Plan your wedding for 200 guests in Westlands Nairobi and you’ll find the experience exhilarating, yet challenging. With a total of 200 guests coming, all the plans related to venue, budget, seating arrangements, catering, decorations, entertainment, parking, and timing, will need to be taken care of.
The great thing about all this is that you can take an easy approach by making things simple. Through this guide consisting of 12 tested tips, you can plan your Westlands wedding in Westlands smoothly.
1. Set a Realistic Wedding Budget First
Prior to reserving a place or selecting your decorations, create a budget for your wedding. The number of guests you’ll have will determine many big expenditures, and so having a budget in place at the start will assist you in making better decisions.
One might think of setting up individual budgets for venue costs, catering costs, decoration, seating arrangements, photography, entertainment, attire, transport, among others. One also needs to budget for any unexpected expenses.
The process of budgeting will enable one to plan ahead of time and ensure that more attention is paid to areas of the marriage that require more emphasis.
2. Choose a Westlands Venue That Fits 200 Guests
Venue selection is among the major considerations while planning a wedding of up to 200 guests in Westlands, Nairobi. But don’t pick any venue solely on the basis of the number of guests it claims to accommodate.
Take into consideration the venue’s layout once furniture, stages, dance floor and other wedding elements have been added to the venue. Other factors to be considered include toilet facilities, car parking, easy movement of guests during the reception.
Request the venue management on their capacity to accommodate your seating arrangement since some venues which have a capacity of 200 guests in one arrangement can be different when used as a wedding reception area.
3. Finalize Your Guest List Early
A single difference in terms of how many guests will attend your wedding can change everything from the seating plan, caterers and even budget.
Before anything else, make sure you make your guest list and differentiate those who have confirmed their attendance from those who have yet to confirm. Make sure you allocate some time before you finalize everything with your vendors.
It will be easier for you to determine the quantity of food, furniture and space that you need when you know that you are planning for 200 guests or 250.
4. Plan Your Tables and Chairs Carefully
The seating arrangements have to be done prior to the reception setup for weddings that have up to 200 guests. This is because the number of tables required depends on their size and the number of people sitting per table.
For instance, for weddings where 10 people will be seated on each table, 200 guests will call for about 20 guest tables. But some extra tables may be needed for various purposes such as cakes, gifts, buffet, registry among others.
It is also important to choose tables and chairs wisely as these contribute greatly to the reception’s decor and comfort. In doing so, one has to consider the wedding theme and style.
Most importantly, ensure you know the exact numbers in advance.
5. Decide on Your Wedding Style and Theme
Selecting your style for your wedding in advance may help you in making many other decisions in future. Rather than making separate decisions on each decoration item, select the general style for your reception.
Your color scheme, flowers, table settings, background, lighting, chairs, and other decorative items are among those that you may wish to give some consideration to. You may opt for either modern, elegant, romantic, or any other style for your wedding.
With the selection of a theme, you can coordinate your décor and will be able to explain your requirements to your decorator and suppliers.
6. Book Catering Based on the Confirmed Guest Count
Food plays an important role at any wedding reception, and the catering of this food will depend on the actual number of guests attending.
Go through the menu choices with your caterer at an early stage and find out if you are having a buffet or a plated service. Also, discuss the dietary needs and other food items like desserts and drinks and the wedding cake.
Find out who will provide the serving items, tables and staffing if this is not included in the catering service.
It is equally important to think about the process of serving the food in case there is a wedding that has a total number of 200 guests. There should be enough staff and space for serving.
7. Plan the Wedding Timeline Before the Big Day
Putting together an organized time line will make sure that everyone is in the same boat. Moreover, the timeline will provide your vendors with their own agenda to follow.
The timeline can cover the guest arrival, ceremony, photoshoot, entrance to the reception, toasts, dining, cake-cutting, first dance and entertainment.
Don’t forget to include time for the setup of the venue before guests come. The decoration team, furniture team, lighting crew, catering crew and sound team might all need access to the venue at various times.
Make sure to inform your main suppliers about the schedule.
8. Organize Photography and Videography Around the Venue
Weddings of 200 guests have many significant events, and photography and videography must be taken into consideration beforehand.
Identify the photos you feel are significant before your wedding. They may include photos of yourselves, family photos, bridal party photos, etc.
Take into consideration the layout of your Westlands wedding venue while deciding upon photography. Make sure your photographer has sufficient space not to interfere with other guests and areas.
You could even have a list of family photos to make it easier to take such photos in a short time at the reception.
9. Arrange Sound, Lighting and Entertainment Early
The entertainment you plan for should suit the dimensions of your location. In the case of 200 guests, think about the sound system, microphones, speakers, stage, dance floor, and lighting that you require.
In case you want a DJ or live entertainment, talk to them regarding the venue’s needs prior to the wedding. It is important to find out whether they have any sound or lighting equipment at the venue and the one you would have to provide yourself.
Lighting will also affect the mood of your reception. Different lighting may be needed for the guests’ dinner, speeches, photographs, and dance.
Make sure to know the power needs of your entertainment group.
10. Plan Parking, Transport and Guest Access
Being an active area of Nairobi, access to your guests is something that you have to consider when planning your wedding. Do not make plans about where the guests will park and how they will access the venue on the wedding day.
Consult the venue on the possibility of parking spaces and whether there is need for any further arrangements. You can also offer them directions to the venue and information regarding the entrance.
Take into consideration any elderly or physically challenged guests during the arrangement of access to the venue. In case there are some guests coming from out of town, then you should also take care of transport facilities.
11. Confirm Every Supplier and Delivery Detail
This is just the start of making arrangements with your suppliers. As the wedding draws closer, check through every single important aspect with each supplier.
Check out the date, the time of arrival, the time of set-up, the time of collection, the quantities, the outstanding payments and the items that should be provided under the agreement.
In case of rented tables, chairs, decorations, lighting, and other equipment, you need to make sure that exactly which equipment will be supplied and at which time you’ll have access to the location for set-up.
12. Keep a Small Contingency Plan
Despite the best-laid plans, some things may still take place. The number of guests may vary; a supplier may be late or weather conditions may affect an outdoor part of the wedding.
In case you need another option in case of deviation from the planned scenario, you will have the contingency plan.
While planning an outdoor ceremony or any other activity at the reception, ask for the covered alternative. You can also hold some money aside just in case.
It doesn’t mean you assume that anything bad might happen. It means you won’t ruin your whole wedding because of some minor issues.
Final Checklist for a 200 Guest Wedding in Westlands Nairobi
Prior to the wedding day, ensure that you have sorted out your:
Wedding Budget
Guest List
Venue at Westlands
Tables & Chairs
Catering
Décor & Theme
Photography & Videography
Sound and Entertainment
Parking & Transport
Timeline of the Wedding
Delivery and Setup by Suppliers
Contingencies
All of the above would give you a clear idea of what is left to be done.
Make Your 200 Guest Wedding Easier to Manage
The process of planning a wedding for 200 guests at West lands, Nairobi is made very easy when you take care of the major plans beforehand. You need to figure out how much money you will be spending on the event, and who will be coming, before you select an appropriate venue.
Once the number of guests has been considered, everything else follows quite easily.
