Weddings are expensive, and sometimes getting all that money together at short notice is a tall order. What should you think about when considering wedding expenses? Coming up are 10 crucial tips on how to pay for a wedding in Freetown, Sierra Leone!
1. Plan
- Every wedding needs a plan, especially if there is money involved. You need to think about wedding dates, wedding venues, bridesmaids and honeymoon because all of the items will have to be paid for. Identify what you want for your wedding, and come up with an execution plan. Setting short-term and long-term targets will also help you manage the expenses better.
2. Budget
- The next tip on how to pay for a wedding in Freetown, Sierra Leone involves budgeting. Once you have made a plan, put down the expected costs on paper, and then commit to sticking to them.
- This budget will also help when identifying service providers, as you will be bound to paying only for what you can afford!
3. Prioritize
- What’s the most important thing for you in the wedding? Is it the décor, the wedding dress, the honeymoon, or the reception? Whatever item you think is the core of your wedding should take the larger expenses, with the non-core items receiving less money.
- At this point, you must think about what it takes to run a wedding, i.e. what components are most important. For example, if there is not enough food at the wedding reception, your guests will not be happy!
4. Save
- If you can save for a house, or a new car, you can also save for a wedding! As soon as you get engaged, start putting money aside for the wedding. That money will come in handy when the time comes to pay the suppliers or to handle unexpected wedding day emergencies.
5. Shop around
- Just because you have money for the wedding does not mean that you should pick the first service provider you come across. Look around, get reviews, visit the provider when they are at work, and compare costs between different providers.
6. Pay in bits
- When the time comes to pay your suppliers, don’t pay everything all at once. This should be agreed upon when you are signing the contracts for service provision. If your provider is not open to partial payments, however, look for another one who is. Use of the partial payment system ensures that you have enough money to pay all the deposits without feeling strained.
7. Tighten your belts
- Say goodbye to the pizza dates, ice-cream dates, expensive dinners and flashy gifts for a while, so that you can have enough to pay for your wedding. This will only last for a season, as once you enter into marriage debt-free, you will be free to spend your money how you like!
8. Accept help
- The next thing to consider on how to pay for a wedding in Freetown, Sierra Leone is how to accept help. Usually, family and close friends are more than willing to help with wedding expenses. You could either approach a few and ask them to help you financially, or wait for them to ask how the plans are going and jump in to explain how you are short of finances and you are hoping they could help.
9. Be realistic
- As you plan, budget and tighten your belts, make sure that everything you are deciding on for the wedding is realistic. For example, having ten bridesmaids is not realistic if you can only afford to pay for the dresses for two of them.
- Think also about riding in a stretch limousine. You may say it is the ride of a lifetime, but that one ride will deplete your savings. Plan for your wedding with what you have, not with what you hope to get, or what you have received as a gift
10. Take your time
- Making a plan, budgeting, prioritizing, etc. takes time. If you decide to do everything in a rush, you may end up spending more than you actually intended. Work through your budget carefully until you are satisfied with it, and you are ready to implement it.
- Also, don’t rush into making decisions concerning expenses. Take your time to decide whether an item or service provider’s service is worth the amount you are willing to pay.
With these 10 crucial tips on how to pay for a wedding in Freetown, Sierra Leone, you are sorted!