Are you planning your own wedding and
need guidelines on how to put things in
order in preparation for your big day? Try
this timeline we put together.
6 MONTHS AND ABOVE.
* Start a wedding folder.
This is the time for you to start collecting
pictures for a variety of ideas on decor,
dress, color scheme, bridesmaids dresses,
cake, makeup etc. The internet has a
plethora of resource on various wedding
elements.
Your folder can be an actual folder or a
virtual folder on your phone, or facebook
page. Or you can create a wedding board
on pinterest.com to pin different ideas
from websites.
* Determine your budget.
Decide what your budget will be. Having
an idea of exactly how much you want to
spend helps you stay disciplined along the
way. Sure you can make provisions for
inflation and unforeseen expenses but try
as much as you can not to stray too much
from your predetermined budget.
* Decide the ratio of budget-sharing.
This is also the time to decide who
contributes what towards all wedding-
spending. In Nigeria, a wedding is a huge
Family Affair. Therefore both sets of
parents, the couple, siblings, extended
family members are all key people in this
step. The important thing is
communication, harmony and
understanding amongst concerned
parties.
* Start the guest list.
Begin putting together the list of people
you would like to have at your wedding.
This can be determined by your budget or
just by your taste. Some people love small,
intimate ceremonies whilst others love to
go all out. Keep in mind that catering for
guests is one item that'll take a HUGE
chunk of your budget so you might want
to determine your guest list based on that.
Another item that'll eat into your budget is
the size and kind of wedding venue. If
you're on a budget, yet want a large guest
list, you may want to consider using a
school field or school hall rather than an
events centre. The former is cheaper.
* Reserve your wedding dates and venues
for both the ceremony and the reception.
One thing that determines wedding dates
in Nigeria is the availability of the venue.
So once you decide what period you
would like to get married in, the very first
step is to secure a venue on your prefered
date! Put into consideration that the venue
for the ceremony shouldn't be very far
from that for the reception. Otherwise
your guests (especially those who don't
have cars) will just head straight for the
reception and skip the beauty of the
ceremony.
* Book the Officiants
This is also the time to book the ceremony
officiants. Your pastor, iman and other
personnel who will be in charge of the
ceremony will need advance notice of their
duties.
Also, for the Traditional wedding, you'll
need to start picking out your Alaga and
other necessary officiants.
* Pick your wedding party.
Now is the time to determine who will be
on the bridal train. Your bridesmaids,
groomsmen, etc will require ample notice
of their duties for a number of reasons.
For one, it has to be decided whether your
wedding date will fit into their schedule.
Also they will need advance notice of
expenses for their outfits to give them
enough time to start saving (lol).
* Hire a wedding planner.
This period is the time to engage the
services of a professional who'll help
organize the vendors. Even if you don't
want a planner, you might still need a
wedding day coordinator to oversee the
smooth running of things.
* Start researching your vendors.
This includes your caterers, decorator,
photographer, videographer, bands, djs,
makeup artist, dressmakers, etc. Get
samples of their works and designs to
help your decisions on whom to choose.
* Start hiring/booking!
You can't start soon enough. Many
vendors require months of notice. You
may decide to use more than one vendor
for each service. For example, a good rule
of thumb is to hire separate caterers for
ethnic meals and another one for
continental/oriental meals. Try not to
cluster too many contracts on one caterer.
This ensures that you don't get
disappointed in many ways. Also you may
need one photographer for the bride and
family and another one for the groom and
family. You may decide to use different
decorators for the ceremony, trad
wedding and reception. Or use just one
and save money. You'll usually need just
one videographer, dj, band, makeup artist,
MC, etc.
* Schedule meetings with your vendors.
This is the time to start discussing menu,
theme for the decoration, music to be
played, makeup look, and othe elements.
Your budget will be your primary guide.
Your tastes and preferences should also
help you. We will write a separate article
on what to discuss with your vendors and
what kinds of questions to ask them. We'll
also write about what kinds of
instructions to give them look out for that
article soon.

