In the destination wedding business, it’s all about finding the perfect wedding location that would be memorable not only for the couple and their families, but would be a wonderful experience for the guests as well. One such destination is Africa. The land of rich cultural diversities, picturesque locales, and amazing hospitality, Africa checks all boxes and holds the potential to be one of the top wedding and romance travel hotspots, but there is a lot of work in progress!
In addition to the above, there is a growing popularity amongst African couples to explore destination weddings in exotic locales bringing everyone together for fun, relaxation, and celebration.
Putting the spotlight on the vibrant African wedding industry, renowned industry experts discussed the future and changing dynamics of weddings in this wonderful region. Well-known faces from the industry such as Terrica Skaggs from USA, Christina Holt from South Africa, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe and Mercy Akamo from Nigeria, and Mwai Yeboah from UK got together for the DWP BIZ EDGE Episode 5 and shared exceptional insights into the world of African weddings.
While all the panelists unanimously echoed positivity and staying resilient in current times, some crucial aspects of the business pertaining to the pandemic steered the discussion. The impact of COVID and its implications on wedding contracts laid the foundation for an hour long extensive discussion and ‘flexibility’, ‘revisiting cancellation policies’ and ‘force majeure’ emerged as the buzzwords.
Let’s dive deep into understanding the intriguing African wedding market!
Changing Trends Shaping up the Luxury Wedding Sphere
Picture Courtesy: @bellanaijaweddings
African weddings are all about pomp & show and the extravagance, and even with the pandemic around, African clients will not heavily compromise on the ‘luxury’ aspect of their ceremonies, believes Mercy Akamo. BellaNaija Weddings is regarded as one of the leading wedding media in the region, and with Mercy steadily heading up Content and Innovation at the same, pointed out at a few trends that have started reflecting in the upcoming wedding season. Take your notes:
- Intimate Weddings with shorter ceremonies not extending over couple of days
- Online wedding ceremonies with the actual wedding celebration to follow
- Rise of safety & sanitation standards
- Interest in destination weddings outside Africa
For all of you particularly excited with the last point mentioned above, Mercy indeed believes that once borders open up people will look out for destination weddings because Africans love to travel! And especially if it is to do with their big day, they’d prefer it all the more. Some of the destinations that would be in demand according to Mercy include:
- Greece
- Italy
- UAE
- USA
- Bahamas
- Spain
- Indonesia
…amongst others. Although she does not have a crystal ball, she is surely certain that it is just a matter of time and destination weddings will be back in full action as we know it!
Factors Considered by African Clients when Choosing a Destination
Picture Courtesy: @zapphaire_events
“African clients are very easy to please, all they want is to have a good experience and if your destination can provide that then great!” says the ever-smiling, flamboyant Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, the Founder of Zapphaire Events in Nigeria, a name that is well-known in not only Africa but globally!
Having planned numerous weddings in various destinations throughout her career, Funke spilled the beans on the factors that African clients take into consideration when choosing a wedding destination. Since Africa is such an interesting market with varied cultures and unique requirements, Funke’s tips were very well received by the global attendees who are seeking to attract African clients! These are some of the top criteria listed:
- Exotic location boasting of great weather, delectable cuisine, and fantastic accommodation
- Out of the box experiences & exclusivity
- Amazing customer service and flexibility
If your destination or property checks these boxes, then get ready to host an elaborate African wedding!
Appeal of South Africa as a Destination for Luxury Wedding Clients
Picture Courtesy: @weddingconceptssa
Africa is also a huge market for attracting international clients who want to get married amidst a stunning natural backdrop of many locations that the region has to offer, and South Africa is undoubtedly one of the destinations of interest.
Wedding Concepts is a name that has built a long-standing reputation for itself not only in South Africa but the entire region and beyond and Christina Holt, the Founder of the company shared with us her insights on how South Africa continues to cater to luxury wedding clients. If you have an upcoming wedding and haven’t decided on the location yet, this might just do that for you:
- Voted among the best places in the world that blends modern sophistication with an African flair and touch
- You have the best of all experiences: wine lands, coasts, safaris – choose your pick!
- Multi-cultural, experiential and exclusive with stunning scenery
- Appealing to taste buds: Culinary capital of Africa
Christina is hopeful that there will be light at the end of the tunnel and South Africa can possibly open up borders by October this year.
Rising out of the Ashes – Measures taken by African Destinations to put the Region back on the Wedding Radar
Picture Courtesy: @lovefrommwai
With years of wedding planning experience and working extensively with African clients, the enthusiastic Mwai Yeboah, Founder of Love from Mwai in UK who is certain that the demand for Africa as a wedding destination will increase in the upcoming wedding season.
Having worked very closely with tourism boards within Africa, Mwai shared inside views and tips on the strategies being implemented by the region to bring back confidence in wedding clients. Here’s what she shared:
- Deploying measures for quick recovery
- Measuring up to worldwide safety standards
- Tourism boards and properties conducting in-depth health SWOT analysis
- Providing financial incentives to tourists and businesses and promotion through mainstream & social media
In addition to the above, she says “these are testing times and this is when we need to work together as a community and put collaboration over competition”. She feels helping one another will be one of the top forces in the effort to get the wedding industry back to normal.
The panel concluded unanimously with the belief that destination weddings will pick up in the coming few months as couples are not easily giving up on their dream of getting married in a charming location!
Stay strong…it won’t be long!
Feature Image Credit: @weddingfashza
