Sigoja: 10 Tips for Planning the Perfect Wedding

The wedding season is here again. Here are 10 great tips that will help you to process this exciting experience in bite-sized chunks. Keep these in mind as you plan, and everything should run smoothly.

Start Planning Early
Having a clear plan before you start will help you keep on top of everything. Be sure that you don’t forget something important. Insurance, rough guest list numbers and the budget should always be your first three things. Don’t make decisions just because that’s the way everyone else does it, or because that’s what’s traditional. Have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of.

Set A Budget And Stick To It
Don’t spend anything until you’ve set a realistic budget that won’t stretch you too far. It’s a common mistake to forget all the little extras too but, for the budget to work, you need to factor in every detail. Don’t forget to account for additional costs like dress alterations, gifts and beauty expenses. These can all add up.

Be Selective With The Guest List
In Nigeria, having a small intimate wedding can be tough, but sorting the guest list early is important so you can then focus on finding the perfect venue that will cater for your chosen number of guests. Costs per head will most likely be your biggest expense, so don’t be guilt-tripped into inviting people you don’t want to come. It’s the biggest and hardest decision in the whole planning process, but it has to be yours and your fiancé’s decision only –  not your parents, even though they might be paying.

Choose the Important Details
A good way to become quickly overwhelmed when planning your wedding is to focus on the minutia and small details at the beginning of the planning process. Make sure you begin with the large aspects of your special day, then address the details as you go. Think of the planning process as a funnel: you should begin with the large side, then work your way down. If you filter everything through the broadest features first, you should have a much easier time with the smaller details.

Select Your Venue Before Making Any Other Decisions
It is best to select your venue before you plan anything else. Sometimes, the venue will have certain rules or regulations that mandate certain services. For example, it would be a mess if you already hired a caterer, then discovered that your dream venue only allows you to use their in-house caterer.

Get The Menu Right
One of the biggest talking points at any wedding is the food. From jollof rice, amala, small chops, cocktails to desserts – the more variety the better. Avoid skimping in this area because hungry guests are never a good thing.

Get A Wedding Gifts Registry
Receiving gifts you don’t want can be a nightmare. A gift registry takes away the guesswork for guests shopping for a wedding gift and ensures you receive the gifts you really want and need. Essentially, it’s a super easy process for both parties. Sigoja.com offers an online gift registry service with a top quality range of house-ware products essential for your new home delivered to your doorstep.

Anticipate Challenges
So many little items tend to appear on the wedding day you may not expect, such as broken zippers on dresses, missing center-pieces, not knowing where a vendor should be located at the venue, etc. Keep your cool at all times, and have a back-up plan to your back-up plan.

Take Time For You
Sometimes even wedding event planners in the role of bride or groom need some rest on the day of their wedding. One great way to make sure you’re focused on you, is to hire a coordinator who can simply pick up right where you left off in your amazing planning.

Don’t Forget What’s Important
Wedding planning can be stressful but if you find yourself getting too caught up in it all, take a step back and remind yourself what your wedding is really about. Think about the fact that you are marrying the love of your life.

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