6. Have a Review Session with Your MC (Master of Ceremony): Some Nigerian wedding MCs make jokes that could embarrass some reserved brides and/ or grooms – jokes and couple games that may have been acceptable to their former clients. You don’t want to find any not-funny jokes or adult-joke surprises to spring up on your big day. So, this is the time to tell your MC what kind of jokes you don’t want to see. >A good idea would be to ask for a few recordings of that MC at previous weddings, so you get an idea of what to ask him not to do at your wedding.
7. Round up with Wedding Planning Activities at 1 to 3 Months before your wedding: At this point, you should have almost everything done. Now, delegate remaining tasks, event coordination & wedding day tasks & itinerary to a trusty friend or family member, or hire a professional to coordinate activities on the wedding day, or towards the final days of your wedding planning (yes, some wedding planners offer coordination service).
Use our step by step article on how to coordinate your wedding like an expert. This is also the time to hand-over all vendor contact lists, itinerary and balance payment to a trusty bridesmaid or family member who you want vendors to call on your wedding day if they need to ask questions or confirm anything.
Why You Need a Wedding Coordinator and What they Do (If You’re a DIY Bride)
8. Bridal Shower & Bachelor Party: Attend your pre-wedding party (bridal shower/ bachelor party)
9. Do a final wedding gown fitting & make any necessary alteration to ensure your wedding dress will perfectly fit your body shape.
Best Wedding Gown Shapes for Your Figure (Buying Guide w/ Photos)
10. Venue Facility Checks – AC/ Lighting and Sound Testing: Do a site check. Go to your wedding venue to confirm that venue sound, lighting and sanitation are adequate for your big day. >This is also an opportunity to confirm that the air and ventilation (air-conditioning and fans) are working well and adequate in number. To find the perfect venue and not waste your money, you also need to know the non-negotiable things to look for in a wedding venue.
>While you’re at this, also check to confirm that there is a place for your DJ to set up and that there are working electricity sockets and extensions available. >You also want to inspect the toilets – are they flushing? Are there enough toilets? Does water sometimes run out of toilets (e.g. during a power outage), and what happens in times like that?
>Finally, ask whether there are standby generators – and go and sight them. Ask if the generators are automatic start after power outages; if so, how long and what part of the venue is not powered during generator use (fans? ACs? sockets?).
11. Book Hotel accommodation for day-before-wedding: It’s always a good idea to stay very close to your wedding venue (to get ready from), to ensure you don’t get to your wedding late. Most couples book nearby hotels for them and their bridesmaids and groomsmen. There are often stories of brides/ grooms stuck in traffic while guests and the officiant are waiting – don’t repeat their mistake.
12. Book hotel accommodation for the night of the wedding (to take off to your honeymoon) or as a bridal suite (optional).
13. Reserve hotel rooms for out-of-town guests and relatives, and be sure to include the options, locations and price ranges in your wedding website or as a printed sheet to be placed inside each invitation card.
14. Pack the suitcase for your honeymoon. Packing in advance will ensure that you don’t forget anything or stress yourself rushing to pack last minute.
15. Review Agreements with Your Vendors: Confirm last-minute details with each of your wedding vendors. Also, go over the list of things each vendor agreed to do for you, and the time they are supposed to be at your wedding venue. >Finally, have every vendor agreement in writing, and get invoices and receipts for any part/ full down-payments.
16. Review: Go over the essentials of a successful wedding reception so that you don’t miss out on anything – part 1 here | part 2 here.
1 to 30 Days Before the D-Day (White Wedding Checklist)
1. Take Your Hands off from Planning: A month to your wedding, stop all wedding planning activities (if you want to look pretty in photos). Hand over to one of your trusty bridesmaids or family members to hand over to, and have them regularly report progress to you (weekly or daily state of things). If you don’t have close friends and relatives to hand over the remaining part of the wedding planning to. Some wedding planners offer services for partial planning, as well as the-day-of-wedding-coordination and those cost less.
