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. 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.

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

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
Instead of a hiring a Professional caterer, you can get cooks (olopos) 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
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 wil 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.

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.

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 if the little ones 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
La' Heiress Hospitality Services
08103193930
www.justbudgetweddings..com

CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING VENUE (questions to ask)


hen brides and grooms start looking for wedding venues, too often they fall in love with the beauty of the place and sign a contract before they've considered the more practical things. But unless the place is so magical that you're willing to plan your whole event around it, your shouldn't choose between wedding venues until you've decided approximately how many guests you're inviting and the size of your budget.

You'll also need to decide if you want to have your ceremony and reception in the same place, or if you want an all-in-one wedding venue.Once you know these things, and you have a few wedding venues in mind that fit that budget and size, then it's time to start asking questions!

*What's the decor like?

*Does it fit your style and wedding colors?

*Will you have to spend a lot of money on decorations to make it beautiful?

*Do they have an in-house caterer, and do you like that food? (While an in-house caterer can be easier and cheaper, sometimes the food is not as beautiful as the room. So make sure you taste it!)

*Do they have a limitation on which outside caterers you can use?

*Do they have adequate bathroom facilities?

*Is the wedding venue wheelchair accessible? If not, are there many stairs to climb? You have to put into consideration the elderly guests you would be inviting.

*How close is the parking to the ceremony and reception rooms?

*What's the cancellation policy?

*Is there a payment schedule?

*What kind of deposits are required?

*Are there any hidden costs? (Before you sign the contract, read it carefully.)

*What are the overtime charges?

*Do they have a liquor license?

*Will they allow you to bring your own liquor? (This is usually cheaper, even with the customary corkage fee.)

*Is there room in the wedding venue for a band and/or dancing?

*Does the wedding venue already own a sound system with adequate speakers or will that need to be rented?

*Is there a space for the bride and groom to change and/or relax?

*Where will you take photographs? Is there a park nearby, or do the coordinators have recommended spots on the grounds?

*Who will be supervising and troubleshooting before and on the day of your wedding? Can you meet them now?

*Where can your guests park their vehicles? If there is no adequate space, is there an alternative parking area for them?

*Please also remember to ask if they will power the hall, especially for all the vendors that would be needing electricity for their equipments. Some halls only power the hall for the decoration and AC's, which would mean the band and DJ would have to bring theor generating sets and that could make them charge higher.

*Are there extra fees for parking?

*Is the wedding venue convenient to public transportation, especially in big cities? How long will it take your guests to get there?

*Especially in hotels or VIP lounges, restaurants, are there limitations on decorations?

*Do they limit food and drinks to only certain areas of the wedding venue?

*Are candles or other open flames allowed?

* Do they allow overnight decoration? Some hall venues are very big and would need to be set up days before the event.

* How much is their caution fee for the vendors, like the decorator, drinks! E.t.c?

*If its an outdoor location, do they have any backup plans for rain or other inclement weather? If not, is there a place that you can put up a tent? 

WHEN LOOKING AT SEPARATE WEDDING RECEPTION VENUES AND CEREMONY LOCATIONS

*How far is it from one location to the other?

*Do the two places have the same level of formality and a coordinating style?

*Do they both accommodate about the same number of guests?

*Does the wedding reception venue have any experience with weddings from your ceremony location? 

WHEN LOOKING FOR WEDDING VENUES FOR BOTH CEREMONY AND RECEPTION

*Do they own enough chairs for the ceremony, or will they need to be rented?

*Does the wedding venue have an entirely separate area for the ceremony? 

Hopefully, these questions will help you cover the basics while you're looking at wedding venues. In your search for a wedding venue, there will probably be even more questions that arise for you personally. For example, you may want the venue to reflect your heritage, or with a large wedding party, you may need ample parking for limosines.

Hope this will help in your venue searching! Good luck!


Olamide~ The Heiress

Good points you highlighted. Please, how can I contact you ?

Hello @rhukie, thank you for the kind words, you can reach me on


08103193930
07087668124
08187003137 (whatsapp)

Email- bakare.lamide@gmail.com

Hoping to hear or read from you soon.

warm Regards,

Did you know?

