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Lagos calling! Find out what went into planning the biggest Indian destination wedding in West Africa!
Wedding Planning - Jun 28, 2023
Adding another feather to their cap, WeddingSutra Favorite – Plush Weddings pulled off a feat of excellence with a stunning destination wedding in Lagos, Nigeria. Orchestrated in collaboration with Abhinav Bhagat Events, the team went above and beyond to make the wedding an unforgettable celebration for the couple and their guests. Founders Ruchika Arora Bansal and Utkarsh Bansal shares their experience in exquisite detail.
Wedding Destination
“I bet your first question would be ‘Why Lagos?’! It was the very first question we asked our groom as well when he approached us. Even though as planners we had a host of exotic locations to suggest, the groom was adamant about the location being Lagos as he and his family had been settled in the area for more than 2 decades, with a huge industrial presence. Being an unusual choice for a wedding destination, he was also thrilled to give his guests a truly novel experience by creating a mini India in Lagos, and was determined to match the grandeur of any popular destination in the world.”
Wedding Planning Highlights
“We had less than three months to plan this wedding in an unfamiliar destination, and without the help of any of our usual partners. Also it being in the middle of a busy wedding season, we had to cut it even closer to the wire. This also left a very small window for us to send our containers with Indian decor elements and catering equipment, as nothing was available locally. The shipping time was close to 2 months, but we made that happen too. It was a challenge for sure, but it was also an opportunity, and we were onboard”!
Safety measures
“On googling whether Nigeria is safe to travel, the first thing that pops up is an advisory to reconsider traveling due to risks associated with crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime. Needless to say, our first and foremost priority, therefore, was the security and safety of our guests and work partners. We were promised adequate security from arrival to departure by the client. On our first recce trip, we were given the assistance of MoPols (Mobile police) as well, who was with us for the entire trip. Our client ensured we had constant support and safety throughout.”
She adds, “A lot of our regular partners refused to be a part of the wedding because of the travel time, safety issues, lack of local support, and the risk of not being able to perform in dire circumstances even after the assurance of adequate safety and security. It took us a lot of time and effort to find the right vendors who were ready to take on the challenge, and matched the quality expectations of our clients and our team”.
Challenges, Solutions, and Special Measures
● This wedding was the first big Indian wedding to be hosted by a stand-alone hotel property, and it took us a while to explain the magnitude and nuances of Indian weddings, wherein we needed several venues 3-4 days prior so we could execute the decor. Separate temporary kitchens were also set up for the team of Foodlink Luxury Catering, to help them operate as per their needs.
● For Abhinav Bhagat Events, the decor designer for the wedding, it was a huge task to curate an Indian celebration in a destination where the requisite flowers and props are not locally available. When it came to the decor, the client’s vision was larger than life, and Abhinav Bhagat Events was taken on board to bring it to life. Two whole containers of props, statues of Indian deities, his signature elements, and more were shipped immediately after our first visit. Even though we didn’t have a concrete mood board or layouts in hand at the time, it was necessary to do so to ensure all of it reached on time for the wedding.
● Working with local fabricators and decorators was a unique experience as they had never executed the decor for an Indian wedding of this magnitude in Lagos. Several in-person meetings and Zoom sessions took place before finalizing the right vendors and decorators. Due to less demand for Indian weddings, there were hardly any prop-rental and furniture-rental agencies, so everything was newly bought and fabricated for the event.
● The local agencies, despite being quite professional in their work, were still not equipped to execute 4 events in such a short period of time. Hence, a different agency was hired to execute each event, and we had to coordinate with 4 teams instead of 1, which proved to be one of the largest tasks.
● Each of them was taken through the rituals and their importance, what materials were needed for each event, etc, as their only knowledge of Indian weddings came from the movies they had seen. Concepts like Varmalas, mandap chairs, Hawan kund, etc, which often we don’t have to think about when planning a wedding in India, had to be explained from scratch, much of which had to be shipped from India.
● We had a team of 50 chefs and 30 personnel from management, and servers were flown from India to serve authentic Indian delicacies at the events. Lagos is almost 7 times more expensive in terms of renting cooking equipment and other cutlery items, so it was much cheaper to purchase the same and airlift all of it for our events. Around 800 kgs of fresh ingredients and spices were sourced from India.
● Lagos doesn’t have a concrete vegetable or fruit market, hence fresh ingredients were sourced with a lot of preplanning, and the exotic fruit/vegetables needed were sourced from different parts of the world and flown in on a daily basis.
● Flowers were all imported from Europe/ America as nothing was locally available for commercial use.
● We had 110 vehicles, 220 gunmen, and 30 private military personnel to ensure the utmost safety and security for our 220 guests.
● Our Client was very keen to do the Phera ceremony on the beach, followed by a Reception at one of the most popular beach restaurants in Lagos. Because of unpredictable weather and storms unlike any we have seen in India, a separate waterproof marquee was set up on the beach with the help of water pellets and platformed at an incredible height to withstand the hours of high tide.
● Due to a heavy storm, our kitchen tent was almost destroyed on day 2 of the wedding and rebuilt on very short notice to help Team Foodlink Luxury Catering perform at its full capacity.
● Due to high security, hardly any local sims were issued, so we had to function on very basic Wi-Fi, and all teams had to pull up their sleeves and act as self-sufficient entities, as communication was a huge issue.
● Yellow Fever and Polio shots were arranged for all agencies and guests much in advance in India to meet the protocol in Nigeria. Even though these appointments were not easy to get, we followed every requirement for a safe and happy experience.
Crafting a celebration of epic proportions while ensuring the utmost quality, comfort, and safety of everyone involved, Plush Weddings paved the way for grand Indian weddings in Nigeria. In the words of the bride, “I cannot express how grateful I am to Plush Weddings and all the vendors who flawlessly orchestrated my Indian wedding in Nigeria. From the intricate decor to the seamless coordination, every detail was executed with perfection, and their expertise and dedication made our special day a true reflection of our cultural heritage. We couldn’t have asked for a more memorable celebration in a complicated and challenging destination.”
The Wedding Makers
Venues: Eko Hotels & Suites; Shiro Lagos; Breeze Beach Lagos
Wedding planners: Plush Weddings
Design and Decor: Abhinav Bhagat Events
Outfits: Manish Malhotra
Catering: Foodlink Luxury Catering
Bar: The Wedding Bartenders
Choreography: Cheena Dasani Productions
Entertainment: DJ Ganesh, Swaarag Fusion Band
Emcee: Vishaal Rasquinha
Stationery: Akansha Negi Designs
Production: Newton and David (Mehndi, Sangeet), Perfectly Planned (Haldi), Sara O Events (Wedding, Reception)