2. Get a manicure & pedicure 1-2 days before D-day.
3. 2 days before D-Day: Arrange all your wedding day wears, from the underwear, jewelry, shoes and so on – put them neatly in a closet ready for your big day;
4. Check in to a bridal suite (hotel) that is close to your wedding venue (if you can afford it) – it makes life easier to have you and all your bridesmaids in one place a day before the wedding;
5. On the D-day: RELAX, take a deep breath, eat well and get lots of water
6. Ask your driver, makeup and Gele Artist, hairstylist, photographer & video coverage provider to be at your bridal suite 2 to 3 hours before the wedding ceremony;
7. Have your makeup and hair done – if you can’t afford a makeup artist or just for fun, you can learn and do your makeup yourself (Video). You may also want to see pictures of our in-vogue Nigerian wedding hairstyles, to help you choose a style.
8. On the D-day, dress up at least 2-3 hours before the wedding solemnization/ joining ceremony.
- First-look photos are a great way to get the best, fresh-face looking pictures, and more couples are going for it. Consider having it.
9. Finally: Leave for the wedding ceremony venue to get married to the man/ woman of your dreams!
Wrapping Up: Your 12-Month White Wedding Checklist
It’s common and normal, to feel anxiety and pressure at some point or throughout your wedding planning months. To de-stress, make time to relax and de-stress in-between your wedding planning. We outlined a lot more effective ways to deal with stress and anxiety when planning a wedding – be sure to check it out. Our goal here is to make planning a Nigerian wedding easier and fun.
Aside from this wedding planning to-do list/ checklist, you need the other wedding planner templates to stay super-organized. You can download our 6-in-1 wedding planner-in-a-box kit from this page – it’s a free gift for our readers.
So, that’s it for a checklist of everything you (a bride or groom) need to do before, and up to, the day of your white wedding in Nigeria. Please, Facebook/ Tweet this article to your friends – sharing is caring. You can find every guide and advice you need to start and finish your wedding planning in our Nigerian Wedding Planning Guide series, including the best tips for planning small and low-key weddings. Save this and that page for later.
- LEARN & LAUGH: Nigerian Wedding Planning Scenes and Tips from SGIT Movie
IS 12 MONTHS TOO LONG FOR YOU TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING?
- Nigerian Wedding in 6 Months or Less (Checklist)
- Nigerian Wedding in 3 Months or less (90 Days Checklist)
- Nigerian Wedding in 1 Month (30 Days Checklist)
- How to Plan Your Trad and White Wedding Same Day
Did I miss anything in the above Nigerian white wedding checklist? If so, add it in the comments below. Also, if you’ve picked a date for your wedding, tell me in the comments, and how many guests you’re looking to have.
Very helpful tips, thanks for sharing
My pleasure, Nelson. Thanks for reading.
Hi stella,
I’m getting married soon. I’m ibo & my fiancee is yoruba. How do you think we can go about merging the two cultures during our traditional marriage. For eg, will the MC speak only english?
Hello Ada. Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Now, here’s my take on your question:
-It depends on the language that the parents and most of the guests understand. What some people do is to have an MC that switches between Igbo and English. They also did that at my sister’s wedding. Another way to merge culture during inter-cultural weddings is through food and music – serve a mix of their food and your food; a bit of their music and your music. For food, they don’t necessarily have to serve amala as the visiting in-laws would be expecting to have a taste of Igbo food but have an inclusion of general food (egusi soup, jollof rice) that both Igbos and Yorubas also eat, for those who only eat what they are used to. But definitely serve more food from the bride’s culture.
-Dressing is also another way to do it, and most couples do this already.
Hope that helps.
helpful tips thanks for sharing
Sure. Thanks also, for reading.
Very detailed. Very helpful.
Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks a lot for this! This site is very helpful.
I have a budget of 800 for my wedding. So I’m thinking of doing a reception to cover both trad and white in a hall far from the house. I don’t know how to go about it because i want to wear both traditional wear and a wedding dress. Do i come from church and dance before doing the igba nkwu or ….how? How do people do it?
Hello Becky. Thanks for the feedback – I’m glad you found NaijaGlamWedding tips helpful.
I have a reply for you below, and also wrote a detailed post to help you answer those questions and also included a sample program of events when having a traditional and white wedding on the same day (be sure to read it).
