TEN CHEAPSKATE TIPS I APPLIED TO MY WEDDING!
13:54
Hey darlings! Its soooo good to be back! I took a
month long break from blogging to focus on planning my wedding… My oh my, Jesse
and I had an amazing wedding I wouldn’t change a thing about. If you are
itching to see more of our official photos, rest easy, they’ll be out in a bit
and I will be flooding your timelines. Lol, in the meantime you can view first
photos on my IG and Facebook pages if you haven’t already.
I couldn’t wait to do this post for you all especially
for those of you still looking forward to your big day. As a matter of fact, I
started documenting this during the planning process. Planning a wedding was no
small task and there were high moments, low moments and OMG moments!!! Being
the cheapie that I am, I tried to save as much as I could. You just might
decide to hire me as your next wedding planner. Enjoy!
1.
BUY
AFFORDABLE SHOES
Yes! I still didn’t splurge on
anything outrageously expensive. Not for a pair of shoes that wouldn’t be seen
by most of my guests because it would be hiding under my very long dress? My shoes were by Dune London and I got them
off Asos AGAIN! I already had an idea of what I wanted the shoes to look like,
champagne pumps with a powerful bling detail on the top. However I only kept
seeing them in brands ranging from Versace to Badgley Mischka. I just couldn’t deal.
I checked out my loyal ASOS online and voila, Dune London had the same style of
shoes, same colour with the same details. The initial problem was that they were
being sold for over 80 pounds. In this current dollar/pound rates craziness we
have been facing in Nigeria, I knew that I had to either wait for it to go on
sale or buy my shoes from Aba market. Yes, I was that frustrated. Lol.
Anyway,
long story, short, the shoes later went on sale for 53 pounds and the rest is
history. It was sooo freaking beautiful when I received them and it still is. Future
brides, just get what your pocket can handle. Trust me, nobody is gonna be
talking about your shoes that much. The only time anyone had a good look at
mine was when I changed into a short dress before my bouquet toss. Your wedding
dress is a little more important which brings me to my next tip.
2.
BUY
YOUR DRESS OFF THE RACK
Why do brides stress themselves so
much over the almighty wedding dress? I
used to think I would have to cross seven seas and climb seven mountains to
find my dress but the reverse was the case. Travelling out of Nigeria all
because of a dress did not even cross my mind because like I earlier said, the exchange
rates have not been smiling anymore. Besides, everything overseas can be found
right here in Nigeria. Right here! So, I took my mum along with me one day
(just one day) to scout for wedding dresses and we ended up at Brides &
Babies here in Abuja. After trying on four dresses from the rack, the last one
stole our hearts. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling it on the hanger but once I
put it on….it was a different ball game.
The option of getting a custom made
dress did not come up because I had found what I wanted right off the rack.
Plus the cost would have been about 50% more if I wanted my dress custom made.
If you find something close to your specifications on the racks, buy it and
move on. And yes, I didn’t have to visit 500 bridal stores in the space of six
months to find mine. Why? You will always find something better as long as you
keep searching. So save yourself the stress and commit to one dress (the one
that you love of course).
After a few adjustments, my simple but beautiful
trumpet, all lace wedding dress came out gorgeous and I wouldn’t have changed a
thing about it. The illusion details at the back turned heads on that day.
Sexy, simple and classy!
3.
MAKE
YOUR BOUQUET YOURSELF
Yes you can do it. Don’t panic. I
wasn’t sure about it too but I just had to try. How was I supposed to pay
45-50k for a bouquet that I was going to end up tossing to one lucky lady at my
reception? I carried my two legs to Wuse Market in Abuja where you can find
everything under the sun. I got beautiful artificial flowers within my colour
scheme and got a different design for my bridesmaids. I also got necessary
materials like florist tapes, ribbons and sequin materials. Total cost of
everything was roughly about 7,000 naira.
