16 Common Misconceptions About Nigerian Wedding Planning That Couples Still Believe in 2023
Thousands of people are misled every day by things they take as truths because some so-called “professional” posted it online. The same is true for Nigerian couples who are planning their Nigerian weddings.
There are a lot of false and very misleading information about the best way to plan your wedding, plastered all over the internet just waiting to be believed Hook line and sinker by naive newly-engaged couples.
Beware of wedding bloggers, particularly those who are not familiar with Nigerian weddings, A lot of them do not have the slightest idea about what it entails to plan a wedding, let alone a Nigerian wedding, as they may not have a proper understanding of the planning process.
They are only trying to attract people to their website by telling them what they think they want to hear.
Some of these misconceptions stems from the online professionals, while some are from just what people think Nigerian wedding planning is all about.
This article is to help you know some of these misconceptions and to also help you understand how these misconceptions can mislead you.
What Are These Nigerian Wedding Planning Misconceptions?
1. The smaller the guestlist, the lesser the wedding cost
I included the year “2023” in the title because some of the misconceptions I am addressing were previously accurate, especially before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this is no longer the case. Nigerian weddings have undergone A LOT of changes since the pandemic. Even if you plan to invite a small number of guests, such as 50, be prepared for significant expenses.
The cost of a Nigerian wedding planner, for example, is not determined by the number of guests, but rather by the amount of work required for the planning. Some will charge the same fee for a wedding with 150 guests as they would for one with 500 guests.
It is possible to spend up to N10 million Naira on a wedding that can accommodate 150 guests. Prices have been increasing among vendors following the COVID-19 pandemic, with various factors contributing to this, such as the poor Nigerian economy.
Related: Creating A Realistic Nigerian Wedding Budget For 2023: All You Need To Know
2. The cost of decoration cannot be more than the cost of the wedding venue.
When my couples ask and wonder why their decorator is charging more than the cost of their wedding venue, I chuckle and try to explain to them that the cost of the venue is not directly proportional to how much the decor will cost.
The decoration of the wedding venue can be one of the most costly expenses for your wedding. Decor expenses will make up a significant portion of your wedding budget.
There are numerous factors that influence the cost of wedding decor, such as the size of the venue, theme, wedding colors (some of which may need to be imported), location, type of decorator, and decorative accents.
WEDDING TIP: Unlike before, Decorators now charge according to the size of the hall and not necessarily your number of guests. For example, if your guestlist is 500 and your hall’s capacity is for 1000 guests. The decor accents the decorator will need for a 1000 capacity hall, is much more than a 500 seating capacity hall.
3. Coordination Wedding Planning packages are easier to manage
Many couples assume that they can save money by finding all vendors and hiring a coordinator to manage the day’s events. However, what these coordinators may not mention is that while some cost savings may be possible, it can be much more stressful for the coordinator to coordinate vendors that they did not provide or recommend.
The Wedding Vendors may have different work ethics, that the planner may not be used to and it may be very difficult to achieve a coordinated event despite having a coordinator to oversee the activities of the day. Besides, there are a lot of other things that can go wrong.
Related: Basic Nigerian Wedding Planning Packages (pros and cons)
4. That the internet’s average wedding cost in Nigeria is not what it actually is.
Let me first start by saying this: DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET.
When you search online, you would see a lot of topics on how much an everage wedding should cost in Nigeria. However, a lot of these posts are far from being accurate.
Many times, couples fail to go beyond that number and consider all of the variables that will affect the price tag attached to their wedding budget.
For instance, you might have to inquire with your preferred vendors and find out that getting married in areas such as Abuja or Lagos in Nigeria can make your wedding significantly more costly.
These bloggers tend to present an idealized version of events and don’t want to tell you the real facts, so your focus is diverted away from the reality.
WEDDING TIP: Be aware of the term “average.” Consider whether you want an “average” wedding, and what that even means. How is the average cost determined? Many of the wedding costs you see online are based on various, often random, surveys conducted by magazines and social media, leaving room for inaccuracies when calculating the average.
You may want to read This Article where I talked about all the factors you need to consider when creating your realistic Nigerian wedding budget.
5. Your wedding is all about you
Many brides have the attitude of “the wedding is all about me.” I regret to inform you that a wedding is not solely about the bride. Brides are often more invested in ensuring everything is perfect, which is why it may appear as if the wedding is centered around them.
While it is your special day, if you adopt an inflexible attitude in your wedding preparations, it will likely cause feelings of dissatisfaction among your groom, parents, and loved ones.
A wedding celebration is incomplete without the presence of your loved ones, so creating a pleasant ambiance and mood is the best way to show appreciation for everyone who has supported you on your journey.
6. Outdoor weddings are less expensive than indoor weddings
Outdoor weddings in Nigeria can be costly because many amenities are not included with an outdoor venue. Besides the additional rental fees, vendors may charge extra for various services, which can significantly increase your wedding budget.
7. Just because your wedding is on a week day, guests won’t show up
Nigerians are known for their love of parties, regardless of the day of the week. I recall a wedding I planned on June 12th, 2020, even though there were rumors of a protest happening, the guests still attended and the hall was packed.
The one way guests may not show up for a Nigerian wedding is if the wedding venue is very far away from where they reside.
8. Week-day weddings are less expensive than Weekend weddings
In the past, it may have been possible to save money by having a wedding on a weekday rather than a weekend. However, in today’s Nigeria, many vendors do not offer any discounts for weddings held on weekdays and the cost is the same as a weekend wedding.