Here’s are some tips to go about having both a white wedding and trad (Igba Nkwu) on the same day:
-The couple go from church to the reception venue
-Couple dance into the reception, in their white wedding attires (short dance)
-MC introduces the event
-The wedding cake is cut; toast is made
-The couple have a short dance and dance out for outfit change to their trad wedding attire (this should be very quick)
-While guests are waiting, cake slices are served with/ without small chops
That’s how I have seen most couples do it. There are more details and a checklist of steps in that post I wrote for you (links above).
I hope that helps you.
Thank you so much! Really helpful.. I’m no longer confused. Hayy 🙆
You;re welcome, Faith. I’m happy to be of help.
All the best, darling!
Thanks so much for this Stella. I’m glad I read this. Can’t afford a wedding planner, but with this I can now plan with my fiance, a few trusted friends and family members without being too stressed out on my day. Thanks for making this readily available
Awesome! Happy to hear that, Becca. Be sure to read our other posts intended to guide you self-plan your Nigerian wedding. >On that D-day, you’ll need someone else to co-ordinate everything, so you can relax and enjoy being the bride -so, also read our Ultimate Guide for Planning Your no-hassle, Wedding Day Coordination.
>You would also benefit from our guide on how to self-plan a classy wedding reception (click).
Hope those help. Feel free to read our other related wedding planning guides (some are linked and referenced within this article and every other).
You are simply amazing Stella. OK I am engaged to my fiance who isn’t NIGERIAN, he is white, so he is coming sometimes in May to do the introduction and have us do a court wedding, first question
(1) since he doesn’t know about our tradition and all that’s expected to be done and said on the introduction rites, (and he s coming down alone) what can be done,?so he doesn’t do or say something wrong on that day.
(2)after the introduction, can we do the court wedding without having paid the bride price?
(3)Can the bride price be paid on the day of introduction?
Forgot to mention am igbo, both parents are in Lagos.And if he goes back, he s due back again in August, I don’t want to do anything big, I just want to have a feel of the traditional setting decorate a venue take pictures with my different attires and have a little reception for a guest of 100people, any guide on how to pull this off and still have something classy. Help a sister Biko.
Hi Ugonna,
I’m glad to have you around – thanks for reading, and also for leaving a comment. Now onto your questions – see my reply below:
– (1) You said your husband-to-be does not know about our customs, and asked what can be done: I think you should familiarize him in advance with Igbo and Nigerian marriage customs and customary wedding rites. We wrote an a series of articles on exactly that, and have got great feedbacks from grooms at home and abroad who used that post to know everything there is to know before their Igbo traditional wedding, or meeting their inlaws for the first time.
==> get him to read this article and the 3 posts that make up rest of the series: Everything a non-Igbo Groom Needs to Know Before His Marriage Introduction or Traditional Wedding Day
Everything a non-Igbo Groom Needs to Know Before His Marriage Introduction or Traditional Wedding Day
=>Preparing to Meet Your Igbo Inlaws: Process Explained for Non-Igbo Grooms
=> What Happens During the Igba Nkwu – Grooms’ Guide
What Happens During the Igba Nkwu – Grooms’ GuidePreparing to Meet Your Igbo Inlaws: Process Explained for Non-Igbo Grooms
– (2) When to Do the Court Wedding: Yes, people do court wedding after the introduction (before payment of the bride price). It’s done, although that is the usual; but where the groom and maybe bride are coming from afar and do not have much time to spend, it is done to quicken things – but be sure to let your family know that in advance, and that he would do pay bride price soon after.
– (3) Yes, the bride price can be paid on same day of Introduction. Again, this is not usual but done when the couple or one of them is coming from afar and do not have a lot of time to spend or space things.
**You mentioned that your parents live in Lagos and that’s where you plan to have your trad wedding. My dear, that is also done these days. The number of guests (100) you’re planning for the reception (sort of, Igba Nkwu) is more than enough; there’s no rule about the number – most people even do it a parlour size. I suggest that you just make it a PARTY all the way, no casual thing – because 100 guests is big enough to make it classy. Hire a good photographer team (because it’s what speaks after the day is gone), hire an MC (or get a smooth-talking family member or friend to handle this), hire a DJ.