I had so much fun making them, pretty
easy too. And for a touch of class, I pinned one of my embellished brooches to
my bouquet. They all looked beautiful. Big announcement: I have started taking
orders so if you need a beautiful yet affordable bouquet for your wedding,
contact me NOW!
4.
WEAR
TWO/THREE BRACELETS AND SAVE ON A NEW WRISTWATCH
Yea I know you’re wondering what I
mean by this. I desperately wanted to buy a new wristwatch for the wedding.
Nothing overwhelming,just something cute. While I was still contemplating on
it, I came across an Instagram post stating how wrong it was for brides to wear
wristwatches on their wedding day. The post gave good reasons stating that a
wristwatch could clash with the softness of a standard bridal look and how a
bride had no business peeping at the time on her wedding day when she had an
entire bridal party to do that for her. This post was also against ladies
wearing wristwatches on the red carpet, with examples showing photos of
celebrities at popular award shows like the Oscars who make sure not to commit
this fashion faux pa. You know what? I believed it, I ‘googled’ some of these
claims and there were similar reviews on the internet. So yes I decided not to
wear a watch on my wedding day, instead I wore a bracelet on one hand and two
on the other as advised by top wedding style experts. Lol. All in all, I loved
it and I had no issues disturbing my sister every second to tell me what time
it was.
5. CREATE AN E-INVITE
In this digital era where everything
under the sun is passed around via social media, it only makes sense that you
invite people for your wedding through that medium. A lot of people do bulk SMS
invites though I am not really a big fan as it isn’t just personalized enough.
We had physical invitation cards which we gave out to our very distinguished
guests, dignitaries and our parents’ guests. You know Naija na, we had to!
However, the bulk of our invites were sent out in the form of an e-invite
created by a graphic designer. If you are good with basic design applications,
you can even do this yourself. It cost us basically nothing and it reached out
to more than 500 people via BBM, Watsapp, Facebook and Instagram.
6.
PARTICIPATE
IN GIVEAWAYS AND ALLOW FAMILY & FRIENDS CONTRIBUTE
If you follow me on Instagram, you
must have seen me participate in one or two bridal giveaways. I made sure not
to go crazy about it but I made sure also not to miss out on some of them. For
instance, my bridal robe, bridal mug, bridal handbook, bridal earrings were all
given to me for free at BBN Wonderland. An event I was selected for via social
media. See here .I also won my bridal hair comb and another pair of earrings in
another giveaway. There was one I entered hoping to win a wedding dress but it
just didn’t happen. I probably would have won more stuff if I continued. You
have absolutely nothing to lose. Just try one or two and see.
Also, I had
family and friends take care of some aspects of the wedding. Many of them offered
to do this as their contributions and I couldn’t be more grateful. Our huge
5-tier wedding cake, customized bottles of water, part of the food and
different pieces of souvenirs were taken care of by loving people. Who says you
cannot ask if no one offers and you have to. Ask and you shall receive.
7.
GET
TRUSTED PEOPLE TO ACT AS A WEDDING COORDINATOR & HOSTESSES
I planned my wedding myself with
tremendous help from my mum and I didn’t realize the importance of having
hostesses/ushers at my wedding reception until almost two months to the wedding
day. I had made enquiries and the best deal I could get was 10k per usher. For
my number of guests and the size of the reception venue, we were talking about
10-15 ushers. No way! I was still thinking of the best way to go about it and
my mum came to the rescue. She organized about 14 young ladies from her place
of work and asked them if they could handle the job. Instantly, they all showed
interest and were ready to help. All we had to do was to make matching outfits
for them and guide them at the reception venue two days to the event about
seating arrangements etc. A family friend who also works with my mum acted as
my wedding coordinator and all the hostesses were working under her. Need I
say, I was wowed by their smartness and excellent execution of the job. They
sure helped in ensuring our guests were well taken care of. What more could I
have asked for? (I am yet to get a photo of all my hostesses! Will update soon.)
8.
