To say "I DO"

Some 7 months have passed since I wrote anything on this blog. It wasn't out of writer's block, lack of time or any excuse that one can think of. I just took a break to recollect my thoughts and ideas. I love working in the wedding and events industry and despite the challenges I have seen in it, I look forward to a lot of adjustments with time . I believe I have gotten better by learning from the best so far.

My article today is inspired by a song with a similar title by James Onohan. Quite a lovely song for walking down the aisle. With many acceptable ways of doing so in Kenya becoming acceptable and people no longer raising an eyebrow on how the couple chooses to do their vows. I will consider 3 that a majority of weddings fall into:

 Civil Ceremony

It might actually look cheap but the Civil ceremony is getting popular for various reasons. One being that some cannot afford a huge wedding and this allows them to cut costs on expenses associated with their big day. This to some saves them the hustle of dealing with the bridal team, booking a religious ceremony and meeting the legal requirements for using the venue. Not forgetting cutting the costs of decorating the venue. Later on they gather for a ceremony at a private venue for a few guests wich can be in a hotel, or restaurant, private home or any other preferred/ desired destination.

Aonther reason why some choose a civil ceremony is that they want to spend alot on their honeymoon. They may select a destination that they require; do a small ceremony for those closest to them or surprisingly none at all. Then spend the money on honeymoon. Those who choose to this are mostly lovers of travelling and want to have enough cash as possible to travel to one or more destinations at the same time.

Religious ceremony

A big majority of Kenyans get married in a religious Institution. This can be in a church, mosque, temple or any other available in the country. All of this religious institutions have varied rules and regulations that have to be met . A few are:

1. An extra deposit to be paid that is not refunded if the couple are late in starting their ceremony.
2. No petals to be used on the aisle.
3. The couple must leave the venue as clean as they found it.
4. Some only allowing their members to marry in the venue or requiring one to convert before being allowed to marry at the venue.

Whatever the restrictions available, its normally important to know all of them before the couple commit and pay for the venue, to avoid embarrasing situations where a vendor is stopped from bringing in what's already paid for as it's not accepted at the venue.

Garden ceremony

One way many end up saving on wedding costs is to have everything done in one place. One thing Nairobi is not short of is venues that can allow you to do both your ceremony and reception as one packaged venue. This saves on the time spend on travelling from one venue to the next. Most of these always have lovely gardens that the bridal team along with their team can enjoy photo shoots. It's always good to make sure the venue has enough packing for your cars and guests incase they usually allow more than one wedding on the same day and that the security is excellent for you.