Mauritanian wedding planning checklist, step by step

What exhausts couples most is not the cost but the order: what has to be booked first? This list runs in time, from furthest out to nearest, with a rough figure for each item taken from listings actually published on Umsiyeti.

Six months out

• Set the overall budget and the approximate guest count; every later decision depends on them.
• Book the venue — the single largest item: between 5,000 and 60,000 MRU, median 27,500.
• Settle the date with both families before paying any deposit.

Three months out

• Book the photographer: full wedding coverage runs 3,000 to 8,000 MRU.
• Agree terms with the caterer. Note: catering is priced per dish or platter, not per guest, from 200 to 5,500 a dish — so work it out from your menu, not your headcount.
• Start choosing decoration: a complete stand or service runs 5,000 to 12,000.

Two months out

• Book the henna artist. Bridal henna runs 15,500 to 20,000 — far above the small designs, so do not build the budget on a small-design price.
• Book the makeup artist and set the trial date: bridal makeup runs 1,500 to 3,000.
• Agree the car rental: between 1,300 and 6,500 per day.
• Start the lemrsa if you have not — reckon on 26,500 to 76,600 depending on your choices.

One month out

• Send the invitations.
• Book the traditional ensemble if you want one: benga runs 6,000 to 15,000.
• Confirm every booking in writing: time, duration, what is included.
• Walk the venue one last time: lighting, power, parking.

One week out

• Confirm the final guest count with the caterer.
• Give every supplier the running order for the day: when they arrive, where, and who they speak to.
• Prepare cash payments if any supplier wants them on the day.

On the day

• Appoint one person to handle suppliers — not the couple.
• Start henna and makeup an hour before the planned time, as a safety margin.

The budget in one line

Taking the median listing for each main item — venue 27,500 + photography 3,000 + decoration 5,500 + henna 20,000 + makeup 2,000 + car 2,000 + music 12,000 — the total comes to 72,000 MRU, excluding catering and the lemrsa.

Add the lemrsa (26,500 to 76,600) and catering according to your menu, and you have your real figure.

Frequently asked questions

• What should be booked first? The venue. It is the largest item, and everything else is built on its date and capacity.
• Why is there no figure for catering? Because listings are priced per dish rather than per guest, so the total depends on your menu and headcount.
• Which item is most often underestimated? Bridal henna. The henna category median is 3,500, but bridal henna itself runs 15,500 to 20,000.
• Are these figures fixed? No. They are the prices listed on the platform today, and they change as new listings are added.

One last piece of advice

Put every agreement in writing. Most problems on the day come from a verbal understanding about arrival time or what the price covers.

Start here

Browse wedding venues and wedding services, or read venue prices in Nouakchott and how much a wedding costs in Mauritania to frame the budget first.