DITCH
ASOEBI FOR YOUR FRIENDS
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| Patricia slayed in this abstract ankara number she designed herself! |
I had to put my friends into
consideration too. I made it clear from Day One that my friends will only wear
asoebi for my traditional wedding WHERE I FELT IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT. I knew I
wanted my white wedding to look as simple and as classic as possible without
subjecting my friends to traditional uniformity again. So I set a dress code by
asking all the young ladies and guys to wear anything formal. Boy, were they
glad! Everyone was happy to look unique and more importantly not to spend money
on asoebi. I love the feel that it gave the wedding with guys in their suits and
ladies in their pretty dresses. I’ll be featuring those who slayed at my
wedding. See them below!
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| Chika was the perfect lady in RED. She also designed this herself. I loved her look |
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| Ske rocked this blush pink backless dress. She was one hell of a stunner! |
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| Sandra made it pop with a beautiful white jumpsuit |
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| I loved Ezinne's baby doll tutu dress. So cute. |
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| My darling sister who was my maid of honor looked so regal in her 2-in-1 dress by BB Artistry |
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| Emmanuella went with the classic black dress. So elegant. |
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| Chioma's dress was sooo pretty |
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| Uchechi had the classic asoebi bella look. So gorgeous. |
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| Maryam looked amazing in this lovely maxi dress from BB Artistry |
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| Ngozi looked so chic in this blue peplum number |
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| Granny was hot in this HOT red dress |
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| My brother, Charlie Parker was one of the groomsmen and he killed it! |
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| Couldn't get a full pic of Lucy Nwanise but she stunned. Makeup on point too. |
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| Lucy Ogar looked angelic in an off-white mini dress. |
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| They all looked on point. Trustfund ladies! |
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| Oge looked classy in gold! |
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| Patricia and two of my beautiful bridesmaids, Eunice and ChiChi |
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| My darling friend and bridesmaid, Hamsatu. |
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| Tito and Udoka looked dapper. |
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| Gbemi's lace dress was beautiful and chic. |
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| Adesuwa looked elegant in a fitted black dress. Stunning. |
I'm still accepting photos of my wedding guests, so if you nailed it please send to my mailbox almaspice@gmail.com. I will still update as soon as official photos are out.
9.
SERVE
AFFORDABLE SWEET WINE
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| Photo source: Google |
My mum is a lover of red wine and
over the years I have grown with numerous bottles of red wine being consumed at
home by visitors. So it was only normal that I wanted a bottle of good red wine
in addition to other drinks on each table. Now we were talking 100 bottles of
red wine for the wedding minus extra bottles. You don’t need me to tell you how
much we were looking at. Of course we needed another option. During our
Valentine’s treat back in February, the hubby and I were served a lovely sweet
alcoholic wine called 4th Street and it is made in South Africa. I
could not stop gushing about it after that day. The following week we found
ourselves in a store and we sighted it in the ‘Wine Section’ being sold for about
730 naira a bottle. I couldn’t believe it. What’s more, they come in three
different flavours. At that very moment that became the option we were
searching for. What’s more, by the time we purchased it in cartons, the prices
were slashed by almost half! I realized that not everybody is a core red wine
drinker and this particular sweet wine would appeal more to the larger
percentage of our guests. And it sure did. Everyone loved it. We made sure to
mix it up with another brand in the same category (I don’t remember the name). Despite
this, my mum still had a personal cooler with special red wine for her
important guests.
10. GIVE OUT AFFORDABLE SOUVENIRS THAT
PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY USE
Now I am not very good in coming
up with ideas for souvenirs so this was an uphill task. Nobody wants to receive
plastic kitchen utensils or a bottle opener anymore. People will always write
so we decided on a mini notebook that one could easily throw into a handbag. In
addition to that, we had very unique mugs in different colours. I loved the
fact that they came in individual packs. People will always drink coffee/tea
abi? We also had travel toilet bags, egg whisking utensils, face towels and
sewing kits. To crown it all, we made mini gift bags with our logo big enough
to house two items each person received. It was simple but classy. Not to
mention that we had family and friends who made special numerous souvenirs for
us and ended up sharing them as well after the gift bags had gone round.
