5 THINGS THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR WEDDING DAY
So here are the top details you will need to work into your timeline to ensure a smooth wedding day…
1. TRAVEL TIME
Traffic is one of the major issues we have in Lagos, and some parts of Nigeria. Sometimes it can take you 1 hour to get to your designated location and other times it can take 1 hour 30 minutes. Avoid that headache by working in travel time into your timeline. Take a day to do a trial run of travel times. If you are scheduled to leave the hotel at 11am on Saturday to head to the ceremony, time the drive on a Saturday at 11am. Do the same for all other routes being taken that day. Then add 20 minutes to that time as a buffer in case you are running late or hit unexpected delays. Also, research if there are any major events happening on your wedding day that could shut down roads (you know Lagos and parties na!!!). That way you can come up with an alternative route.
2. LOAD-IN TIMING
Most weddings can take anywhere between 2-6 hours to set up- sometimes more. Between the caterer, the rentals, the décor and the entertainment, you could have upwards of 15 people trying to all load-in at the same time. This can cause some major chaos. Talk to your venue about specific load-in times so you can work with your vendors to space out the arrivals. Also, confirm that the vendors have enough staff to set up in the time that is allotted.
3. INVITE TIME VS GUEST ARRIVAL TIME VS START TIME FOR CEREMONY
This portion is the most important when considering guest experience. The Invite Time is the actual time printed on your invitation. But you Nigerians and "Naija time" as we call it on average, guests will begin to arrive 30 minutes after said time (if they are even early). Make sure your vendors know both the Guest Arrival Time and the Invite Time (in fact if possible assign an "on the event coordinator to ensure this". That way they are prepared. Actual Start Time should be about 15 minutes after Invite Time to account for the late-comers (and there are ALWAYS late-comers).
4. SUNSET
Golden Hour is the magical hour before the sun dips behind the horizon. The lighting is incredible! Make note of the time of sunset, so that you can get some glorious portraits at that time. This is also a crucial bit of information if your ceremony and/or reception are happening outdoors.
5. BREAKDOWN TIMING
Does anyone truly enjoy cleaning up after the party? Probably not, but it’s a necessary evil. Most weddings can be cleaned up in 1 hour (again, sometimes more). Some venues have very specific breakdown times; whether it’s because of your contract or because they scheduled a cleaning crew. Discuss the venue’s timing expectations and communicate those to your vendors. Include the “must be out” time on your day-of timeline to remind vendors of this important detail, and oh least i forget do not forget to add the after party questions to the list of venue requirements (we will look into this further in our next posts)
In the end, your timeline is a guideline – not a hard, fast document. If you extend your cocktail hour because guests are having a blast, it’s not a big deal as long as the bar knows. If you push up the cake cutting because guests finished dinner early (which can only happen if they start serving early), then guests will be happy for getting dessert early. The most important part is starting and ending on time (so that you have a blissful wedding night) – everything in-between is fluid. [And yes, this is why it’s such a tremendous help to have a planner on your side!!]
And trust me Suena world is the way to go...
And trust me Suena world is the way to go...
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