Every weekend somewhere in Nigeria, a wedding ceremony takes place invariably. From Lagos to Kebbi, all the way to Abia and Kwara,  one lady leaves her parents and willingly clings to her husband.

 However, things aren't as they used to be. Cost of living is now extremely high and Nigerians have become murmurers and blasphemers. Cries of "In this Recession?" can be audibly heard around the nation. Does this mean that wedding ceremonies no longer hold?  The answer is no. The reality is that people are gradually finding ways in which to cut cost during their wedding and limit expenses.

 So if you want to find out how to have a gorgeous but small budget wedding, this is definitely for you.

 1. Cut down Number of Guests

 This cannot be over emphasised. Not everyone should be invited to your wedding. Secondary school mates you have lost contact with, really distant relatives,  exes and the list goes on. Except you have a really large budget and you aren't afraid of expenses, then you can go on to invite every Tom, dick and Harry. But if you are considering your pockets, invite only your very close friends and family members.

 2. Do it Yourself

 I once had a friend who designed her wedding invitation herself, and went ahead to see to the printing, and I must tell you this saved her a whole lot of money. This is no time to indulge in a wedding planner or any other fancy things people do. If you aren't up to it financially, you can do your own makeup. Also, if buying a dress would be straining your budget, you could get one made.

 3. Enlist Help!

 This here is very important too. Most brides tend to think that they are lions and can do everything by themselves, but they soon get tired and frustrated. If your wedding is a close knitted one, you should be able to find cousins, nephews to delegate tasks to. Your cousins could serve food, drinks, help to clean up and carry heavy equipment. By enlisting the help of a few people, you save time, money and energy.

 4. Be Different

Most weddings take place on Saturdays and in the noon hours too and such weddings tend to get a huge crowd, both invited people and not (Mogbo mobranch) . To avoid unnecessary crowd at your wedding, chose another day (like a Wednesday or Thursday) Also, change time - from noon, shift your wedding to sometime between 9am and 2pm and you are likely to get a smaller crowd. Also, some caterers charge a little lower in less busy months like February and September.

 5. Be thoughtful about food

Quality and availability of food are one of the telltale signs of a successful wedding. You don't want to starve your guests and you also don't want to be wasteful. In essence, you have to make a list of sensible dishes that would be available to your guests. A little of rice, different options of swallows and native soups, affordable drinks and a good cake,  and your wedding would be a bomb.

 6. Be Objective

 Be willing to consider other options aside from those you are used to. Welcome advice but do not take everyone's counsel. Liason with your spouse and make decisions that would have a great result and most of all, be patient.

 This is it. If you read this and enjoyed this, please try to follow some of these tips and you can be sure of a small but successful wedding.