How To Plan Your Wedding On A Budget In Nigeria in 2024
Finding true love is difficult, but planning a budget-friendly wedding is almost impossible.
Especially in Nigeria, where the price of everything keeps increasing, having the perfect wedding might take all your savings for vanishing. From the beauty of the traditional wedding to the glamour of the white wedding, a lot of money goes into making your special day, special.
That is why we have helped you with these tips to plan that perfect wedding on a small budget.
The Cost Of Planning a Wedding
Before we jump into the tips, let’s look at the average costs of planning a wedding.
- Traditional Nigerian Wedding Costs
We all love a good traditional wedding. There is always good food, native music, and heartwarming cultural activities. However, these things don’t come cheap.
Here is the list of traditional wedding expenses:
- Engagement Ceremony: ₦200,000 - ₦500,000
- Father’s Gift: ₦100,000 - ₦250,000
- Bride Price: ₦100,000 - ₦3,000,000 (varies by cultural customs)
- Traditional Attire: ₦100,000 - ₦500,000 (for both bride and groom)
- Venue Rental: ₦200,000 - ₦1,000,000
- Photography/Videography: ₦250,000 - ₦1,000,000
- Catering Services: ₦100,000 - ₦200,000
- Entertainment - ₦30,000 - ₦100,000
2. Nigerian White Wedding Costs
Nothing warms our hearts like a Nigerian white wedding, from watching the bride walk to the altar, to dancing with the bride and groom during the reception. Here are the costs of one of those lovely weddings:
Attire and Accessories:
- Bridal Gown: ₦100,000 - ₦1,500,000
- Groom's Suit: ₦50,000 - ₦350,000
- Bridal Makeup: ₦50,000 - ₦250,000
- Bridal Accessories: ₦50,000 - ₦200,000
Venue and Catering:
- Venue Rental: ₦500,000 - ₦5,000,000
- Catering Services: ₦150,000 - ₦400,000
Entertainment and Decor:
- Live Band/DJ: ₦100,000 - ₦500,000
- Decorations: ₦200,000 - ₦1,000,000
- Total Entertainment and Decor: ₦300,000 - ₦1,500,000
Photography and Videography:
- Photography: ₦200,000 - ₦1,000,000
- Videography: ₦300,000 - ₦1,500,000
- Photoshoot - ₦250,000 - ₦1,000,000 (for all wedding photoshoots)
Miscellaneous Expenses:
- Wedding Rings: ₦70,000 - ₦500,000
- Transportation: ₦50,000 - ₦200,000
- Wedding Planner/Coordinator: ₦100,000 - ₦1,000,000
3. Nigerian Court Wedding Costs
Court weddings are important. Some couples prefer to do them first and the white wedding later, others do them alongside their white wedding.
Whichever the case, here are the costs for a Nigerian court wedding:
Marriage License: ₦27,000 - ₦50,000
Court Wedding Outfit: ₦125,000 - ₦500,000
Court Wedding After Party: ₦100,000 - ₦1,000,000
Photography: ₦100,000 - ₦150,000.
The estimated cost range is between ₦4 million and ₦20 million. This can be a hefty amount especially if you have other financial plans immediately after your wedding.
How To Plan the Perfect Wedding On A Budget
Here are the tips for planning a budget-friendly Nigerian Wedding:
- Be Realistic: Don't pressure yourself to have an extravagant wedding if it's beyond your means. Draw up a good budget with your partner and tell your families about your budget.
2. Have a Good Budget: Your budget should focus on needs before moving to wants. Don’t add things that you can completely do with that to your budget like a smoke machine or ₦15,000 glass. Instead, channel that money to a budget for simple yet classy wedding decorations.
3. Cut Back on Expenses: You are on a budget, you don’t need a million naira wedding gown, buy a budget-friendly wedding dress or buy from a thrift store like yesidobridalgown. You can also try buffet-style catering because it is typically more affordable. For the venue, you can try having the reception hall of your church or mosque. They are generally less expensive, some are even free.
4. Start Saving: Start saving months before your wedding preparations. Save and track your spending even during your wedding season. Saving apps has made savings much easier. You can automate your savings and lock it till you are ready. Make extra cash by earning interest on your savings. For instance, with the Jollof+ savings app, you can earn up to 21.60% p.a interest on your savings. You can even track how much your money is making every month.
5. Invite Only The Important Guests: Yes, they are all your friends and family, but do they all need to come? Don’t invite many people, just important people. This will keep your wedding intimate and minimize costs. You can also pick weekdays as your wedding days to reduce the costs and cut back the number of people that come to the wedding.
Now you have your tips, remember that even though your wedding is a special event, it is just for a few days. Your life together is more important, protect your future with the right budget and savings.
You can start your saving journey now by getting the Jollof+ savings app