4 - 6 MONTHS
* Make your wedding announcements.
Send out pre-notice of your wedding to
your guests so they can save the date
pending when you send them the official
invitations.
* Determine and Purchase your oufits,
bridal party's outfits, rings and
accessories.
Now is the time to decide on your gown,
bridesmaids' dresses, groom's suit/tux,
groomsmen's suits/tux, oufits for the little
bride, ring bearer, shoes etc.
Decide whether you want to buy them
ready-made or you want them custom-
sewn for you. Also decide on the design
and colors.
For the trad wedding, this is also the time
to view samples of your aso-oke or lace
and decide on colors and design. Buying
the in advance gives you and your
dressmaker room for fittings where
necessary before the wedding (the
wedding planning period is a roller
coaster period, couples have been known
to lose/gain weight dramatically during
this time).
Also use this period to determine what
kinds of accessories you want. This
includes your veil, hair pieces, hand fan,
purse, beads, boutonneire, corsages,
shoes and every other thing the couple
and bridal party need to look good. It's
also important to start shopping for rings
at this time. Determine where you want to
buy them, the materials you want them
made of, the designs, etc.
* Decide on Aso-ebi.
Choose the design and colors of aso-ebi in
advance. This gives you time to order them
in the quantities you desire without the
disappointment of there not being
enough in stock.
The kind of aso-ebi you'll chose depends
on the caliber of your guests. Also
determine what price you want to set your
aso-ebi at. One means through which
couples raise funds is through the sale of
aso-ebi so you also want to start selling as
early as possible because of this.
Determine if you want to hire a consultant
or you want to assign the duty to a family
member or close friend.
* Reserve hotel rooms and transportation.
Many of your guests will obviously be
coming in from out of town. This is the
period to decide what kind of
accomodation you would like for them
and secure it accordingly. Transportation
for guests to the ceremony and reception
needs also to be secured at this time.
* Select and purchase your wedding
invitations.
Consult with printers to determine the
designs and quantities. Once you've made
your choice, have them printed and sent
out to your guests.
* Meet with the officiants and start
composing the Day-of timeline.
You will need to determine the wedding
timeline for the ceremony and the
reception. Different religious institutions
have their own codexes for wedding
ceremonies. Consult with your officiants to
know how the ceremony is run in your
church or mosque. This will enable you
determine what will be printed in your
programs. Also, use this period to consult
with the Officiant for the trad wedding
and the MC for the reception.
Once your consultations are done, you can
decide on how to print the wedding
programs.
* Make final bookings for the other
vendors. This includes your cateres, your
decorator, your makeup artist,
photographer and others.
* Arrange transportation.
Decide on what kind of vehicles will
convey you and your bridal party to the
venues and secure them as necessary.
* Select and order your cakes.
No we didn't forget. Lol. What's a wedding
without a cake?
By now, you may have decided exactly
how you want your cakes to look. The one
for the trad wedding and the one for the
white wedding. By tradition, a white
wedding cake has four layers; the bottom
layer for guests, the third layer for the
bride's family, the second layer for the
groom's family and the top layer for the
couple. These days the number of layers
varies according to preference. Plus, many
bakers give free cut-out pieces to be
distributed to guests. For the trad
wedding cake, there are a wide variety of
designs to choose from. Consult with your
baker(s) to discuss the designs, sizes and
pricing. Make necessary payments.
* Start planning your honeymoon.
Decide on where you want to spend your
honeymoon. Start making the necessary
arrangements towards it.

2 - 4 MONTHS
* Start your skin treatment sessions.
Many brides neglect this until the very last
minute and expect miracles with the
makeup on the wedding day. Makeup
artists can find this very frustrating. Start
treating your skin and preparing it for the
big day. Watch what you eat and drink
also (this helps overall health and
wellbeing and not just your skin).
* Take your pre-wedding shots.