BONUS
TIP: NO MATTER HOW CLICHÉ IT SOUNDS, STICK TO YOUR BUDGET.
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| Photo source: Google |
Yes my brothers and sisters, stick
to your budget. Jesse and I found ourselves cutting down on stuff instead of
going over and beyond our budget, doing things we could not afford. You have a
new life to look forward to after the wedding, save up a little, rent a
beautiful apartment and if possible go on an amazing honeymoon (if this era of
change will allow you). Everyone who attends your wedding will eat your food,
drink your wine, dance to the tunes of the DJ you paid for and collect the
souvenirs you had sleepless nights over. At the end of it all, they bid you farewell
and reality sets in. Trust me, it may not be so rosy for you and your new spouse
if you begin your lives with a huge debt over your head.
Above all, commit all your plans
into God’s hands and let him take full control. Never stop praying! This has to
be the most inexpensive tip when planning a wedding, it doesn’t cost a thing.
So, how many of my tips are your
favourites? Let me know in the comment box below.
Happy planning guys, see you in a
bit!
Thanks for stopping by..❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
118 comments
hi,I like all the tips,....kudos.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWow! Your wedding was actually a bomb! Very beautiful and classy. I love everything about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much
DeleteAwwwww... This was indeed helpful, Alma.. Beautiful tips, and they were all helpful..
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this appealed to you
DeleteThanks!!
Soo nice.. I'll go for the create E-invite. HML.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Thanks Nnenna
DeleteGreat job Alma. Mine is in less than a months time. Phew......not easy at all. Some of the tips will sure help.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely isn't easy dear. You'll scale through.
DeleteMy faourite tip is the 'Borrowed Hostess' tip and the E-Invite.
ReplyDeleteNice pick!!
DeleteWow!wonderful tip, infact Oyibo u will be the one to plan my wedding get ready oooo
ReplyDeleteLool! Sure thing Lucy! Now preparing my quotations.
DeleteAll the tips made serious sense...but if I may ask how much can one budget for (at least) for a wedding in abuja
ReplyDeleteHi Chioma, thanks a lot. It all depends on how many guests you're planning for. More details, pls send me a mail.
DeleteAlma Darl, you did a good job. Sorry I missed you wedding.
ReplyDeleteWinifred C.
Its okay dear. Thanks!!
DeleteWow!!! Useful tips indeed. Thanks for sharing. Good job
ReplyDeleteThanks Abigail
DeleteVery beautiful bride....
ReplyDeleteI love your tips, especially that of sticking to your budget.
I always tell people who can't afford to buy a new gown to rent one. There are gowns called Virgin gowns, meaning they have never been worn and though they are costlier than renting the ones that have been worn, they are usually beautiful. I wore one of those and my friend wore it after my wedding.
Another thing I agree with is giving souvenirs people can use. I had my wedding during the rainy season so I gave out foldable umbrellas. I feel good when I see people I know still using it 3 years down the line....
I love your bouquet...
I was hoping to see a tip on makeup, those things cost a lot
Hey dear. I have an idea about those virgin gowns. I'm sure it'll be an amazing idea for those ladies who don't mind renting. Great souvenir choice there. I wanted to do umbrellas but they were above my budget. The number of guests we were expecting didn't help at all. So more money was involved for everything. Thanks for loving my bouquet. Mehn, bridal makeup is just a necessary evil. Lol. But then there are fantastic makeup artists who charge less than others.
DeleteThis was awesome Alma... Tnks so much for the tips. The handmade bouquet did it for me��. Awesome. Happy a beautiful married life dear. Cheers
ReplyDeleteThank you Patience. I'm happy you like!!
