How to Plan a Zimbabwe Event from Abroad — Diaspora Guide

A large share of events in Zimbabwe — particularly weddings, funerals and roora ceremonies — are funded and organised by family members living abroad. Zimbabweans in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes and Luton in the UK; Dallas, Houston and Atlanta in the USA; Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa; Perth and Sydney in Australia; and Toronto in Canada regularly plan events back home. Suppliers are used to working with overseas clients, and with WhatsApp, email and mobile money, the logistics are straightforward.

The biggest challenges are time zone differences, not being able to physically inspect venues or equipment, and relying on someone on the ground to be your eyes. All of these are manageable with the right approach. Visit our planning from abroad page for an overview of how we support diaspora clients.

Have someone on the ground — a family member, friend or hired wedding planner — who can visit venues, meet suppliers and relay information to you. They do not need to manage the whole event; they just need to be available for site visits, deliveries and the occasional phone call.

If you do not have a suitable family contact, consider hiring a local event planner in Harare or Bulawayo. They can coordinate multiple suppliers on your behalf.

WhatsApp is the primary communication tool in Zimbabwe. Most suppliers — including Delightful Events — are reachable on WhatsApp and can send you photos, quotes, contracts and updates via the app. Create a WhatsApp group with your local contact, your planner (if you have one) and your key suppliers so everyone stays informed.

Video calls (WhatsApp, Zoom, Google Meet) are useful for venue walkthroughs, stock viewing and setup reviews.

Most suppliers accept international bank transfers (wire transfers) in USD. Some also accept payments via EcoCash (Zimbabwe's mobile money platform) or through a local contact who can pay on your behalf.

At Delightful Events, we can provide bank details for international transfers and will confirm receipt before the event. We also accept EcoCash and local bank transfers.

Tip: Make sure you initiate bank transfers several business days before the payment deadline — international wires can take 2–5 working days to clear. Check our FAQ for more on payment options.

You can browse our full catalogue on the website from anywhere in the world. Add items to your quote request, specify quantities, and submit with your event details. We reply with an itemised quote — usually the same day.

If you want to see photos of specific items before committing, ask us on WhatsApp and we will send them. We can also send short videos of stock in our warehouse if that helps.

Once you are happy with the quote, pay the deposit to secure your date and reserve the stock. Not sure what you need? Our event equipment hire guide walks you through every category.

On the day of the event, our crew delivers and sets up as agreed. We can send you photos of the completed setup so you can see how it looks before guests arrive. If your local contact is doing a walkthrough, we are happy to accommodate them and make last-minute adjustments.

After the event, we return to collect everything. You do not need to be there for any of it. Contact us or request a quote to start planning your event from abroad.