Planning a Nigerian or African wedding from the UK: a practical guide

Planning a Nigerian or African wedding from the UK is very doable if you build a reliable team on the ground, keep every agreement in writing, pay deposits carefully & give guests plenty of notice. Whether you are marrying in Nigeria or hosting a Nigerian or African wedding in London, Manchester or Birmingham, the same habits keep things calm.

Here is a practical guide for UK-based couples, from working across time zones to keeping family on both sides involved. You can also read our page for couples in the UK.

First decision: a wedding in Nigeria, or a Nigerian or African wedding in the UK?

Many UK couples hold their wedding in Nigeria, where most of the family lives. Others hold it in the UK, where their friends, work & home are, & bring Nigerian traditions with them. Some do both: a traditional wedding in Nigeria & a reception in the UK.

Weigh up a few questions together:

• Where do most of the guests you care about live?
• Who can travel easily, & who would struggle with visas, cost or time off work?
• Which ceremonies matter most to each family, & where do they need to happen?
• Where does your marriage need to be legally recognised, & what do the rules require? Check with official sources, such as your local register office, before you book.

If you are leaning towards Nigeria, our guide to a destination wedding in Nigeria covers cities, seasons & guest travel in more depth.

If you are hosting in the UK, look for caterers who cook Nigerian food well, venues that allow late finishes & live bands, & an MC who can bring British & Nigerian guests together. Aso-ebi fabric may need to be bought in Nigeria & carried over by relatives, so set deadlines with travel & tailoring time in mind.

Working across time zones

Nigeria keeps West Africa Time all year. That means Lagos is one hour ahead of the UK in winter, & on the same time while the UK is on British Summer Time. It is a small gap, but it still catches people out when the clocks change.

• Agree regular call times with your planner & key family members, such as a weekly evening call.
• Remember that working days, public holidays & busy seasons differ, & many vendors are busiest at weekends.
• Use calendar invites that show the time zone for important calls & payment deadlines.

If you would like to see how a wedding website works before you decide, our demos are booked in Nigerian time & held by WhatsApp video call or a video call link, so it is easy to find a slot that suits you in the UK.

Vendors on WhatsApp: keep it organised

Most Nigerian vendors do business on WhatsApp, which works well from abroad, but long chats & voice notes can bury important details.

• Ask for every quote & agreement in writing, with dates, what is included & the price.
• Summarise each call in a short message afterwards & ask the vendor to confirm it.
• Keep one chat per vendor, & pin the key messages.
• Ask for references, recent work &, where possible, a video call to see the venue or the work in person.
• If you have a planner on the ground, decide what they can approve without you.

Voice notes are quick, but they are hard to search later. When a vendor sends an important detail by voice note, reply with a short written summary so you both have a record.

Deposits & payments from abroad

Paying from the UK adds a few extra steps. Many Nigerian vendors quote in naira & exchange rates move, so agree on the currency & the amount in writing before you pay.

• Pay against a written invoice & ask for a receipt for every payment.
• Avoid paying everything upfront. Agree on a deposit & a schedule for the balance.
• Keep a simple record of who has been paid, how much & when, shared with the person helping you on the ground.
• Be wary of last-minute requests to pay into a different account. Confirm by phone before you send anything.

Leave some room in your budget for transfer fees & exchange rate changes, so a shift in the rate does not leave you short close to the day. Our guide to paying vendor deposits safely covers how to protect yourselves in more detail.

Guests travelling, & family on both sides

Give guests as much notice as you can, especially if they need to book flights, take leave or apply for visas. Guests who are not Nigerian citizens should check visa & entry requirements with official sources well in advance, & Nigerian guests should check that their passports are valid.

Share the details guests need in one place: dates, venues, dress code, areas to stay & how to get around. A wedding website is ideal for this. With our Wedding Website, every celebration sits on one invitation, guests RSVP once & receive their personal entry pass by SMS & WhatsApp when you approve them, & you manage RSVPs from your dashboard.

Family on both sides often have strong views & different expectations. Agree early who speaks for each family, who makes decisions on the ground, & how you will share updates. A short weekly update to both families, even a voice note, prevents a lot of misunderstandings.

For example, a hypothetical couple in Leeds with family in Enugu & Ibadan might ask a trusted aunt in each city to handle the traditional arrangements, while they lead on the reception, the guest list & the website.

A livestream for those who can't travel

Not everyone you love will be able to travel, whether the wedding is in Nigeria or in the UK. A livestream lets grandparents, friends & relatives join the ceremony from home.

Our wedding website includes a livestream with guest chat, so family can watch & send messages as it happens, & guests far away can spray you in naira notes from the website. Our livestream crew add-on is for weddings in Nigeria only, & where the crew has to travel, the couple covers their tickets & accommodation. If your wedding is in the UK, message us on +234 907 898 7201 before you book to talk through the livestream for your venue.