Morocco is a land with a rich history and eclectic cultures. It is known for its unparalleled hospitality and its expansive blend of cultures and religions.
It is also a land of extraordinary contrasts and remarkable diversity.
Moroccan weddings are emblematic for unity, an elaborate affair that celebrates life, love, happiness, and prosperity.
At the pulsating heart of such an astonishing ceremony lies a variety of exotic and authentic Moroccan customs and traditions.
It is a vibrant commemoration of sanctity and virtue that engages all five senses, through the electrifying colorful clothes, the invigorating music, the vivid decor, and most importantly the delectable food.
Like most important events, such a remarkable day requires a lot of planning ahead, and ultimately a sizeable amount of money.
From booking a venue to finding a caterer and hiring a band, there are many details to account for.
So here’s a step-by-step guide to planning a traditional Moroccan wedding and how much does a Moroccan wedding cost.
Table of Contents
Picking a Moroccan wedding venue
The first step in planning a Moroccan wedding is booking a venue. Many families opt for a wedding at home.
For the most part, this works whether they’re on a budget, their house is big enough to accommodate all guests, or they’re only inviting close friends and family members.
Anything above 50 guests would require a special wedding venue to rent for the day. The seating plan is typically 10 people per table. Though if the number of guests is very high, 12 per table can be done, although it would be a tight squeeze.
Wedding venues differ from one city to the other. But they all typically have a ‘stage space’ for the band, a garden or an outdoor area, a spare room for the bride to get ready in, as well as gender-specific restrooms.
Renting a wedding venue could go anywhere from 3,000dh (about $310) to 40,000dh (about $4,100). This is depending on the location, whether it’s high season (summer for weddings) or not, and how large and luxurious the area is.
Finding a caterer and Moroccan wedding food
In choosing Moroccan wedding food, wedding caterers take care of everything food-related, from beverages and traditional sweets to the three main courses and dessert.
Caterers offer many ‘packs’ based on the menu you want and the budget you’re working with.
So the standard package would typically include two to three different types of sodas/juices, ten different types of traditional sweets and pastries, mint tea and coffee, a variation of three courses being roasted chicken, roasted lamb, and a Pastilla (either salmon, fish, or chicken).
Some people choose additional extras like having trays of dates and milk at the entrance of the wedding venue to welcome guests in.
Caterers will also generally decorate the tables with flower arrangements and a variety of dried fruit and nuts.
They can generally provide the wedding cake (costs not included), or you could choose to get the wedding cake from elsewhere.
In addition to that, they charge you by the table. That could be anything from 3,000dh to 6,000dh per table, based on the menu you choose and any extras you get. So for 100 guests that would range from 30,000dh ($3,100) to 60,000dh ($6,200).
Hiring a “Neggafa”
The focus of any traditional Moroccan wedding is the bride. So the Neggafa and her team of assistants take care of the bride’s clothing options, make-up, and accessories.
It’s important for the bride to choose the right Neggafa that shares her taste and understands her preferences in terms of weddings looks.
Each Neggafa has her own collection of jewelry, Takchitas (Moroccan dresses), and accessories to go with each outfit.
Prior to the wedding, the bride will choose 3 to 4 outfits from the Neggafa’s inventory.
These outfits generally reflect each region in Morocco, from the Fassi green dress to the Chamali (northern) bedazzled ensemble.
But of course, the piece de resistance will be the white wedding dress or white Takchita that the bride will wear last.
Some prefer to have a fashion designer make their dress, while others are fine with the choices the Neggafa offers.
As for the cost of the Neggafa and her team, this depends largely on how new/trendy her collection of clothes and accessories is, in addition to how many people she will be bringing with her.
So a ‘low-range’ Neggafa could charge 4,000dh ($413), a mid-range one would fall anywhere between 8,000dh ($826) and 10,000dh ($1033), while a premium Neggafa can go as high as 50,000dh ($5167).
Getting a photographer
Photographers aren’t that expensive compared to other wedding endeavors. Most photographers will show you the pictures post-wedding so you get to choose which ones to keep.
Then they collect everything into a photo album that you can pay 2,000dh ($206) or so to acquire.
The big expense is usually the wedding movie. So depending on the kind of equipment they’re working with, the size of their staff/ how many assistants they bring, and their experience in editing, getting a professional photographer will probably cost around 4,000dh ($413) or 5,000dh ($516).
Booking a band
Usually, Moroccan weddings don’t consist of one band in terms of music. More often than not, it’s a combination of the main orchestra, also called l’jouq, and another band, known as dakakiya from Marrakech or issawa from Meknes, etc (each region has their own specialty), that usually accompanies the bride whenever she makes an entrance.
The main band has to be good at playing chaabi music (Moroccan pop), but also more traditional music like Andalusi (usually played when dinner is served), and any local music to represent where the bride and groom are originally from.
A low-range main orchestra can cost anywhere from 7,000dh ($723) to 10,000dh ($1033).
On the other hand, if it’s a more reputable band with a relatively famous singer, the cost could be ten times as much, so as high as 70,000dh ($7235).
With that said, if the bride and groom are on a strict budget, the best option to go for is hiring a DJ to take care of the music.
DJs can cost a fraction of the price, especially during low season, but they generally start at 2,500dh ($258).