[b]I know this might not be the right place to post this, but I know many people view this section a lot more than any other section. Besides it’s more about couples and romance, so I may be right after all.

My fiancée and I have started making plans for our wedding. We’re hoping to have it done by the end of this year or early next year. The main thing now is cost. She sent me a list of things which she wants for the whole program (traditional, nikkai, reception, etc) and I must say I was almost gasping for air when I saw the list. One of the things on the exceptionally long list was she wants us to have a dinner (buffet style) the evening before the main event. I know sometimes it comes with the package, but I see no reason why we should have this event when people will still come for the traditional wedding / reception and even the main reception the following day after the whole formal parts are concluded.

Secondly, I told her that since we will be working on a budget, I want us to restrict the invitation to a certain number of guests, and that each single person (this does not count for invitations for families) who receives an invitation has the option of bringing only two people along at most, and that everyone will have to respond to an RSVP, and it’s by this number of people we’ll know how to set up the venue. Each person / families and his guest(s) will be assigned a particular table and once getting to the venue, they’ll be handed the program menu and table number. Each person would have had his/her table set out beforehand. She said that for each table, there will be a smaller version of the main wedding cake so that people won't need to wait around while the cake is being passed around.

I told her that tops, I do not want to have more than 200-250 people at the most at the wedding and reception. She was like she wants to budget for 500 people, and that in Nigeria today, people don’t restrict their weddings and that it is a come all affair of a thing.

Knowing very well that the wedding will be taking place in Abuja, I know how much it would be just renting a hall, not to talk of renting a hall for such a large number of people, the decorationg a different story. Besides we come from different parts of the country, and i'm pretty sure those from my part (Ibadan) who will not be able to make the journey to Abuja would expect us to have another small ceremony for them down south. Those who would be able to make it, we'll have to find ways of lodging them into guest houses around the venue, and we folks from Abuja know how much that will cost.

I know a wedding is the best day of a young woman's life, and she would want to show off a little, but do you think she being too extravagant? Or am I being too stingy? Don't forget, most of the funding will come from my own side, and my parents have stated that if we are to have the dinner, it will come out of my own pocket. I definitely wil not want to place the whole burden of my wedding solely on their shoulders, since my immediate younger brother too might be getting married soon as well.

How much do you think it will cost to plan a wedding for that number of people, if we are to put into consideration the things I listed above?[/b]

1 millon pound of biafara will do.

Just a few ideas;

can the food be cooked by your or her family?
try to minimize the number of professional people who will serve.like decoration and cooking.since you wont be invite guests from other nations,try to have your families cook some good local foods.this alone could save you 1000 dollars.
you fiancee and her friends could decorate the place the night before.

how about having the ceremony at a different location like a church or a park,then moving the celebration to a hall for just six hours or less.

also encourage people to bless you with money instead of cookwares and kitchen ustensils.in the invitation or in a word of mouth you could tell them about it.
at the celebration,have the music man reserve a special time for the money song.you and your bride could dance and have people come and smear you with money.

you could also cut down the unecessary preliminaries.instead of having a thousand people run the wedding,just give the music man the authority to do the music and master the ceremony.

be careful.find a good cameraman.its your big day.use a professional who can video tape with precision.

why have 500 people? cut it down to a maximum of 85.be practical.invite only the people you both know.invite people who could give you back.not the neighbors and friends's friend.

try not to crowd yourself with uneccessary guests.

remember you will need money for the honey moon and for the begining of your life as a couple

Hi Guys!

I need your help, Me and my fiance will get married on the second week of April 2012. This is a last minute preparation. We will have a church wedding in Enugu State. We just need a simple but elegant wedding. Please see the information that we need below and send me your quotation.

Guests: 150

Church:
-church venue (anglican church)
-Priest and altar boys
-church decoration
-choir

Reception:
-venue (should be in hotel function room or any aircondition function room)
-venue decoration (including dance floor w/ disco lights)
-food / drinks and cake
-band or DJ
-videographer and photographer


If you have a pictures of the church and reception hall please send it to me also @ jho_naciz@yahoo.com.

We are open for any suggestions. Thank you