Planning a Budget Wedding in Nigeria

Nigerians like owambe a lot and it can be a bit of a hassle to cater well for wedding guests and generally have a good wedding if you are on a budget. But with N500,000-N750,000, you can still do a small, nice wedding and get started on the married lane.


1. Wedding Venue
Wedding venues can almost cost an arm and a leg. Usually, because most halls already come with chairs, tables, some sort of decortaion and even sound, it goes for a premium. The alternative is for you to get a small hall in a location that isn't very popular or go for a field or the open space in a private school, throw in some rented canopies, chairs and tables and your venue is sorted. This could help as much as N50,000-N70,000.


2. Number of Guests
Nigerians like owambes hence are very adept at gatecrashing. So, keep your guest list down to make room for those who will do 'mo gbo mo ya'. You can attempt an 80-100 people and make room for 30 or 50 more. With N1000 (food and drinks inclusive) per head you will be spending about N150,000 for 100-150 people


3. Wedding Gown
Wedding gown is another expensive item that can sink a wedding budget in minutes. So, rather than spend as much as N100,000-N1million, for a gown you won't be wearing after the wedding, why not rent a gown instead? You can rent a gown for as low as N20,000 and as high as N100,000. It all depends on your taste! But N20,000 should get you a good gown.


4. Groom's Suit
The groom's suit doesn't have to be new because nobody knows whether it is new or not. With a proper dry clean, your man could be looking as dapper as if he wore a brand new $1000 suit. All the same, he could get a N30k suit if he doesn't have a nice suit. More so, he would still use it after the wedding.


5. Decoration
If you are getting a hall that is just plain or a field, get a friend to help you decorate the venue. They don't have to be professionals; plus a few YouTube videos would help them understand the design you have in mind. With N30,000 you can rent a few drapes, table covers, flowers, vases and buy some balloons, ribbons and the likes.


6. Wedding Shoes
Of course, you want both your feet to look nice on your big day so wearing an old pair may not do justice. All the same, 10-15k for each shoes totaling about 20-30k is a decent budget for nice shoes.


7. Wedding Rings
'With this ring I thee wed...' is an important part of any wedding so you need wedding bands that can reflect some light when it's being exchanged. N15,000 - N20,000 can get you a complete set of rings for the both of you.


8. Entertainment
Entertainment is a must for weddings. People must dance and shaku shaku on your big day because it is a thing of joy. But you don't have to break the bank, you can either get a friend load songs on a system, rent sound equipment to get the beat rolling. Or you could budget about N30,000 for a DJ.


9. MC
If you don't have a friend who can successfully compere an event, you can budget N30,000 for an MC.


10. Wedding Cake
For your wedding cake, you can budget another N50,000 - N70,000. Opt for affordable bakers and choose simple 2 steps or 3 steps cakes. You could make a 14 inch plain cake that can be served to your guests.


11. Makeup
You shouldn't be the one handling your make up on your big day. Get a friend who can help you or a make up artiste for N20,000- N30,000 you can do your own makeup. Great! If not,


12. Hair
Look for a nice weavon that you can curl and with N5,000 an hairdresser can help you fix it nicely.


13. Photography/Videography
For photography and videography, budget about N80,000 - N100,000 and you are good to go.


14. Wedding Invitation
Now, the world has gone digital so you don't need to print hard copy invitations. Send out text messages or get some wedding cards from the store and input details with felt pens. This could serve as invite for older people that must get traditional invites.

Keep the remaining cash for any other miscellaneous or unforeseen expenses that could crop up.