Recently, we suggested a week-day wedding to a bride of ours. On getting to most reception venues, we were getting really good prices. The venue we finally concluded on, slashed it's price from their normal N650,000 to N250,000. We bet that if most couples knew this, there would be more weekly weddings than weekend weddings.

Having your wedding on a week day will save you much more money than you expect and you will still have a fabulous day!


We are all about small budget weddings in Nigeria.

Contact us today and let's make it happen for your dream wedding on that small budget.


La' Heiress Hospitality Services
08103193930
08187003137 (WhatsApp)
bakare.lamide@gmail.com
olamide@la-heiress.com
www.justbudgetweddings..com

Small and Intimate Weddings

I am always amazed by couples who contact me for small budget weddings and go ahead to say they are expecting 500 to 700 guests with a really small budget.

When planning a "small wedding" size really does matter. Start off by deciding whether you want a low buget small wedding or an extravagant low-key wedding with a few guests.

When planned right, know that a low-budget small wedding with a few guests can look really elegant and classy. And when it comes to weddings, smaller may actually be better.

There is more time for the bride and groom to spend with their guests, the group really gets to know one another, and everyone contributes to the event in his or her own way.

Intimate celebrations, it seems, have certain advantages. Here, we unveil the truth behind small celebrations...

For more on this topic, visit www.justbudgetweddings..com[url][/url] you will thank me later.

You can have a small and memorable wedding and that's what we do. We make it happen for that bride on a budget.

Contact us today:

08103193930
07087668124
08187003137 (whatsapp)
olamide@la-heiress.com
www.la-heiress.com

Hi there, happy Sunday to Y'all. I saw this on a mentor's social media's page and decided to share. I thought this only happens to me but after seeing this I know now that event planners go through this.

Please brides and brides to be, it is unfair to make last minute decisions without informing your wedding planner. It is wrong especially when it can affect the success of the wedding on the D-day. And eveñ if you are going to make last minute decisions, please inform your wedding planner.

Always try to inform your planner ahead of time, they mean well and we all want to achieve the same thing, which is a successful event.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A PRE-WEDDING CONSULTATION

I cannot over emphasize the importance of a pre-wedding consultation. No bride should plan a wedding without a proper consultation. It will save you a lot of money and stress and also helps you to avoid some critical mistakes which may affect the success of the wedding.

A few days ago, a couple came in for their pre-wedding consultation. After much debate on my consultation fee, the groom eventually agreed and decided to come with his bride-to-be.

After the consultation, he asked, " how do you make your profit? I thought there was no need for a consultation fee but now, I don't think you charge enough, i am more than glad i came today, i couldnt even continue jotting, I know and understand more now and he just went on and on..." I was hired on the spot.

We went through all the vendors, one after the other and explained what to know and expect from each one of them. Also giving them ideas on how to bring their dream wedding to life! It took about 4 to 5 hours but it was worth it.

More so, I was able to get a 60k off their photography with whom they had already bargained with, all because of the planner\vendor relationship i had with him.

A pre-wedding consultation is not a luxury, it is a way of avoiding wedding planning mistakes by 80%.

Olamide~ The Heiress

Contact us today:
08187003137 (WhatsApp)
07087668124

When choosing a hall for your event, you should take into consideration the hall decoration (the hall itself). Because the setting of the venue may well suggest the color theme for you. If the hall has strong colors, you'll need to select a color scheme that complements.

I mean you wouldn't want your orange and green against a lemonish-blue draped windows, over-pattered carpets and bright red walls. If your heart is set on a color, then you must pick a neutrally decorated hall/site.

However, if you don't succeed in your search for the perfect hall, and get stuck with such over-patterned kind, consider predominantly white and/or cream for the color scheme, as this will be both effective and matching.

This will also allow you to add a touch here and there of your color theme without overdoing it, but you can be sure that these splashes of color will tone down any spartan feel of the white theme.

Olamide~ The Heiress
La' Heiress Hospitality Services
08187003137 (WhatsApp only)
www.justbudgetweddings..com