Let’s be honest here - Nigerian weddings can be pretty expensive! Unfortunately, some brides and grooms may encounter money-related struggles while planning their dream wedding day, whether unforeseen expenses or overstretching their budget.
We’re big fans of making sure you spend within your budget and have spare cash for your lives as newlyweds after the perfect wedding! But, ultimately, to achieve this, one must pay a lot of attention in the planning phase and make certain changes to set a sensible budget early on.
Here are some tips to help you manage costs for your Nigerian wedding:
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Reduce your guest count: the number of wedding guests significantly impacts your budget! Your guest count affects cost items such as your venue (larger venues are more expensive), catering (more mouths to feed), souvenirs (more gifts), etc. A more intimate wedding will help take things from overwhelming to manageable. In addition, you might benefit from making your wedding strictly by invitation to ensure no surprise guests.
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Choose limited menu options: there’s almost no limit to what you can serve at weddings these days - small chops, local Nigerian dishes, continental dishes, cocktails, to mention a few. However, having a varied menu comes at a price! To manage catering costs, you can ask a few questions when choosing your menu options - what are the nice-to-haves and must-haves? What types of food will my guests enjoy?
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Skip the reception after-party: we’ll admit it too; more time to celebrate with your families and friends is fun! However, hosting an after-party can be a strain on your budget as you would need to cater to your guests for the extra hours they stay to celebrate with you. If you’re already on a tight budget with the wedding itself, don’t feel obligated to throw an after-party.
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Holding multiple ceremonies on the same day: picture this, you’re holding your religious ceremony on a Thursday and your traditional ceremony on a Saturday. That means securing two event centers, catering for two sets of guests, more outfit changes - basically paying for most things twice.
To avoid stretching your budget, you could consider holding multiple ceremonies on the same day. If you choose to do this, think carefully about your wedding day timeline to avoid stress! -
Negotiate with vendors: negotiating with all your vendors might not be the best answer to your budget issues, but it could help save you some money! But do this carefully, understand how much is typically charged for certain products or services and by specific vendors. Also, reach out the right way and engage with prospective vendors prospectively! Lastly, prepare to compromise on your vendor choice if some vendors are unwilling to move on price.