Visit your photographer for pre-wedding
shots. Choice locations for couples include
beaches, parks and gardens. You may
decide on a theme e.g old-school, nautical,
"village" setting, baking and cooking,
football or and any other kind of sport,
victorian or elizabethan era. Or just wear
matching polo tops. Lol.
* Schedule hair and makeup trials.
Visit your artists to try on different looks
and determine which one you would like
to wear for the trad wedding and the
white wedding.
* Order your souvenirs and other gifts.
Decide what you would like to give your
guests. You may choose a separate kind of
gift for those who purchase aso ebi and
another kind for those who don't. Also
decide what you want to give the bridal
party. Make necessary purchases and send
them to your printer for branding.
* Choose your music and inform your DJ or
band of your choice.
* Meet with your photographer and
videographer.
Give them instructions on the kinds of
shots and angles you would like.
* Meet with your caterers.
Discuss more about the menu and the
timeline for service.
* Meet with your decorator.
Make sure that they understand what you
have in mind for your wedding theme.
* Purchase your undergarments, lingerie
*wink*, and other accessories you've not
purchased prior.
* Finalize the order of ceremony and
reception.
* Proof-read the final draft and send to the
printer.
* Go for dress fittings with your groom
and bridal party.
* Send out the formal invitations.

1 - 2 MONTHS
* Start purchasing eru iyawo and return
gifts.
The groom and his family should use this
period to start securing items on the bride
price list. Also the bride's family should
start purchasing their own exchange gifts.
If you'll require gift-wrapping them,
determine who'll be in charge of that. Also
use this period to decide on who'll be in
charge of transporting the items to the
venue and setting them up there.
* Check in with your guests to ascertain
who'll be attending. This'll enable you give
a final head count to your caterers.
* Keep checking in with all your vendors.
Keep them abreast of any changes that
may occur.
* Have a meeting with the bridal party for
final dress fittings.
* Reconfirm times with your makeup artist
and hairstylist.
* Make payments to vendors as necessary.
* Consult with the venue management to
determine arrival and clear-up times of
vendors. Communicate with your vendors
as necessary.
* Have your bridal shower!
This is usually hosted by the bridesmaids
and close friends. You may choose to have
a family affair with your groom and his
folks in attendance.
* Start your wedding countdown!
Have fun counting down to your big day.
Pray with your groom for guidance, love,
trust and harmony as you both prepare
for this huge journey. Relax and have fun.
Be thankful and grateful for how far
you've come. Anticipate the life ahead.

TWO WEEKS TO GO.
* Make any final payments
* Check in with all your vendors.
* Check in with the hotel and transport
persons.
* Delegate wedding tasks.
Decide who'll be in charge of what on the
trad wedding day, the white wedding
ceremony and at the reception. Inform
them as necessary.
* Determine the final headcount and
communicate to your caterer(s).
* Go for your last dress and ring fitting.
ONE WEEK TO GO!
* Break into your wedding shoes.
Wear them around for about 20 minutes
everyday. This will enable you get used to
wearing them for all those hours and
hours on your wedding day.
* Have one last meeting with all your
vendors and people you've assigned
wedding duties to. Be clear on exactly
what you want.
* Have a massage, manicure, pedicure or
other pampering treatment.
* Nourish your body properly. You don't
want any unexpected bloating or weight
loss! Drink plenty of water.
* Relax. Let go of all your worries. You're
almost there!
48 HOURS TO THE WEDDING
* Take time off to get plenty of sleep.
* Pray for success and a hitch-free event.
* Have fun with each other as a couple,
family, your bridal party and friends.
* Pack your suitcases for your wedding
day and honeymoon.
* Also pack emergency items. Needle and
thread, sanitary pads, medication for
headache, stomach-ache and menstrual
cramps, etc. We have a comprehensive list
on emergency kit items in another article
here on Nairaland and on our blog.
* Relax some more!
WEDDING DAY!
* Get married
* Have fun at your reception!
* Dance and be merry.
* Live happily ever after.
THE END.