or more depending on how large the wedding is and the number of vendors providing services for the event.
6. AFTER-PARTY COST
I honestly don’t know where to begin with thus. After-party cost can run up to millions depending on how ‘lavida’ you want your guests to enjoy the wedding after-party. From the cost of the After Party Props, to the after party chops, drinks, mobile bar and all the paparazzi that comes with it… one could only imagine how much extra these would cost.
WEDDING TIP: After-party costs is totally separate from the main reception expenses. It is like a party on it’s own. In fact, most friends of the couple do not come for the main event. They start to arrive in the evening just in time for the after-party.
7. MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES
Many times, Nigerian couples do not understand why a percentage of their wedding budget goes to Miscellaneous expenses, as they believe that since they have paid for everything on the budget, they do not need miscellaneous…
You’d be surprised at how many other things that would crop up and would need emergency funds. You wouldn’t want your Wedding Planner coming to you at every moment demanding for some money to sort out some things.
WEDDING TIP: To make this easier for you, just set aside 10% of the total wedding budget or it can be included in your wedding budget. I include a 5% or 10% of the total wedding budget in all my client’s wedding budget summaries. This fee is for all the unforseen things that may crop up. The post-event analysis will state what percentage of the money was spent and what would be returned to the couple.
8. OVER-TIME COSTS
Many vendors will charge an overtime cost, especially for the reception after- party. Starting with the venue (and this does not come cheap, as they charge per hour and this can range from N50,000 to N250,000 per hour).
Some Nigerian Wedding Vendors, like your DJ, MC, Ushers, Makeup Artist, hair stylist etc… will also charge an additional fee for staying over-time at your event.
Related: All You Need To Know Before Choosing A Venue For Your Nigerian Wedding
9. V.A.T
What is VAT? VAT is a consumption tax paid on all goods and services provided in or imported into Nigeria. VAT, which is currently charged at the rate of 7.5% is payable by individuals, companies, and government agencies.
Many Nigerian Wedding Vendors now include VAT in their quotes and it is about 7.5% of the total fees, so be prepared for this additional cost from some of your vendors.
WEDDING TIP: While some Nigerian wedding vendors charge for VAT separately, some vendors have already included this in their main fee. So you may see something like: Main Fees- N1,000,000 (VAT included) on some of the invoices you may get.
10. BRANDING OR CUSTOMISATION
Personalised items cost more than normal items. Your decorator may charge you an extra fee to have your walkway branded or customized to your taste. Your drinks vendor may charge an extra fee to brand your wedding drinks too.
11. CORKAGE FEES
Some wedding venues won’t allow you bring in your food and drinks, as they have in-house vendors for this. But if you choose to bring in your drinks, you may be requested to pay a corkage fee and this fee DOES NOT come cheap.
WEDDING TIP: It is advisable to use these in-houe vendors if you are bent on using the wedding venue… because by the time you will calculate how much the corkage fee will cost to bring in your own food and drinks, it may not be worth it to pay that much for corkage and still pay a separate vendor for your food and drinks.
12. COURT/CIVIL MARRIAGE LICENSE
Court/Civil marriage in Nigeria is a big deal and you would spend a couple thousands of Naira to get married legally in Nigeria.
13. THEMED WEDDINGS
For a Themed Wedding in Nigeria to come out nicely, all the vendors would have to bring their A-games… because without this, it would look like a normal wedding. Vendors will charge extra to incorporate your theme elements and this does not come cheap.
WEDDING TIP: Themed weddings are more expensive in Nigeria because it is not the norm for us. Many of these decor themed accents would have to be made from scratch or imported. Besides many of these wedding themes may not be repeated for a long time. It is advisable to inform your Nigerian wedding vendors about your wedding theme from the onset, you can also send your vendors a moodboard of what is expected of them. This way, they would bill you accordingly and then you can start to bargain.
14. WEDDING STATIONERY
Wedding stationery in Nigeria means Wedding invitations and wedding programmes… but Wedding Stationery is quite broad and may include guestbooks, table name cards, thank you cards, hand props and basically all things paper, bridal party cards etc. This can also add up to your wedding budget.
WEDDING TIP: Make a list of all the wedding stationery apart from your Wedding Invitations that you may be needing. You can even go online and check for some wedding stationery ideas… Get a quote for this and add it to your wedding budget.
Which hidden wedding cost did you have to pay for during your wedding? Share with us in the comment section.
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X.O.X.O Your Integrity Planner
Olamide~ The Heiress
Head Planner,
La’ Heiress Weddings