Why It Cost A Fortune To Organize A Wedding In Ghana

Listen to this article Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Marriages in Ghana are often seen as a union between two families. Gone are the days when a man who is interested in marrying a girl goes to see the girl’s family for a marriage list. After presenting some drinks and a few items, he is allowed to take his bride away.

But in the 21st century, a lot seems to have changed. Almost every woman wants to have a glorious wedding that will be the talk of the town for days. These women who are so eager to please their friends or even make them jealous will fight tooth and nail with their spouses to make sure their dream wedding is materialised.

As ridiculous as this sounds, it is the reality on the ground. When you interview 10 couples, at least 7 out of the 10 will tell you they are in debt because of the huge amount of money they spent on their wedding. Some even go for loans to do the wedding and come back home with their hands in between their legs.
According to a report by Daily Graphic in 2018, for couples who want lavish ceremonies, anything less than GH¢90,000 means that their dream ceremony will be a mirage.

Daily Graphic on a fact-finding mission on the coast of modern marriages came across some new and interesting trends in the organisation of modern marriages.

Cost breakdown

The research by the Daily Graphic team revealed that while couples are spending huge sums of money for a beautiful wedding ceremony, others are also making money out of it.
Event organisers and reception managers make huge sums from those who want a “high-key” wedding and less from couples who want their low key.
Information gathered also indicated that those who want the low-key wedding – the simple wedding, opt for simple decorations which cost not more than GH¢900.

An average of GH¢1,000 is spent on wedding clutches and shoes, among others.
Brides spend amounts ranging from GH¢700 to GH¢1,200 on make-up while bridesmaids spend an amount ranging from GH¢100 to GH¢200 per person on make-up.
The modern marriage ceremony also sees couples who want to keep copies of their photographs spending much on pre-and-post event photo shoots normally termed exclusives.

It is estimated that couples spend about GH¢3,500 on photos and videos which are taken at the event.
The new trend of wedding ceremonies have receptions where parties are thrown for family members and friends who show up at the ceremony.
There were no such receptions whatsoever after weddings back in the day. the couple only refreshed both families of the bride and groom as well as few other friends present, few photographs were taken and the ceremony was over.
Now, couples who desire beautiful and luxurious receptions spend a lot of money on rentals of venues, food, drinks and decorations.
An estimated GH¢2,000 is the average expenditure for organising receptions after wedding ceremonies in the country.

When the daily Graphic team interviewed some couples who had been married for a year or two, about 97 per cent of the brides said they had never worn their wedding dresses after the event.
Some of them also said they regretted spending so much money on their wedding dresses.
Weddings are supposed to be a joyful moment where family and friends come together to celebrate with the couple.

Because of the number of monies spent on weddings, most men and women are still single.

A young man who earns 1500 cedis a month and a woman who earns 1200 a month cannot marry in this 21st era. Assuming the young man manages to save 6000 cedis, it won’t be enough to organise a wedding especially if his bride to be wants the “whole world” to be present.

Before you get married to someone, make sure you thoroughly discuss how much will be enough to spend on a wedding. The proverbial statement ” Cut your coat according to your size” should come into play.

Part of this article was culled from www.dailygraphic.com

By:Ghbase