At present, the average estimate of a wedding budget in Kenya is approximately Kes 500,000 on the low end and Kes 2,000,000 on the high end. If you are a frugal person you would definitely like to have an affordable wedding budget. However, you don’t have to go by the main average figures to come up with a practical wedding budget. In fact, whatever amount of money you have in mind or plan to spend can equally work out as well.
The key to structuring
and executing a wedding budget depends on what you want in your wedding and its
overall organization. Therefore, consider how much you are willing to spend on the
core components of your wedding since these items are going to impact the size
of your budget.
The most important
elements to consider when planning your wedding budget include :
- the wedding venue/wedding setting
- guest list size
- the reception food and drink
- the wedding photographer and videographer
- wedding ceremony and reception music
- wedding décor
- wedding flowers
- ceremony decorations
- reception decorations
- reception table centerpieces
- wedding dress
- wedding jewelry
The above elements
will actually bloat your wedding budget and account for the greater percentage
of your expenditure. However, there are other minor costs and miscellaneous
that will add to the total cost too. First, you need to establish a working
budget that is a rough estimate of what it would cost you to hold a wedding.
Talk with your partner and decide on who is paying for what and how much you
can afford for your wedding budget. In addition, talk to both your families
from both sides and establish how much or what support you might get on your
wedding plans. This initial talk will guide you on determining what your
initial budget should be and committing to it accordingly. If your parents offer to
contribute to the cost of the wedding, allocate their contribution to a
specific cost such as catering or honeymoon. According to your level of income
or financial status, decide on how much you are going to lock in a savings
account for your wedding between now and the date of your wedding.
The type of your wedding
should be within your financial reach, thus you should plan a formal candlelit
dinner in a luxurious amazing venue if you intend to burn a big chunk of money
on your special day. However, if that is not the case, you should settle for an
outdoor dessert party in a less costly venue or wedding garden. Your cost of
food and drinks per head will soar directly proportional to the size of your
guest list. In fact, food and drinks are going to be your major expenses during
your wedding.
Therefore, you should account for your guest list and decrease or increase it according to your budget size. The bigger a guest list you have, the more space, seats, décor, stationery, rentals, and favors will require. Needless to say, if you manage your guest list well and keep it checked, the better your budget will be since you won’t need as much of most items for your wedding. The date and time of your wedding is also worth a great deal of consideration since highly sought-after days of the week or seasons of the year are pricier owing to their high demand. Likewise, an evening reception is costly than a brunch since it is more popular, people drink more and it encompasses other elements such as lighting and music.