DeleteWow...it was a huge success & colourful event. Congrats dear
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Oge!
DeleteI already picked one or two things from your wedding before reading this. Thank you for sharing though.
ReplyDeleteAww really? I'm glad it inspired you. Thanks for reading.
DeleteThanks a lot for the tips Alma. Especially on the wedding dress...the stress ladies go through ehn!!!
ReplyDeleteLoool. I know right? So unnecessary. You welcome.
DeleteGood job... Very sensible too!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
DeleteVery Educative...will apply when its time. The homemade bouquet did it for me. Congratulations
ReplyDeleteThank you!!! Glad you loved it.
DeleteYour wedding slayed, Alma! You should add 'wedding planner' amongst your accomplishments! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you dearie!!! I'm sooo doing that in a jiffy!
DeleteOh boy, not easy. I just learnt to do what you can. No pressure. Do you
ReplyDeleteExactly!!! That's the key.
DeleteNice one alma. God bless your home
ReplyDeleteThank you. Amen!
DeleteAwwww I enjoyed reading this. I can totally relate to the asoebi matter. At my wedding I made just gele for my friends and a few of them, I didn't want to put further pressure on my friend as 98% of them had to travel for my wedding.
ReplyDeleteSmart one, babe!
DeleteAlma, these are all great tips, some of which I used myself for my wedding 2.5 years ago.
ReplyDelete1. Since my wedding was on the beach, I only needed slippers and my friend got me these simple but cute pair that worked. Like you said, ain't nobody looking at your shoes.
2. My dress was also off-the-rack but I did travel back to my second home (Atlanta) to buy it. The dress was on sale for $600 and had my colors - black and white. Loved loved loved it!
3. I also made my bouquet myself. Although I must admit, making a brooch bouquet was not as easy as I thought. It came out beautifully though.
4. I don't wear wristwatches anyway, so that wasn't even an option.
5. I designed our invitations myself and printed it via Vistaprint (Printivo is the Nigerian equivalent).
6. I participated in some giveaways, and won one to Brides Day Out by The Wedding Guruu. Although I didn't end up using their vendors, I made friends with some of the ladies.
7. My mum, sister and cousins really helped out on the day and made sure everyone was happy.
8. I wasn't interested in asoebi either! It was my mum that organized them for my traditional wedding. For my white wedding, I just had a color scheme - black and white.
9 and 10. I wasn't too involved with the drinks or souvenirs, but one of my aunts gave out flip flops as guests were coming in, because just as we knew, some people thought it was a good idea to wear heels to the beach!
CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN! You looked gorgeous and I love that you stayed true to yourself.
Berry Dakara Blog
Hahahaha! Berry!! The part about people wearing heels to the beach got me choking from laughing so hard. Nigerians sha!! Awww i remember going through your wedding photos and thinking to myself, I just found my twin. If only Abuja had a beach. *sigh*. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that curbed spending unecessarily for my wedding. Love your tips, they almost match with mine. Thank you dear, you are the best!
DeleteI enjoyed this! Congrats again
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
DeleteLovely....am sure every bit of the above listed will help me on my planning, also will love to have you as my planner..Based in lagos tho
ReplyDeleteAww I'm not soo familiar with Lagos. I would have loved to plan your wedding.*sigh*
DeleteThanks a lot for these tips. I find every one of them useful and I should revisit this when planning mine. You are lovely and I wish you a happy married life.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sefa. You are awesome.
DeleteAwww congrats Mrs Ngur, the tips are so on point! my favorite tip was the making of the bouquet yourself. The wedding industry is so 'wicked', the same fake flowers could go for 1000 naira if you want to use it to just decorate your sitting room; but add the wedding tag to it and suddenly it'll sky-rocket to tens of thousands. I once told my Mum that on my wedding morning, i'll just cut some leaves from the trees in our backyard, add some flame of the forest and line it with lemon grass, then tie it up with a ribbon. it was a joke and of course she 'rejected it in jesus name', but still you have to remember that after the wedding, the young couple does not need to start their new life with huge debts that could have been avoided.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I applaud your choices and I have to say, kudos! Many young women get into debts because of pressure to keep up with the Jones.
