I planned to do a thread about my wedding but kept putting it off. A lot of folks asked me how much we spent to help them plan towards theirs , so let me address that first. Total expenses came up to ~$22K (₦15M) incl. honeymoon expenses Details x pictures

2/ First of, when we started planning for the wedding back in April, I said we shouldn’t spend more than $7,400 (₦5M) for 100 guests . I didn’t know I was joking with myself especially cos the wedding was in Lagos & was a 2-day event. Plus, we ended up with 200+ guests.

3/ Our event planner (@eventsbynnedy on IG) did well to start getting us vendors on time and put an estimated budget until we got firm prices. We also had amazing family and friends who kept giving cash gifts. Here’s the breakdown for significant categories

4/ Hall - Lagos halls are expensive . Mainland halls start from $1,150 (₦800k) for 200 guests to $6,000 (₦4.1M) for 1000 guests. For Island halls, you can guess. You’ll pay caution fee deposit. If you’re doing an after-party like we did, be you pay for every additional hour.

5/ Food - Vendor didn’t give us quote early due to inflation cos it’s been erratic. Prices varies from $4 - $8 (₦3k - ₦6k) per guest. You also pay a % as service charge. We had 200 guests but we made food for 350. Video below is our MC @Ebiye Victor x Grandeur catering

6/ Food: Don’t forget small chops, dessert, cake and after-party food as well. We also planned take-away packs for the vendors. Like my SIL said, it’s better food is excess than people don’t see to eat. Also account for accidents while serving and folks that eat more than once.

7/ Decoration: All I can say about this is the larger the hall and the more followers your decorator has, the more expensive lol. However, be ready to pay depending on the hall size, guest count & type of decor. Ours was $1700 (₦1.2M) for the white & $900 (₦650k) for the trad.

8/ Video & Photography: We got a discount deal for this & absolutely loved them. They made us short videos after each event & got us on Bella Naija. This was $1,600 (₦1.1M) for the full 2 day event + pre-wedding shoot. Some photographers quoted $4.3k (₦3M) for photos alone

9/ Drinks: Similar to what happened with food, prices were erratic cos most drinks are imported. Our vendor (icey_monents on IG) was very accommodating with requests. Even when we kept moving things around. For both events, we did 1.6M. Family also brought drinks.

10/ DJ & MC: We got great prices from both of them and they outdid themselves that day. So book them @Ebiye Victor for premium entertainment. Still remember my husband talking to others about @Dj Six7even #TALLEST saying “he’s an international DJ, currently touring in Europe” no

11/ Outfits: I had 4 main dresses excluding pre-wedding shoot dresses, bridal robe & after-party dress. Hubby had 6 outfits in total. Reception dresses are from $440 (₦300k). Yoruba trad outfits for both bride & groom was 360k. I also got quotes of 400k - 500k for same design.

12/ Honeymoon: I suggest you plan this first. After all is said and done, you don’t want to throw a wedding and not have premium fun afterwards. I’m glad hubby and I arranged our Kenya trip from the beginning. We got tickets and visa ahead of time. Trip was about $3,600 (₦2.5M)

13/ Hotel prices the day before & after the wedding depend on the size of room you choose. Raddison Blu’s Ikeja 1 bedroom with photoshoot package was $300 (₦230k) for a night and that’s on some discount. Plus it’s better to have a big room. Here’s a video of the sitting area.

14/ Hair & Makeup: Ladies, if possible use your natural hair . We spent about $870 (₦600k) for both. They were also booked for the whole day. P.S that’s just for the white wedding. Trad was not so expensive cos I just had to do beads on my hair and tie gele for 2nd look.

15/ Makeup was something I was particular about. I had to book two MuAs for the 2 occasions. The initial person my sis had booked turned out to be quite bad for my trad wedding. She even blocked me after cos I told her not to come for the white wedding Avoid house of miney pls

16/ Planner: It’s easy to forget things so please get a good planner like mine (@eventsbynnedy on IG). She made it easy for us from the beginning especially cos I know I can be overbearing. She made sure we got everything we needed in time.

17/ Planner: Even stuff that weren’t on the list of items she was in charge of, she’d constantly remind me. On the days of the events, she was so calm even with all the different issues that would typically arise.

Lastly, prices here vary by vendor. Exchange rate was ₦690 to $1. I loved all the vendors we used. We also wanted to celebrate with family & friends, hence the expenses. Don’t feel pressured to. Simple weddings work too & you spend less. See Vendor list below.

Some tips: 1. start planning early 2. book the hall first to secure the date before anything else 3. the day is stressful, get enough rest 4. grooms, pls support your brides during the planning 5. get a great planner 6. don’t try to impress 7. remember your parents’ guests

The important thing is to do what works for you both. I’m not an advocate of overspending. People run into debt because they’re trying to impress and forget life after the wedding. Please do what works for you and your partner. Share the cost too if you’re both earners.