My sister had hers last year and she said she wanted it small and her Yoruba inlaws were more than 30 that travelled all the way – add that to our family and friends and you have about a hundred. So, we thought “this is already a party crowd, why not make it count”. So, we quickly changed plans that day – and hired a music band, canopies, and MC and a photographer – which were not in her initial plan or interest. And she loved it!
So, my dear, you’re already on the right track.
This is a very comprehensive wedding list. Thanks for making it readily available!
Thanks for the feedback, Jessica. I’m glad to know this post helped you.
Stella, I feel like I should get married now. you did a fine job opening my mind.
Hahaha, Atuba. I’m glad I did – getting married is a good thing na. We here love featuring weddings, and your own is now on the line.
Thanks for reading. Hope to see you around.
Hi, great article,what would be ur advice for some1 that has just 3 months to plan for a court wedding and reception,low budget about 500k, so can’t afford a planner?
Hi Eve,
Here are my tips:
1) To-Do List: Use the above wedding planning checklist, BUT do things in a quarter of the time (say, where you see 4 weeks, do yours in 1 week).
2) Low Budget Wedding Tips: Click here to see and follow our tips on how to save costs during wedding planning
3) Wedding Budget Examples: Click here to see an example of a N500k wedding budget – see if you can pick an idea from there (not compulsory) or customise it to suit you.
4) Start by breaking down how you want to spend that N500k. That breakdown should be your spending guide – and try to stick to it, in order to avoid overspending. CLICK HERE to see our step by step guide on how to do a wedding budget from scratch.
BONUS TIPS:
–Steps to organize a wow wedding reception
–21 steps to follow when planning a wedding
Hope the above tips help.
Hello Stella,thank you for this wonderful post. Please is it possible have my book launch on the same day of my wedding. Thank you
Thank you too, Okive – we love hearing feedback from our readers.
Absolutely! Yes, it’s possible to launch your book on your wedding day but there are pros and cons. Your wedding day could be a great opportunity because you’re going to have a huge crowd of people. But then that depends on whether your wedding crowd is the same type of people that would be interested in the topics in your book, and whether they are the kind of audience that would readily buy.
*On another note, you don’t want people to think that you’re using your wedding to ‘twist them’ into parting with money to you. You know how some Naija people can feel.
*On another thought, I’d say that you should launch before your wedding day, so that your launch day is targeted at selling some of your books and focusing publicity on your book alone. AND announce/ show the book to your wedding guests, as part of the programme – so that guests get an idea that you’re not there to sell but just to announce to them and let them know where the book is available in case they need to buy.
This was very helpful,thanks a lot. but what if you don’t have that much time to plan? i want to know how possible it is to plan within a short time of 6months. thanks again.
Hi Helen, thanks for reading our white wedding checklist. Now to answering your two questions:
Q. If you don’t have time to plan your wedding, here are 2 things you can do:
1) Hire someone else / an event planner who has the time to plan it for you, and do all the waka/ legwork.
2) OR Scale down your wedding to a more manageable size. Small weddings can be planned better in s short time – whether it’s a low-key weddings or one with few guests and low budget.
Q. Is it possible to plan a wedding in 6 months?
ANSWER: Absolutely. Yes, it is possible. You can use our above wedding planning checklist timeline, BUT then where you have 12 months, use 6 months; and where you have 4 weeks, use 2 weeks. The idea is to half all the suggested time durations for all activities.
*If you can start off by booking your venue, and then booking your most important vendors, you would have less to worry about. Also ensure to send out your invitations early.
Hi am yin am not igbo girl but my bf igbo i need to know about the tradetion about wedding.what is the firts step to do let say exampla am a igbo girl. What is the firts wedding 2nd is engage . after tradational wedding the brides need to take the groom him house ? And after wedding what is the nxt step
Dear Yin, you can find about everything you need to know about the steps involved in Igbo traditional marriage events here (click). Hope you know that in Nigeria, the man goes to marry the woman in her own people’s traditional wedding customs (not that man’s).
stella you re such a blessing. God bless you real good.
Thanks, Emeka. I’m glad that this post helped ease your wedding stress.
You’re simply the best! Thank You!!!
You’re welcome, Helen. Happy wedding-planning:)