Looking forward to seeing more pictures, congrats again and welcome back. I missed you but I understood.
Ify!!! Thank you dear. I'm back for good oo. Thanks for the support!! As always.
DeleteFinally a lady who gets it,. Most ladies are carried away trying to outclass weddings on instagram. This is truly inspiring and I'll put it all to good news this November when I tie d knot.
ReplyDeleteGreat!! Thanks a bunch. A big congratulations to you in advance.
DeleteWhy do I see comments from the female gender alone? Funny enough, my bf sent me the link and never hesitate to check it out. Alma, I must confess that I wasn't just thrilled but I got the answer to my questions. Now, I have a wonderful plan to work with. Thanks a bunch and congratulations!
ReplyDeleteWow. Your bf? I'm so impressed by how much buzz this post is getting.thank you so much, Peace. I'm so glad you found this useful.thank you.
DeleteI loved the "stick to your budget" tip. I think often people get caught up on other people's expectations and spend way more. I will definitely be putting your tips to use but he has to propose first.....:-/
ReplyDeleteYea people have to learn they can't please everyone.I'm sure he will do so soon, fingers crossed. Thanks Aurora!
DeleteYou are really a cheapie with great strategy. You had a tasteful and classy wedding while saving cost. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bibi. You're awesome.
DeleteCongratulations on the success of your wedding. Evvveerrryy tip will be applied. Especially the bouquet, ushers,shoes, e-invite and drinks.
ReplyDeleteYou are ammazzzziinnnggg 💗
Thank you Bella. I am glad you could relate!
DeleteThis is so helpful cos am almost loosing my mind with my wedding plans.
ReplyDeleteReally? Those times will come but take it one step at a time. Easy!
DeleteI like all the tips*superhelpful*weddings in nigeria r very pricy,wisee spending
ReplyDeleteThank you so much.
DeleteJust wow!!! These are tips have always thought of especially as a sharp Lagos girl who knows her way around the eko market very well. I keep telling my friends that it's very possible to have a classy low budget wedding... Just know exactly what you want, keep it simple and never go beyond your budget. There is always that alternative choice that won't cost much but will give same effect like the original.. You are definitely my kind of person and I love your blog already. Just relocated to Abuja and I need sensible friends like you ooh, I could even work on some of your wedding planning jobs with you for free.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your wedding!!!!
Hi Adetoun,
DeleteI'll be glad to have some help as I already have some clients on my case. I think you will make a good colleague. Thanks for showing interest, I'll hit you up soon.
Hi alma
ReplyDeleteI love all your tips and it's really a life saver cos my wedding is a few months away and I'm currently facing a lot of this issues. I would like to know what u did about ur bridesmaid dresses, I've thought about getting them made and I'm a little worried if it will be sewn as perfectly as i want or just buying already made dresses. Or even getting them custom made.
Hi Khloe, congrats on your upcoming wedding. For bridesmaid dresses I had them sewn. Bear in mind that 'custom made' and 'sewn' is exactly the same thing but the only difference is the personnel who are working on it. Where are you based?
DeleteI am getting married on October 1st sticking to the budget is getting difficult the guest list is growing by the min and I love everything!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Cynthia, well you seem to love it all. You can only make amends when you are ready to cut down on either the guest list or a few things. Think about it,
DeleteOMG Alma, you are featured on BN!!! Yay!! Next stop, The Ellen Show!!!
ReplyDeleteI know right!! Whoop!
DeleteThank you so much for your honesty.. I am to be married in few months and taking all your comments in except the aso-ebi and relatives planning because i will only have that for the white wedding because my engagement will be the same morning by God's grace so turn up may be low. Also my friend is a professional planner so she will do it and charge very little. Also good for her own referrals so its a win-win.
