A Sierra Leone wedding is a mark of adult maturity and brings considerable prestige to both the bride and the groom. The festivities of the wedding reception will showcase this prestige. In a Sierra Leone wedding reception, food and manners are both observed. Rice is the staple food of Sierra Leone and Poyo is a popular Sierra Leonean drink, while Sierra Leone people show neatness of dress and style of presentation. During these occasion, people display courtesy and eloquent greetings as an important way of life. The wedding reception takes up around 4-5 hours and approximately 50-70 percent of the wedding budget. Not only does it take most of the time of the event but it also takes up the majority of the wedding budget. Here are 5 aspects to consider in planning for your wedding reception in Sierra Leone.
Wedding Program. If the wedding ceremony is what’s all that matters to the couples, the wedding program is what makes the whole event worth remembering for your guests. Make sure that your party host is connected to both of your lives so he/she makes a balance in acknowledging both parties. You have to keep each part of the program as concise to save on time and assure that all the parts of the program as followed before the time is up. It is also important to prepare an ice breaker to divert leading moments to personal indulgence on some overwhelmed speakers. Limit the number of speakers to contain the conversations and topics in the event. Make sure that you prepare for a worth-remembering stylish “thank you” part and departing portion of the program. It matters when the event ends with a “bang!” It is also important to incorporate the wedding rituals into these event where your guests can witness the events.
- Jumping the Broom. This ritual’s significance is agreed upon to be a symbol for the start of the couple making a home together. The broom, often handmade and beautifully decorated, can be displayed in the couple’s home after the wedding.
- Kola Nut. Many couples incorporate the sharing of a kola nut into their ceremonies, and then keep the nut in their home afterwards as a reminder to always work at healing any problems they encounter.
- Cowrie Shells. Cowrie shells are a significant favorite used in bridal attire. Use of the shell design in favors, food serving, cakes and decoration or table centerpieces express the tradition.
Wedding Invitation. Expect that 80-90 percent of all that you will invite will attend. A very important aspect in budgeting for the wedding is the number of guests. Thus, it is important that couples send the wedding invitations early to get possible feedback on who is coming and who is not. This way, you get a more close to realistic headcount important for the wedding planning.
Wedding Venue. The wedding venue is a major aspect of your wedding. Not only does it set the atmosphere for the actual event and memorabilia but it also sets the pace of your budgeting. A venue that offers a fee for packages inclusive of both venue, furniture and decor might cut your costs off significantly. Also, when talking about wedding venues, make sure you always have a plan B for unexpected cases like weather changes or outdoor venues or power outages.
Wedding Decor. Brides are actually the more particular on the decors, secondary to the wedding venue, this is as important as this will dictate the mood and atmosphere of your wedding day. It is important that you decide on the motif and theme that you would like to use for your wedding to make sure that this compliments to the other aspects of the wedding like the gowns and the venues. If you have planned well, wedding decors need not be extravagant, you may play with the table sizes to save on table centerpieces, you may go with larger-sized balloons to fill in party spaces for a low cost.
Wedding Budget. Make sure that you define the vital aspects of your wedding that needs budget allocation. Then, list them in priority numbers. After such, define the budget for each segment and make sure to allow margin for changes. Even though you have prepared a flexible budget for this big event, it helps to know that you do not have to be extravagant on this day. Learn some budget tips from those experiences available for free on the internet and from friends and family members who have been there. Some example of saving tips includes listing of inexpensive stylish party tokens, rethinking of humble decorations, getting service packages over a la carte service renting, or getting a simple cake perked up with fresh flowers instead of showing off the ones with delicate icing that comes off from expensive labor.