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How SA influencer spent R400k on a wedding in this economy
South African YouTuber Gugu Mahlangu-Kanana shared how she and her husband managed to save R400 000 to pay for their wedding in cash
Influencer Gugu Mahlangu-Kanana and her husband | Picture: Instagram/ @sine_gugulethu by @samphiriphotography
South African YouTuber Gugu Mahlangu-Kanana recently sent social media into a tizzy after breaking down the costs of her R400 000 wedding, which she and her husband paid for in cash and spent five years saving for.
She broke down the costs in a life update vlog for her 44 000 subscribers who submitted their questions via Instagram’s Q&A function.
At the time of writing, the video had 34 000 views and over 500 comments.
The savvy influencer also revealed that some of their costs were offset by a barter system of sorts that saw her collaborate with established companies in exchange for some of the things they needed, like wedding rings.
Sine_Gugulethu’s wedding
Explaining her journey in her video, Gugu said that her husband paid her lobola in 2019 and they spent four to five years saving up for their wedding.
She said they both get year-end bonuses from their full-time jobs which they vowed not to touch, saving the funds for their white wedding instead.
She also added that her husband earns a higher salary than she does, which allowed him to contribute more towards their savings goal. According to Gugu, her side hustle as an influencer also helped them reach their saving goal faster.
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“Guys, we got married cash, we didn’t take out any loan, and when I tell you, even now, that we are broke but it’s peace of mind that when month-end comes, we don’t owe anyone R300 000 or R400 000.”
Part of the R400 000 they saved up was also used to pay for their honeymoon which they went on in December. Gugu estimated the costs of the honeymoon at around R100 000 for a full month of travel.
Itemised wedding costs:
- Venue: R44 000
- Dress: R30 000
- Suit: R15 000
- Inside decor: R100 000
- Outside decor: R20 000
- Wedding coordinator and wait staff: R20 000
- Bridesmaids dressed: R8 000
- Photography: R18 000
- Video: R10 000
- Food: R56 000
- DJ: R10 000
- Make-up: R14 000
- Transport: R3 000
- Cake: R10 000
- Pastor: R6 500
- Event MC: Undisclosed amount
- Hair: R2 000
Watch: Gugu Mahlangu-Kanana and husband at their wedding
It wasn’t all roses, however, as the couple had to pause their house hunt following their wedding and honeymoon. She also revealed that they had to put off having children in order to be able to pull off their goals.
Based on what Gugu had to say in her video, the financially savvy couple seems to have considered all the costs involved in home ownership and they intend to plan their way around those costs.
“We are so hellbent on this thing of not taking loans, we are so hellbent on it that even if people laugh at us [for still living in a flat] but at least we are doing things at our pace, on a cash basis,” she said.
Surprisingly, the influencer revealed that she had left her full-time job and says she feels lighter after having done so. She considers the move the best decision she has ever made and she plans to invest full-time in her career as a content creator.
Watch the full video below:
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