ReplyDeleteI can relate completely and i am definitely contacting you for bouquet cos i don't have the creativity nor patience .
Also please can you share any bridal giveaways you know of that is still ongoing. I am also going to share this post with people.
Hi Adebola, thanks for your comment. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.I will be glad to make your bouquet. Let me know ASAP. I don't know any bridal giveaways happening right now but be sure to follow all the popular Nigerian Wedding handles on IG.
DeleteWooow!!! I'm so thrilled at your tips Alma.I'm planning my wedding and this will go a long way to help me.My .bf said he will do his own wedding programs and I love the idea. I really wanted to wear a wristwatch that bad but thanks for that tips. Will love it even more if you can be detailed in the making of your bouquet. Thanks loads dear.congratulations too.
ReplyDeleteHello, your bf has a good point there. Those programmes can cost an arm and a leg sometimes. My dad handled mine. Ditch that wristwatch, honey. Trust me. Well I'm turning the bouquet-making into a full time business, I'll be glad to make yours for a very affordable price.
DeleteI enjoyed your cover on affordable items for when planning a wedding it has really inspired me. I have done the traditional wedding in naija but will be going to Trinidad in the Caribbean for the White wedding and the budget is not alot so will happily use some of your ideas, by the way, you looked gorgeous on your special day. Happy Married Life to you and yours💍💜👌🏾🙏
ReplyDeleteThank you Carrie and big congrats to you too. I wish I could have had that destination wedding. I would have been able to save even more, Lol, Thank you so much.
DeleteGod bless you for posting this. Definitely using these tips for mine. thanks alma and congratulations again, may God bless ur union.
ReplyDeleteAmen! Thank you Ranti. All the best.
Deletevery nice tips dear bt u dint talk abt d hall. am gettn maried november nd sincerly ppl want to giv me veil, crown nd even gown is it nyc i accept?? nd am thinkn of a garden wedding as in on a field bt ppl say its outdated wat do u think?? d halls r too xpensive oo 200k without decoration haaaaa sombody's 1 year rent
ReplyDeleteHi Emmy, congrats on your upcoming wedding. Please do what you want to do. Its your wedding and no one else's. You can make your garden wedding as romantic and as beautiful as the ones you see in movies. I had mine in a marquee, so of course it was some splurging. But for you, I'm sure you can pull that garden wedding off. Go girl!
DeleteTo think i did all you suggested at my wedding if only i had seen your post to back up my actions when people felt otherwise. go girl, you rock.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! I'm glad you did. Show them this post now so they know you aren't crazy!
DeleteOne thing that really stuck with me is the bouquet tip. Never crossed my mind. Tying the knot in December, guess I have a little more time to try it out and I hope I get it right. I'm also planning my own wedding...fingers crossed and praying��
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel, you can do it. Trust me, if you need more tips, watch some Youtube videos and yes you can plan your wedding, its not easy but its worth it.
DeleteI like the souvenir tip.
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteHi Amma
ReplyDeletePlease I need more details, your contact please. Btw Congratulations, May God bless your home
Hi, you can send me an email almaspice@gmail.com
DeleteLovely piece there. Actually you nailed it. In addition, ladies don't need to buy the most expensive hair. You'll end up packing it. Lovely weaves that don't cost so much exist. Looking forward to mine so yes these tips sure helped. Thank you
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot. Oh yea, they are other good weaves that don't cost a lot. Go for it.
DeleteAlma your wedding was so beautiful, I just loved you and your hubby right from when I saw your pre wedding photo on Instagram, I love the ten tips you gave for anyone preparing for a wedding, I really love the one about the wine, bouquet and the ushers, for the shoes you can't believe I bought mine as cheap as $20 though It was on sales the shoes were meant to be $120 it's a Nina, it's so beautiful and rhinestones all over it of course no one is seeing your shoes so why the Jimmy choo and my dress I got it from the USA tho I didn't have to travel specially for the dress and it was off the rack too , once more thanks for the tips my wedding is going to be in December hoping you going to help me out and I will contact you through you Instagram
ReplyDeleteHi Comfprt, I'm glad you are already adopting the cheapskate method. Thank you so much for keeping up with us. I'll be glad to help, contact me okay?
