“We spent over ₦30 million on decor" Seven People Talk About the Cost of Wedding in Lagos

From weddings that cost tens of millions of naira to intimate celebrations with just 100 guests, getting married in Lagos can mean very different things depending on your budget, your family, and how much of a production you want the day to be.

There’s the venue, catering, aso-ebi, photography, outfits, makeup, entertainment, decor, and all the little expenses that somehow become very big expenses when you add them up, but which parts of a Lagos wedding actually take the biggest bite out of the budget? And what happens when you want to keep things intimate but still have a beautiful day?

We spoke to seven people about how much their weddings cost, what they spent the most on, and what they would do differently. 

“The traditional wedding cost us more than we expected.”

We initially treated the traditional wedding as the smaller event, but then we started accounting for the outfits, engagement requirements, gifts for the families, food, drinks, and the number of relatives expected to attend. Omo! The costs kept adding up.

We had to compromise on what was most important, like entertainment for the guests. If I were doing it again (I’m not doing it again), I would budget for the traditional ceremony as a major event in its own right rather than an afterthought. Also, get an event planner who works with your budget; otherwise, you will break the bank. 

Nick, 35

“We invited 100 people because we wanted a wedding we could actually afford.”

Our original plan was an intimate wedding, but once our parents found out, we realised the guest list was something we had little control over. A wedding is a celebration of effort for our parents, and it's the perfect way to do that; hence, 100 people wouldn’t cut it for our parents, who threatened fire and brimstone, but we prioritised the food, photography, and venue. We kept the decor simple and didn't spend money on extras we could live without. Our guests had a good time, and it was a blast. 

Nnanna, 27

“Feeding everyone was one of our biggest expenses.”

I knew food would cost money, but I didn't realise how quickly the total would grow to almost ₦20 million once we added the main meals, small chops, drinks, and service. 

We also had to account for the possibility of more people showing up than we had planned for.

The price per plate looked manageable when we discussed it, but if you multiply it by 520 guests, which was the total number we had eventually, you're looking at millions. If we dwell on the expenses, we might forget that’s a celebration of love. 

Hassan, 40

“We spent over ₦30 million, and the decor alone was a small fortune.”

We knew we wanted a big wedding, but I don't think I and my husband understood what that meant financially until we started booking vendors. We wanted a beautiful venue, elaborate decor, good food, professional photography, and enough entertainment to keep everyone happy. Every time we thought we had covered the major expenses, our in-laws brought up a bill. 

The venue and decor took ₦30 million off our budget, but feeding our guests was another major expense. Looking back, I would still have the big celebration, but I would set firmer limits on the things that weren't particularly important to us.

Nifemi, 29

Money Guides · 5 min readFive People Talk About Their Biggest WindfallWe asked five people about the biggest unexpected sum of money they’ve ever received and how they spent, saved, and made the most of it.

“I didn't realise looking the part would cost so much.”

I had saved pictures of the dress I wanted, the makeup look I liked, and the outfits I planned to change into during the reception. What I hadn't done was calculate the full cost of putting it all together.

There was the dress, alterations, shoes, accessories, hair, makeup, gele, and the traditional outfit. Then there were my husband's outfits and the cost of getting everything ready on time. I eventually decided which looks mattered most to me and where I could make compromises. My advice is to budget for everything, but leave room for compromise, as prices will surely change.

Foluso, 28

“We spent more on entertainment than we originally planned.”

We wanted our wedding to feel like a proper Lagos celebration. We wanted people dancing, singing along, and having a good time. That meant paying attention to the DJ, the MC, and the overall atmosphere of the reception, and it cost us ₦150 million; our parents contributed a significant amount. 

Entertainment wasn't the first thing we thought about when we started budgeting, but it became an important part of the experience we wanted to create. We had to decide whether we needed every extra we had considered or whether a good DJ and an engaging MC could do the job. It was worth it. 

The Sanusis

“We kept the wedding simple because we had other financial goals.”

We didn't want to start married life feeling like we had spent every naira we owned on one day. We set a budget early, decided how many people we could realistically invite, and made a list of what mattered to us.

We chose a venue that didn't require much additional styling, kept the guest list manageable, and avoided spending on things we didn't care about. It wasn't the biggest wedding, but it felt like us. We would rather have money left over for our honeymoon and the life we were building together than spend everything trying to make the day look extravagant.

Fati, 31

Names have been changed to protect the identity of the respondents.