A good wedding planning timeline starts about 12 months before the day, or earlier for a large Nigerian wedding with several events. Begin with the families, the budget & the dates, book key venues & vendors next, sort aso-ebi & invitations in the middle months, & spend the final weeks confirming details. Use this wedding planning checklist as a guide & adjust it to your own dates.
If you have less time, do not panic. Compress the stages, but keep the order: families & budget first, then venues & vendors, then guests & details.
This timeline assumes several events, such as an introduction, a traditional wedding, a church or mosque ceremony & a reception. If you are hosting fewer, skip what you do not need.
Wedding planning checklist: 12 months or more before
- Talk to both families about expectations: which events, where, & who hosts each one.
- Agree a budget & who is contributing. Our wedding budget planning framework walks you through it.
- Choose your dates, checking religious calendars, family availability & public holidays.
- Draft a guest list & decide how many guests each family will invite.
- Shortlist venues for each event & visit where you can.
- Decide whether you need a planner, & start speaking to a few.
- Agree how you will share plans & updates with both families, such as one family group chat.
For couples planning from abroad, this stage usually takes longer, because visits home need planning too. Our guide to planning a Nigerian wedding from the UK has practical advice.
9 to 12 months before
Introduction & the families
In many families, the introduction comes first, & plans for the traditional wedding follow from it. Customs vary widely by culture, town, faith & family, so let the elders guide this stage & ask what is expected of each side.
- Hold or plan the introduction ceremony.
- Ask the bride's family for their list & requirements for the traditional wedding.
- Agree who will speak for each family & how the families will stay in touch.
Book the big vendors
- Venues for every event
- Planner or coordinator
- Photographer & videographer
- Caterer
- Decorator
Popular vendors can be booked early for busy months, so if you have a favourite photographer or caterer, ask about your date as soon as it is fixed. Check availability before you fall in love with anyone's work, & read our questions to ask before paying a vendor deposit before any money changes hands.
6 to 9 months before
- Choose your colours & wedding look, including aso-ebi colours for each event.
- Source aso-ebi fabric & decide who will coordinate orders & payments.
- Book makeup, gele stylist, DJ, MC or band, & your baker.
- Start your wedding website & decide whether you will control entry with RSVPs & passes.
- Hold rooms for guests who are travelling, if you plan to.
- Send save-the-dates, especially to guests abroad.
Aso-ebi needs time for sewing, so starting here avoids a last-minute rush at the tailor. Our post on aso-ebi planning explains how to keep orders & payments calm.
3 to 6 months before
- Order outfits: traditional attire for each event, the gown, suits & accessories.
- Agree the menu with your caterer & arrange a tasting if one is offered.
- Design invitations, wedding passes, signage & souvenirs.
- Send invitations with a clear RSVP date.
- Plan the livestream if family abroad will be watching.
- Arrange transport for the couple & key family members.
- Confirm church, mosque or registry requirements, including any classes or paperwork.
If you are sending printed invitations to elders, allow time for design, approval, printing & delivery before the date you want them in hand. Draft the wording early & read it with both families.
1 to 3 months before
- Chase RSVPs & approve your final guest list.
- Send entry passes to approved guests.
- Confirm final numbers with the caterer & the venue.
- Agree the order of events for each day with your planner & MC.
- Distribute aso-ebi & confirm everyone has collected theirs.
- Book fittings for every outfit.
- Agree payment dates for the remaining vendor balances.
- Brief the door or security team on how entry will work.
This is the busiest stretch. Hold a short weekly check-in with your planner or a trusted family member, & keep one shared list of open tasks so nothing relies on memory.
The final two weeks
- Confirm every vendor: arrival time, location & a contact on the day.
- Pay outstanding balances as agreed, & keep the receipts.
- Share a timeline with the bridal train & family helpers.
- Prepare anything needed for traditional rites, as the families advise.
- Pack for each event, including a small emergency kit.
- Hand the day-of contact role to someone other than the two of you.
- Rest. Seriously.
The wedding days & the day after
On the day
For a multi-day celebration, treat each day as its own event with its own lead person. Our guide to the multi-day Nigerian wedding covers handovers between events.
- Keep your phone with someone you trust.
- Eat before each event, even if it is only a little.
- Let the planner & family helpers handle problems.
- Take a moment together, away from the crowd, at least once each day.
Decide in advance who will receive cash gifts & envelopes, & where they will be kept safely until the end of the night.
The day after & beyond
- Return rented items & outfits on time.
- Settle any final balances & collect receipts.
- Thank family, friends & vendors personally.
- Gather guests' photos & messages.
- Post a thank-you message for everyone who celebrated with you.
- Update your name on documents, if you are changing it.
Write thank-you messages while the memories are fresh. A personal note to each vendor who served you well, & an honest review where you can leave one, means a great deal to a small business.
A wedding website makes the thank-yous easier: one message there is ready for every guest who visits. On our Wedding Website, guests upload photos from their seats & leave messages on a Wall of Love, so many of the memories are already in one place when the celebrations end.
Questions people ask
How far in advance should we start planning a Nigerian wedding?
Twelve months is a comfortable starting point, & longer helps if you are hosting several events, inviting a large number of guests or planning from abroad. Popular venues & vendors can book up early in busy seasons. With less time, keep the same order of tasks & make decisions faster.
When should we send wedding invitations?
Send save-the-dates six to nine months ahead, especially to guests who will travel, & formal invitations around three to four months before the wedding with a clear RSVP date. Give guests abroad extra notice. If you have a wedding website, the link can go out with the invitation.
When should aso-ebi be ordered?
Allow plenty of time for sourcing fabric, collecting payments, distribution & sewing. Starting six to nine months ahead gives tailors room, especially near festive seasons. Set a firm deadline for orders & payments, & share it clearly with everyone buying.
What should we do in the week after the wedding?
Rest first. Then return rented items, settle final balances & start thanking people: parents, the bridal train, helpers & vendors. Collecting guests' photos & posting one thank-you message on your wedding website or Instagram page is a simple way to reach everyone at once.