DeleteSo inspiringThanks much ma'am
ReplyDeleteYou welcome,
DeleteI'm not close to getting married but I thought these tips were really amazing and necessary. I'm bookmarking this!!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading, you write and make it look so effortless. Well done!
Thank you so much dear. It is my passion, I can't help it. Glad you enjoyed.
DeleteLovely advise, I had a few of my friends marry before me and I so knew the things I definitely wasn't going to do.
ReplyDeleteNice to see I'm not alone
No you're not alone. Be as realistic as possible!
DeleteThis is amazing !!!!! Thank you Alma
ReplyDeleteLovely tips. A applied some of them when I got married in 2014. My dress was of the rack, used family contact as hostesses, did not use a wedding planner. For brides in Lagos, u can get ur bouquet made in balogun market pretty cheap.
ReplyDeleteNelo's Halo Blog
Great!! Yea I heard the Balogun Market deal too. Awesome!
DeleteThese tips are so me!
ReplyDeleteMore women should realize that good choices are based on taste and not cost.
A lot of brides put so much pressure on themselves, partners, families and supposed "friends" to pull off an expensive wedding they cannot afford and fall flat on their face
I mean if you are not PMB or Otedola's daughter, take a chill pill and cut your coat, lol!
Thanks for tips. Will definitely put them in my back pocket.
Thanks Lilian for agreeing with me.
DeleteI'm totally book marking this page till whenever I'm getting married. All the tips are so helpful especially making your own bouquet, E-invites and Drinks. I was hoping to see a tip about bridal hair and makeup. Did you have to use a very expensive hair, hair stylist or is it ok to use an old weave you already have??
ReplyDeleteHi Oge, glad you liked it. For makeup, I think you can use a good makeup artist you can afford. I used a very good one that was in my budget. Yours may be different and that's understandable. For hair, you can use an old weave definately. You can have it treated a week before and someone can style it for you on your wedding morning for as low as 1,000 naira.
DeleteOh I love the ditch the regular aseobi thing. Let friends spend less, very considerate.whats the fuss about the wedding dress, when you'll only wear it in church where not so many people come to in Naija. Everyone is reception. Good planning Alma.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear. I wore my dress to both church and reception but changed into a short dress when I was ready to throw my bouquet and party!
DeleteAbsolutely joyful to read! I didn't want it to stop. Lol. Wonderful tips. I loved all of them. Your pics are lovely. I'm in USA and I ordered my gorgeous gown from prom dress site in the wedding section for less than $200. It is so stunning!!! Thanks for the tips.
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome. I would love to see a photo of that stunning $200 dress. Wow!
Deletehi Alma,
ReplyDeletethis is soo awesome! a friend of mine sent me this link and i read all your tips with such relish! i wouldnt mind taking up your offer on the hand-made bouquet, its beautiful! lol i am preparing for my wedding and i am not a fan of lavish weddings. i love it simple but classy and i found all of your tips quite helpful. are you a very affordable wedding planner? *wink* God bless you Alma!
Hi Georgina, thanks a lot, I'm glad you enjoyed. Yea, you can place an order for your bouquet via my IG Page and yes i now offer very affordable wedding planning services.Hit me up!
DeleteLovely tips....... would really help in planning mine..... especially participating in all the giveaways
ReplyDeleteCongrats Alma,really nice and helpful.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. It helps me a lot. Thanks!
ReplyDeletePlease drop your comments here. I love hearing from you! Also, tick the 'Notify Me' box if you want to be notified when I reply your message!