Some Nigerian wedding venues may give discounts for week day events, but these discounts may be very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
9. The Day- Of Coordinator’s role starts on the day of the wedding.
I find it amusing when people claim that ‘day-of’ coordination services only involve the day of the wedding, because in reality, it typically involves months of planning and coordination. As a result, the fees for this service are usually higher than people anticipate when they first inquire about it.
Many blogs suggest that you hire a day-of coordinator instead of a planner, but I’m sorry to break it to you, except you want your wedding to be a total disaster, there is nothing like a day-of coordinator.
A coordinator start their job weeks before the day of the event.
As I have mentioned earlier, Wedding Co-ordination is the most stressful of all the Nigerian wedding planning packages. So stressful that some Nigerian Wedding Planners have completely yanked it out of their wedding planning packages. There is absolutely nothing easy about a Planner coordinating vendors that they may not worked with before and don’t understand their work ethics.
Besides the couple not understanding the right questions to ask these vendors before hiring them, there is a very high chance that a lot of details would not be communicated well and this can pose a big problem on the day of the event.
Coordination Wedding Planning packages can also be more expensive than you expect. I normally advise that a coordinator comes on board at least 8 weeks to the wedding.
10. Themed weddings should cost the same as a regular wedding.
As enticing as themed weddings can be, it can also be very expensive. Many Nigerian couples may not understand why this is the case, but I will try to break it down for you.
Themed weddings are not your regular weddings. Besides, only a few couples do themed weddings. As a result, some of the items used may not be used by your wedding vendors for a very long time.
In Nigeria, obtaining themed decorations for a wedding can be costly due to limited availability and options. Often, these items must be custom-made or imported from other countries, resulting in added expenses.
As a Nigerian Wedding Planner myself, and Queen of personal touches, I source for many of my themed props from Amazon and Ali Express, which is an online shopping platform with their manufacturers and sellers in the US and in China.
More so, creative and unconventional wedding venues like Barns, hotels, parks etc don’t come cheap as well. Many of these venues will require additional services like rentals of chairs, tables, canopies etc
11. Wedding Planners will always get you discounts.
It is not always possible for Planners to secure discounts from every vendor, even though we may be able to obtain them from some vendors.
Sometimes, planners are able to get these discounts because of their planner/vendor relationships. So if you provide a vendor, they may not be able to get a discount from the vendor if they do not have any prior relationship.
Moreover, not all Nigerian vendors give planners discount. On the contrary, the couple may even be able to get a better discount from some of the vendors.
12. The more costly option and big-name vendors are better and can deliver quality services.
Perhaps on a subconscious level, we’ve been attuned to believe that good things are expensive things. While that isn’t completely wrong, it isn’t always the case either.
An expensive vendor does not necessarily mean that they will deliver exceptionally services, as I have been disappointed a few times by these costly vendors who charge way higher than their competitors.
Many of these big-name Nigerian Vendors are sometimes too busy to pay attention to your expectations. Sometimes, they pay more attention to those they have a relationship with or those who are paying more money.
Social media also plays a major role in people believing that the costlier vendors will deliver a more exceptional service, as many of these costly vendors have mastered the art of packaging for social media, but in real life, their actual content is rubbish.
13. Newbie wedding vendors charge cheaper than those who have been in the wedding business for years
The Nigerian Wedding Industry, as I have mentioned HERE, have no active event organizations that look into the way event professionals are absolved into the Nigerian event industry.
As a result, some new wedding vendors who may have just started their wedding businesses can charge higher than those who have been in the wedding industry for years. Which means that a newbie with no experience can be costly.
Related: How To Prevent Nigerian Wedding Vendors From Disappointing You.
14. That you need to have variety of things/vendors for your wedding to be successful.
Nigerian weddings have expanded and grown from just having a few vendors to make your event great. These days, you can have as many as 30 to 50 vendors.
The good news is, you can still have a few basic vendors and your wedding will still be great. There are some basic vendors and we also have the extras. Basic vendors may include a decorator, caterer, makeup artist, a DJ or Band, MC etc… while the extras may include special effects, cocktails, desserts, after party paparazzi etc
Whatever you decide to have at your wedding, just make sure you are doing it because you want to and not because you feel obliged to. More importantly, be sure that you are spending within your means.
Related: 21 Must-have Nigerian Wedding Vendor Checklist
15. Your parents will pay for everything.
Gone are the days when you can get everything for your wedding from the bank of your mum and dad, instead, it’s pretty much a fact that you’re going to be dipping into your savings and spending the amount you would probably spend to deposit for a house, to make your wedding day a great one.
Yes, weddings are that expensive and you would be needing a lot of money. Besides, your parents won’t even understand why you have to spend so much, they also may not understand why vendors charge so much.
So if you intend on having the wedding of your dreams, then be ready to save up and spend lots of money because Nigerian weddings don’t come cheap.
If I was not in the wedding industry myself, I wouldn’t believe some of the prices some vendors charge.
16. Your wedding planner should know what you want without you communicating your expectations with them
Do not assume that your planner knows what you want without you telling them. Communication is very key when planning your wedding. Your planner may know one or two things about your wedding expectations, probably from consultation and the few meetings you may have had with your planner… But be sure to communicate and answer questions asked by your wedding planner at when due.
I hope you you find this article helpful.
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