Yetunde and Lekan's Ibadan Wedding planned by us

Feb

Yetunde and Lekan’s Ibadan Wedding planned by us

An insight into the wedding planning of Yetunde and Lekan’s wedding that we handled in the beautiful City of Ibadan.

COUPLE: Yetunde and Lekan

OUR ROLE: Wedding Coordination package

DATE: 3rd and 4th December, 2021

LOCATION: Ibadan State

COLOUR: Burgundy and Silver

NUMBER OF GUESTS
Traditional ceremony- 150
Joining- 150
Wedding Reception- 500

HASHTAG: #lysalyco21

THE CLIENT

The groom happens to be family member. After having a meeting withcthe couple, we had suggested some vendors bt it seemed like the vendors were not within their wedding budget range. So we had come to the conclusion that we would be handling the coordination of the wedding.

Our Wedding Planning Role

Wedding- Day Coordination

What this basically means is that, the couple already has all all vendors but we step in a couple of weeks to the weddihg to coordinate all the activities of the day.

The only vendors I always insist on having at my events are the hostesses and in some cases bouncers.

We drew up a floorplan, created an event timeline and created a wedding reception programme breakdown for all the vendors and coordinated all activities on the wedding day.

The Event Planning Process

The event was a out-of-town event for us (Ibadan) We are located in Lagos state. We had to travel down to Ibadan two times to inspect the venue and ask the necessary questions.

It was also a 2-day event, which meant that the traditional ceremony was on the 3rd of December, at a different venue, while the joining and wedding reception took place on the same day 4th of December, at another venue.

THE WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS

1. The major highlight of the event was that the event went very smoothly, despite the few challenges that we had encountered.

2. The guests were not significantly more than the number prepared for. This helped greatly with crowd control and general coordination.

3. Another major highlight was the cooperation from most vendors on the day. Some of the vendors that we had thought may disappoint didn’t.

This is very significant, as the success of any event lies majorly in the vendors delivering their various part well.

More so, the vendors were sourced for by the couple and we had not worked with them before. Plus the vendors were also based in Ibadan .

NOTE: Nigerian Wedding Planners are always skeptical to work with vendors sourced by the couple because most times, Nigerian vendor’s who are sourced for by the couple tend to give planners the most headache. This is the reason why many planners stay away from Coordination jobs.

Wedding Tip: Different vendors in different states have different work ethics, which may be totally different from what your planner is used to. This is among the reasons why planners charge an inconvenience fee for out- of-state events

So the vendors adhering to the set up and delivery timeline, as well as the quality of services delivered was a big deal.

THE CHALLENGES

GENERAL CHALLENGES

1. Some of the vendors were quite difficult to reach and were not responsive. While some kept insisting that they didn’t need any guidance and that they knew what they were doing.

2. There was a little back and forth on the deliverables that the vendors were supposed to deliver. This is normal with Coordination jobs because many times, the couple only reach out to the vendor to get a good deal but they don’t ask the important questions nor relay their expectations clearly to the vendor.

Wedding TIP: It is okay to provide your wedding Vendor but please always have your planner go over the necessary details, to be sure that your vendor understands what is expected of them and you are all on the same page.

3. One of the caterer was particularly difficult to get through to and she always seemed to have a defense to everything that was suggested by the client and the planner. Either because she didn’t have these items or she didn’t charge adequately for the service.

4. Some family members had agreed to do a thing or two, so the couple were not free enough to ask questions where these freebies were concerned.

5. The wedding venue had a problem with their generator, so the electricity kept tripping off. They eventually had to make do with their smaller generator, this resulted in them having to turn off some of their AC’s, which made the hall hot.

THE CHALLENGES WE FACED ON THE TRADITIONAL CEREMONY DAY.

1. Some important details were not sent to us on time, for instance the details of the traditional decorator was sent the morning of the event. So we just started reaching out to her that morning.

2. The uncle in charge of the chairs, canopy and table rentals just started arranging for the rentals on the morning of the traditional ceremony day and this led to a delay, because the decorator could not start on time.

3. The decorator being a newbie was also slow, coupled with the fact that she was delayed. She still didn’t do much and with our guidance, still had to get a couple of things that she said she wasn’t asked to bring. Like flowers for the centrepieces.

4. The drinks for the event arrived very late and there was no enough ice to ice the drinks. This was also handled by the same uncle that handled the chair, tables and canopy rentals.

5. The parents of the groom arrived quite late and this led to the event starting quite late.

Wedding Tip: Engagement ceremonies also know as Traditional Wedding ceremonies don’t start until both parents of the couple are present. So if you want your traditional ceremony to start early, then beg your parents to be timely.

6. There was also a miscommunication issue between the photographer and the couple. The couple had not properly informed the photographer about what was expected from him. They had assumed that the amount he had charged covered some certain things and this was not the case. They were only able to sort this out last minute.

