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The internet is full of wedding budget tips from 'create a budget and stick to it' and 'purchase a sample wedding dress' to 'choose an off-peak wedding date' and many more. These are all great, practical tips but we wanted to delve a little deeper and provide 3 key budgeting tips that could save you £££'s when planning your traditional wedding.
1. your bridal outfit
Your traditional wedding dress...the pièce de résistance!
In this section we are referring specifically to fabrics used for the traditional bridal attires worn by most Nigerian and Ghanaian brides, namely, aso oke, george and kente fabrics. The pure craftsmanship behind the creation of these beautiful fabrics is reflected in their cost (and rightfully so!).
However, if you would want to save a bit of money then opting for a bridal lace fabric instead can turn out to be a more budget-friendly option. Bridal lace fabrics are usually hand-beaded and beautifully made, so you are still guaranteed to stand out on your wedding day. Adding some traditional accessories such as coral beads, feather fans, gele etc. can help further elevate your look and ensure you stand out.
In general, even if your traditional outfit is not made from the ones mentioned here, seeking a cheaper bridal fabric alternative for your traditional outfit can definitely save you some money.
2. Ask Guests to RSVP - yes, even for your traditional wedding!
It is common practice to require guests to RSVP for white weddings and this is usually because most of these venues are strict on capacity or provide catering that is charged per head. On the other hand, with traditional weddings, particularly those that take place in banqueting halls where you can bring your own caterers and there is less restriction on guest capacity - or simply, because traditional weddings tend to be planned by our parents (yes, we had to go there!), we have become liberal with the guest list and in most cases don't even have a restriction.
However, not knowing the number of guests to expect means that you could end up overpaying on the three most costly areas of your wedding: venue, catering and decor.
TIP: If you have a wedding website for your white wedding already, you can use the same site to have your guests RSVP for your traditional wedding. This helps keep everything in one place.
3. Avoid Putting Your Money At Risk
A big part of many African weddings, particularly Nigerian ones is the tradition of asoebi (The matching, cultural fabric worn by guests on the wedding day). One of the big red flags we found in the traditional approach to sorting asoebi was that couples had to put their personal finances at risk and secure fabrics in bulk to later sell on to guests. The risk of having fabrics left over that you are unable to sell or just not receiving payment after someone collects the fabric is the very reason we created Simply Asoebi - the UK's first and only asoebi sourcing and delivery service.
Our couples only pay our (fixed) service fees so they don't put their personal finances at risk to purchase fabrics!
With a fixed service fee, we handle 100% of the logistics involved in the asoebi process for you. This means that none of your money is tied to purchasing fabrics in bulk and you can be rest assured that you won't have unsold fabrics sitting in your house after your wedding!
W A N T T O H A V E A S O E B I W I T H O U T T H E S T R E S S ?
Secure your initial consultation with us here and find out more about our bespoke service and how we can help you sort out the perfect asoebi for your wedding - without the stress or financial risk!
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