The Wedding Budget: How To Cut Cost On Wedding Vendors

You’ve probably discovered that adding the word “wedding” or “bridal” to a product or service instantly jacks the price up, and it’s super easy to go over budget.

When this happens, you have a choice: You can raise your limit, you can eliminate something you originally wanted, or you can bring in an alternative solution. Here are alternatives to keep the price of the wedding or reception under control:

DECORATION

Flowers are expensive. Cut back on flowers. You can limit floral arrangements on the tables and the bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids. If you feel that you must decorate the church, keep all the focus at the front.

CENTREPIECES- To rent a piece starts from N1500; you can do without them and have a cup arrangement or opt for floating candles instead. 

THE BRIDAL PARTY

Limit the number of people in your bridal party to the amount you have to spend on gifts.

THE WEDDING DRESS

Bridal gowns are expensive. You don’t have to opt for the most exclusive designer dress on the rack. This is something that will hopefully only be worn once, so consider choosing something with less embellishment, or if you have exquisite sewing skills, consider purchasing a plain gown and doing it yourself. Another option is to go to a rental store and pick up a dress for a fraction of the original cost.

CATERING

Photo: Adun Spices

Instead of a hiring a Professional caterer, you can get cooks (called 'olopo' in Yoruba) to cook the food. For a guest list of 1000, and depending on what your menu list is, you will need about 5 cooks and the price range starts from N2000 per day per cook. Then rent all the necessary items like the eating plates, chaffing dishes, cutlery, servers for the food etc to set up at the wedding reception.

ENTERTAINMENT

Photo: DJ Skills

A live band can be quite expensive and you will also have to feed your vendors, so the number also applies. Consider hiring a DJ. If you can’t afford a professional DJ, another option is to record your favorite songs and use the sound system at the reception venue. (That is if your venue will allow for you to use their sound systems)

VENUE

Book your reception venue far enough in advance to make sure you get the places and dates you want. You will also get a very good discount if you book for your venue early.

Another option is to have your reception in the fellowship hall or multipurpose room of your church or other wedding venue.

Pay all deposits and complete bills by the due dates so you don’t lose the venues.

OUTDOOR WEDDINGS

Outdoor weddings can be more expensive, you will have to put into consideration restrooms for your guests, vendors tend to charge more because of their generating machines for electricity. And you will probably have to rent all the chairs and tables which comes at no extra cost at other venues.

WEDDING GUESTS

I always advise my brides to adopt a strictly by invitation approach, especially those on a budget. This way, you can eliminate unwanted guests. You can also hire one or 2 security men (aka bouncers); they know how to handle unwanted guests at events.

But in a situation where more people show up than expected, try to make room for the extra people. Most reception venues are capable of handling an extra 50 people, which is why I advise my brides to go for a hall that can accommodate slightly more  than the number of guests they are expecting. It is also advisable to prepare for more food, for atleast 50 people.This is a celebration, you really don't want to create more drama than necessary.

CHILDREN

Some brides and grooms opt to not invite children to their weddings. However, others want them there to celebrate their happy day. If you have children present, keep in mind that they are less predictable with their behavior so be prepared for anything. Most small children will get bored at a wedding reception anyway.

If children are not invited, let the parents know that the little ones can become unruly. This would let them know your expectations without coming across too harsh.

You will be just as married afterward as you would be if you had an elaborate reception.

Olamide ~ The Heiress