02/09/2026
People wey dey talk say ₦300,000 is too small for hall decoration, I dey hail una! 👏
But let me say this as someone who has spent over 10 years working in the events industry:
₦300,000 can still give you a decent hall decoration provided your expectations are not out of the blues.
The problem is not always the budget.
Sometimes, the problem is the expectations attached to the budget.
You cannot have a ₦300,000 budget and expect a ₦2 million wedding setup. Something has to give.
I am a decorator and also run a full-service event management company, Sparkling Event Planners Limited.
For over 10 years, we have worked across several states in Nigeria, handling both premium and regular budgets. We have worked with clients who wanted something simple and clients who wanted to go all out.
One thing we have never compromised is our commitment to showing up and delivering for our clients.
In fact, over 90% of our works have received top ratings in terms of client satisfaction.
Over the years, we have continued to increase our rates as our capacity, experience, equipment and services have improved.
It may even shock some people to know that recently, we have handled packages around ₦750,000, covering decoration, lighting ambience, special effects such as fog and fireworks, car decoration and more, plus free event planning services.
Some vendors doubted whether such packages could work.
Some clients also had their doubts.
But we delivered.
And guess what?
The patronage kept coming.
We later scaled the offer to around ₦950,000, with even better promises and improved deliverables.
Again, the patronage increased.
That taught me something important about this business:
People are not always looking for the cheapest vendor. Many people are simply looking for someone they can trust.
That is why, as part of giving our clients emotional security, our team often starts work at least 24 hours before the event, regardless of how small the event may be.
Why?
So the client can see that work has started.
They can monitor progress.
And if they had doubts before, they can gradually gain confidence that their money is actually working.
Interestingly, more than 70% of our client base comes online.
From Abuja, Lagos, Jos, Kaduna, Zaria and other places, people have found us online and trusted us enough to bring us into their events.
From these locations, we have travelled to several other states and returned with beautiful experiences and good testimonials.
So, let me give a simple piece of advice to anyone planning an event.
Whether you are hiring a decorator, caterer, cake designer, MC, DJ, security personnel, bouncer, usher or any other event vendor:
Please do your due diligence.
Don't just transfer money because somebody posted beautiful pictures online.
Take time to investigate the company and, importantly, the person behind the company.
Check their digital footprint.
Check their previous works.
Check reviews and testimonials.
Ask questions.
Today, genuine businesses and serious professionals usually leave some traces online.
If you cannot find anything tangible about a vendor, their business, their previous works or their reputation...
My brother, my sister, run with your two legs! 😄
And let me return to the main issue:
Yes, ₦300,000 can still give you a decent decoration.
There are legitimate and professional event companies that can work within that budget and still give you something beautiful.
But please...
Keep your expectations realistic.
Don't expect the moon when your budget can only comfortably pay for the stars. 😄
There is nothing wrong with having a modest budget.
In fact, I respect clients who understand their financial capacity and plan accordingly.
The problem begins when expectations become exaggerated.
You want a luxury ballroom experience, massive floral installations, imported props, LED walls, premium lighting, special effects and a celebrity-level wedding, all inside a budget meant for a modest event.
That is where disappointment usually begins.
And please, be careful about choosing vendors only because they promised you everything at an unbelievably cheap price.
Not everybody has control.
Some vendors may be financially unstable. Once they receive your money, they may immediately divert it to settle personal or urgent financial needs, hoping that another client's money will come before your event.
That is how some people eventually end up saying:
“Had I known.”
An event is too important to leave entirely to assumptions and promises.
To cap it all, you may also consider hiring an event planner or event coordinator whose responsibility is to keep following up on every aspect of your event and ensure that everything is moving on track.
The decorator should focus on decoration.
The caterer should focus on food.
The DJ should focus on entertainment.
The MC should focus on the programme.
But someone should be looking at the bigger picture and making sure everybody is doing what they promised to do.
At the end of the day, a successful event is not necessarily the one with the biggest budget.
It is the one where expectations, planning, budget and ex*****on meet at the right point.
So yes...
₦300,000 can give you a decent hall decoration.
Just be honest about what you want.
Be realistic about what your money can achieve.
Do your due diligence before hiring vendors.
And whenever possible, have someone coordinating the entire process.
Just an honest opinion from a player who has spent over a decade in the field of events.
~MD. Binshak