CHALLENGES WE FACED AT THE WEDDING RECEPTION

1. Some of the vendors were quite difficult to work with. The caterer was insisting that she was going to use Bright YELLOW table tags. I didn’t allow this and this caused an altercation between the planner/coordinator and the caterer. She refused to listen or take instructions from us throughout the event.

Despite this, I ensured that I gave her the necessary information as at when due during the event, not minding the fact that she wasn’t taking instructions from us. This is why it is important to get professional vendors.

Thankfully, there were two caterers, so we focused more on the other caterer.

2. A member from the bride’s family was upset about the seats allocated to their family in the hall.

We had allocated seats based on the details the bride had sent to us and added extras but he wanted the hall to be divided into two equal parts and complained about some tables not allocated to some other important family members.

This was impossible because according to the client, the groom’s family had more guests and wehad agreed on how the hall should be divided.

All explanation fell on deaf ears and he was threatening to remove any guest that wasn’t a part of their family from their side of the hall.

Wedding TIP: When it comes to allocating seats to your wedding guests, ensure that all key family members are involved. Ask for the number of guests they are expecting and also for the names they would like to reserve tables for. Your planner is not a magician and would only work with the details provided by the client. Ask for these wedding details, please ensure to give your planner accurate details.

2. Decoration details
We had a little back and forth with the decoration details, as the client had not properly briefed the decorator on their expectations. So the vendor had charged for a basic decor. But when we came on board, it seemed like there were a lot of details missing.

At this point, it was too late to add any changes, except the client was going to add some more money to the original decor budget and they were not willing to do this.

So we had to make do with what the decorator was going to provide and I literally had to beg him to do a few things which was not included in the budget. Eventhough the decorator was one that I had worked with before, he didnt want to commit himself to doing any extras and I could understand this.

As a result of non-commitment, we had to monitor the decorator to ensure that we got the one or two things.

Thankfully, the decorator was merciful enough to add these few things for us. Super thanks to @sarmmie_infinitydecor, we appreciate you.

Wedding TIP: Trust me when I say that it is advisable to allow your planner handle all details or information to your vendors. Planners understands your expectations and the right questions to ask and this can save you a lot of money, time, misinterpretations and costly wedding mistakes. You would also get the most for your wedding budget.

3. Some of the early morning vendors were still reaching out to the bride for some details that had been sent to them days before the event. This was particularly annoying because a lot of Nigerian vendors do not pay attention when some important wedding details are sent to them.

NOTE: This act is particularly common with vendors that are sourced for by the client. So because they have a direct link to the couple, they send them messages on their wedding day, despite knowing that there is a coordinator or planner for the event.

Wedding TIP: Dear brides, please once you hand over your Nigerian Wedding Vendors to your planner or coordinator, ensure that all vendors communicate directly with your planner going forward… As vendors communicating with you after the handing over, can cause miscommunication issues and vital information can be lost or not communicated.

4. The freebies from some family members, came at a cost… As it turned out that these things they claimed to be contributing were for some selected guests that the family members had invited to the wedding and they wanted these things served to their guests only.

For example, The wines and exotic drinks, grills etc… were only served to the people that they had invited and it wasn’t for everyone as they had informed the couple.

Wedding TIP: It’s skeptical to receive wedding favours from family members, I would advise that you receive any favour in monetary form, then add to your wedding budget for that particular thing. As this would reduce the power the family member would have on that particular thing.

Note: It is important to inform your planner about any known surprises that may crop up on the D-day but thankfully, we were able salvage the situation.

LESSONS

Wedding Lessons To Be Learned

No matter how many weddings we plan or have planned, each event is always a different experience and there are always lessons to be learned.

Here are some of the lessons we want our future clients to take away from our experience with this wedding:

1. Allow your planner handle every communication with your Nigerian vendors, even if you have some preferred vendors you want to use for your wedding, allow your planner help with communicating with the said vendors before making any form of commitment to the vendor

Vendors know when brides are not knowledgeable about what they are making enquiries about and some of these vendors take advantage of this.

Many times, the client will end up paying more money to the said vendor and this can be particularly frustrating for any couple.

2. As much as Nigerian Planners don’t like taking up wedding coordination jobs, we may be lucky enough to meet a great vendor that you can add to your Nigerian wedding vendors list.

3. If you can, stay away from family freebies. Be sure about what they are contributing and who they are doing these things for.

4. Limit the power given to any member of either family over your wedding. One way you can do this is by not allowing them pay for things at your wedding. Like I mentioned earlier, it is better for them to contribute in monetary ways, than for them paying vendors directly. These family contributions can disrupt your wedding if care is not taken.

5. There are some unforeseen incidents that may happen and you may not be prepared for… for example, like the venue’s electricity tripping off etc… don’t let it ruin your day and trust that your Wedding Planner (if you have one, is on top of things)

I hope you have been able to learn a thing or two.

Enjoy some pictures from #lysalyco21 wedding gallery…