The out of town wedding is the most stressful of weddings to put together because you now have added factors to consider when planning. So, to avoid the above scenario, when you decide to have an out-of-town wedding, the following are additional things you should take notice of:
Create two budgets:
One for the wedding, the other for the logistics. It will make it easier to monitor how money is being spent and show you where you can cut costs from or add funds to.
Hire locally:
As much as possible, try to use a local work force especially if you are working with a small budget. I know a make-up artist who got stuck when they cancelled her flight because the bride was trying to avoid paying for hotel accommodation for her or the couple whose hall decorator showed up just as the church service was ending. The chief bridesmaid was almost pulling out her hair. If you can't find skilled personnel in the town of your wedding, then you need to make sure everyone is with you at least twenty four hours to the big day.
Start early:
Don't wait till the last minute to go and look around the town you plan to get married in. Sort out accommodation and transport issues as early as possible. You will be surprised at the hefty discounts you can get for booking early and in bulk. Always remember to budget for at least 50% more than the number of invited guests. Nigerians like to attend plus one.
Consider the elderly:
You don't want any health complications arising from the stress of the wedding. If you're going to move elderly people over long distances in Nigeria, give them at least 24 hours in between legs of the trip so they can rest. Especially if they are traveling by road. If this is impractical, try as much as possible to fly them to the nearest airport so they can then continue the journey by road.They need it more than you do.
Use a wedding registry:
This will reduce your worry about how to carry all your gifts from one town to another.
Finally, don't forget to have fun, you won't get another day like this.