7 things every Nigerian bride wished they knew before their wedding day

So your fiancé has proposed to you and then you have picked a wedding date that best suits you, and so the wedding planning begins. You are so exited and dream of a hitch free day just because you want nothing short of perfection. Then comes the challenge of booking the different vendors whose services you will need. If you are like most brides, you have at least a couple of business vendors to choose from for each service you need. As time goes on, even though you are still exited about your wedding day, a couple of things are already stressing you. Unless you have some super powers, you are going to have a similar experience as most Nigerian brides. So here are 7 things every bride wished they had known before their special day

 1. Time runs very fast. It usually feels like you've got all the time in the world to plan your dream wedding but trust me the time is much shorter than it seems. Whether you have chosen to have a white wedding or traditional wedding or both of them , a successful wedding ceremony is a single event that comprises of many small details. The success is in the details. You have to secure the wedding venue which I suggest should be one of the first things you do. You also have to source for the food and drinks you will be serving your guests, you need to choose your wedding colors and sow that jaw dropping dress that will fit you perfectly. All this and more can be time consuming, and if you are not careful you might find yourself waiting to collect your wedding dress two days to your wedding day . That sounds extreme right but I've seen funnier things happen. The point I'm making is that time runs very fast and you'd be better of setting a deadline to when you want specific things or items ready. With this, you'll be under less pressure as your special day approaches.

 2. You are better off delegating things to people and properly following up. One common mistake brides make is assigning a responsibility to someone and then they either out rightly forgetting to checkup on the progress or they just assume all is fine. Whatever name we choose to call it, its a recipe for some disaster. The wedding is yours so your preference is what matters most. So when you delegate a task to someone especially people closest to you, expressly tell them what you want and how you want it. Don't leave things vague. Be specific as much as possible. If not, you'd be leaving things to assumption and you will end up with clash of interest.

 3. Don't use people you are too familiar with except they will give you the quality you need. Generally, people tend to hand things with levity when they feel they can get away with anything. Moreover, you might not be able to show your dissatisfaction to them because of the sentiments of your relationship with them. For example, you are better of paying money to a professional photographer or makeup artist than giving a family member that only has a casual experience here and there. If you do do the contrary, you'd most likely not be satisfied with their results. As a photographer i know you might have the latest iPhone 14 but that's not going to be a substitute for professional photographs. Maybe this would also reduce the number of iPhone photographers I've to contend with at events but that's a story for another day. 

 4. Work and plan with money available . To fail to plan is to plan to fail. Almost totally similar to planning on what you don't have yet, which can be an unforgiving experience. In as much as you might have desire for the best vendors or of the biggest cake ever made in the history of a Nigerian wedding, you still need to work with what you have. Don't work with what someone is promising to give you later. Yes, they might genuinely want to help out but things happen. That's part of life. I wouldn't want you to mess things up because somebody disappointed you on their promise. I know the economy of Nigeria is booming right now. lol. so you just have to cut your coat according to your cloth. Try to ask for discounts from your wedding vendors or remove certain features or services you think you can do without just to be on a safe side 

  5 Plan for unforeseen circumstances. No matter how much efforts you put at something, certain things could arise that might threaten the success of your wedding. So always prepare for unforeseen circumstances and try to have backups in place. I've seen rain disrupt weddings and thugs gate crashing an event venue because they took the issue of security with levity. Be prepared and be smart. You have one chance to get it right and I sincerely wish you do.

 6. Set proper expectation with your wedding vendors. Personally, I like to run my brides through what they would likely be experiencing especially from the photography angle and i create a timeline of how things will proceed and what to expect. This helps me capture every essential photograph that means much to the couples. it also helps me save a ton of time trying to express my ideas on the wedding day as time always flies away like a bird. Do the same with other vendors. Know what they are going to be giving you and the time frame for delivery. Trust me, you don't want to be the one waiting for eternity before your wedding photobook is delivered. Most professionals would do the right thing so that your wedding day becomes a success you envisaged. 

 7 You are most likely going to have more guests than you anticipated. weddings in Nigeria are usually large containing from 100+ guests to several hundreds of guest depending on the popularity and social status of the couples family. Unless you have provided food that will be surplus compared to the number of your guests, some of them might have a thing or two to say especially about the food. Who cares right? Maybe you do, so just plan a bit for more guest than expected. Also try to keep to the time you gave on your invitation card so that guests that arrive early wont be waiting endlessly for your arrival at the venue.

 I hope you have noted these 7 things I have observed over the years so that you will have a fantastic wedding that you so desire. I'm rooting for you.