I recently opened a thread offering certain wedding services at discounted prices for intending couples. And boy was there some backlash regarding the total cost for said services which some Nairalanders felt was too exorbitant for a wedding!
Click here for the thread: https://www.nairaland.com/2862648/budget-wedding-n900k-350-guests


With the feedback I got, I decided to do a write-up on holding a frugal wedding for a thrifty couple.
I'm going to try to make my write-up as brief and concise as possible. Bear with me if I meander a bit. Lol.

WHAT CEREMONY?
Now, a wedding in Nigeria is typically a three-part affair; The Trad wedding, The Court/ Civil Ceremony and the Church/White wedding. One of the easiest ways to cut down on costs is to delete one or more of these ceremonies from your plan.

In Nigeria, and in several governments around the world, the ONLY recognised marriage certificate is the one which is issued by the customary courts. So in essence, you aren't considered a legally-married couple in the eyes of the state if your marriage isn't duly registered and a certificate issued by the state. In light of this, the most important wedding to consider, as a legal citizen of this country, is the Civil wedding a.k.a court marriage.
Secondly, because Nigeria is a nation made up of peoples of varying cultural backgrounds and beliefs, many traditions consider a marriage contract executed ONLY if a brideprice is paid. I'm Yoruba and I know for a fact that if a groom hasn't paid "Owo Ori" or bride price, then the union between him and his bride isn't recognised in the eyes of both parents as well as the extended family. Therefore, the traditional wedding (which many erroneously call the engagement) is the second most important ceremony for any intending couple.
Last on the list is the White/Church Wedding. This gives a marriage recognition with regards to the individual church which a couple attends.
Many people will argue to the contrary, but I am not of the conviction that having a formal service in church is necessary for a marriage to be considered contracted. What is needed is for a cleric to bless the marriage in the presence of God and loved ones, and frankly, God is anywhere you ask him to be, not in ANY one building of concrete and mortar.
Having stated all this, a couple can shave costs off of their wedding budget by holding a civil ceremony with only a few family members and close friends, a traditional wedding with family members and close friends and foregoing going to the church for a wedding with a huge guest list and having a Pastor or Imam come bless the marriage at the site of the traditional wedding. This will save costs in a number of ways such as outfits, photography, venue, transport and logistics, etc.


THE GUEST LIST
The second most obvious way to cut down the budget is to trim the guest list. A wedding is supposed to be a ceremony to be witnessed by friends, family and loved ones. You really don't need to invite your sister's secondary school biology teacher or your mum's tailor's twin sister or the security guard at your dad's office. The number of guests you intend to invite will have a huge effect on details of the wedding such as the size of the hall, the decoration and rentals, food and drink, souvenirs and such. It therefore follows that a large guest list = higher costs and a small guest list = lower costs.


WEDDING DATES
Whatever ceremonies you decide to have; civil and traditional or white, or all three, it can make better economic sense to have them all on the same day and at the same venue. That way you make a one-off payment on hall rentals, decoration and even feeding and entertainment of your guests. You reduce the need to rent two different locations for the trad and white weddings, different decoration requirements, feeding your guests at two separate events, buying outfits for two separate ceremonies, and so on and so forth. Having everything done on the same day will prove to be very stressful and will take its toll on the couple and their families before the day is over, but cost-wise, it's a brilliant strategy.


LOCATION.
It goes without saying; renting a hall, even a small one, will always be more expensive than making use of an open field. Therefore, if you're considering a low budget affair, paying for a school field or community park will be the way to go. But on the obverse, the perks of renting a hall such as air conditioning, furniture and relative security will be lost. Using a field means that you will have to rent canopies, and chairs and tables, industrial fans, etc in order to create a nice atmosphere for your wedding to take place in. In a number of cases, the cost of these rentals as well as the transportation and logistics involved may significantly increase costs, but for the most part, it's almost always cheaper.


SEASON
There are times of the year when food items, clothes and accessories, and other items become really expensive to buy particularly around the festive periods and the planting season. Holding a wedding at these times of the year will mean higher costs of feeding your guests and buying your dream outfit.


WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU?
What do you want to remember your wedding by? What would you like for your wedding to be remembered for? Answering these questions will help you determine what's important and what's not. Do you want clear, crisp images, well-fed guests, a pristine designer outfit, decor that whisks you away to some magical far-off place? Establishing a hierarchy of preferences and determining what you want to splurge money on and what you really could do without and delete from your list will help shave a couple thousands of Naira off your list.
I personally consider the couples' outfits and overall look, decor and photography to be the most important aspects. These are the features which will be presented in a photo album which you get to keep for decades and decades and possibly even hand down to posterity. Do you really want to look over your wedding album and see yourself looking all drab and underdressed or see the venue looking shabby or see how grainy and blurry the pictures look because you didn't hire a photographer who knows what he's in the business for?
Also, are you going to rouse dozens or even hundreds of people from their bases several kilometres and miles away only to feed them with subpar food as if they came begging to be fed? These are things you should consider, when planning your budget and determining the scale of preference.
With items like the wedding cake (which is an integral part of the ceremony), you can opt for fewer tiers (you don't need five or six steps, two or even one will do). Bakers these days offer cut outs which can be passed amongst guests who wish to have a piece.

OUTFITS AND ACCESSORIES
Consider renting your wedding gown or tuxedo instead of buying one. Or having a good tailor sew you one and at fraction of the cost. Also you can ask your friends or sisters/brothers or cousins who've been married before you to lend you theirs or at least sell it off to you at a lower price.

DON'T SAY THE "W" WORD!
Many vendors hear "wedding" and they immediately multiply the rates by 10. So it's always a good idea to not reveal that you're shopping for wedding services when you ask for vendor's quotes. For instance a D.J that would ordinarily charge 10k for a birthday bash at the local club may hike his fees to 70k when you tell him you want to hire him for a wedding. Ditto on some photographers and decorators. Even some events centres charge up to 50% less for other events than they do for weddings. Eventually, you may have to reveal to the prospective vendor that you're having a wedding, but being able to determine in advance that you're capable of getting lower prices can give you some bargaining leverage.

HIRE A CONSULTANT
This may sound like an unnecessary expense, but wedding planners/managers/consultants have experience with vendors in the industry across many fields and over a sufficient period of time. They're great resource personnel who can advice you on where to get the best bargains on details such as venues, catering, decoration, photography, outfits and accessories, MCs, and every other service required. And many will be willing to work within the budget you've stipulated and execute your brief perfectly. In the end you'll be saving a great deal more money than if you launch out planning on your own.

USE NEWBIES.
Don't say you heard it from me- i'll deny it! But a fledgling decorator, caterer, baker, MC, makeup artiste is more likely to offer cheaper rates than one that's already established in the industry. Why? Because they're trying to build a portfolio of their work and showcase what they have to offer and, as such, will be a bit more eager to compromise on their rates than a vendor who will boldly make it known that they're established and if you can't afford their fees, please step aside and close the door behind you, thank you very much. I was once shopping for a decorator for a client and when she heard the budget we had, she snidely said "call me when you have a higher budget" and never responded to any of my subsequent chats. True story. Cross my heart. We got another one (a newcomer) who executed our brief perfectly and with change to spare.

All in all, there are so many creative ways through which one can achieve a low-budget wedding. There are no hard-and-fast rules. It's all up to you.

For more info on how we can help bring your wedding to fruition and bring your dreams to life, all while working within your budget, email us at aprilconcierge.ng@gmail.com
We'll be glad to be of service.
Have fun planning!