The venue is the first booking and the biggest one. According to a Masrawy report (September 2026), the venue and the food take 60% to 70% of a wedding budget in Greater Cairo and Giza, so this choice shapes everything else.
Start with the guest count and the date
- The guest count: food is priced per guest, from EGP 200 to 1,100 depending on the venue, and every 50 extra guests add roughly EGP 18,000 to 55,000 to the food bill.
- The date: from April to October prices run about 15% to 25% higher, and Fridays and Saturdays cost about 10% to 20% more than other days.
- The area: small halls in Cairo start at about EGP 30,000, and five-star hotel ballrooms can go past EGP 900,000. The prices by area are in the wedding budget guide.
These are approximate prices for Greater Cairo and Giza (September 2026), and all the figures are in the wedding price guide.
Questions for your visit
If you can, visit the venue at the same time of day as your wedding, so you see the lighting and the place as it really is. Take these questions with you:
- Numbers: the venue's maximum, and the number of guests the price is based on.
- Hours: when the wedding starts and ends, and the price of each extra hour.
- Dinner: the exact menu, and whether you can taste it beforehand.
- What the price includes: the kosha, the DJ, the lighting, the photography and the service.
- Outside vendors: whether you can bring your own photographer or kosha decorator, and whether there's a fee for that.
- Comfort: a room for the bride, parking, and a generator in case the power goes.
- The licence: is the venue's licence valid, and what happens to your booking if the venue is closed?
Why ask about the licence?
Governorate campaigns close halls that operate without a licence or don't meet civil protection requirements. In September 2022, for example, Giza Governorate closed and sealed 13 wedding halls on the Mariouteya road, and in February 2023 it closed more halls on the Mariouteya and Mansouriya roads for the same reasons.
On Zaghrouta, a venue appears to couples only after its licence has been uploaded and checked, and its page says «موثّق: رخصة المكان» (verified: venue licence).
What to write down before the deposit
Before you pay anything, get the agreement in writing, including:
- The date and the hours, and the overtime rate.
- The guest count and the menu.
- Any extra charges not included in the price.
- Cancellation and the deposit: what is refunded, and in which cases.
- The venue's name as it appears on its licence, and a receipt for every payment.
Compare by the total
A venue with a lower hire fee can end up costing more if its price per guest is higher, or if the kosha isn't included. For each venue, add up the hire fee, the number of guests times the price per guest, and everything the price leaves out. Then compare the totals, not the hire fee alone.
On Zaghrouta
In venues:
- Each venue shows its packages for each event with their prices, its maximum guest count, and whether dinner and the kosha are included.
- The calendar is in front of you: crossed-out days are booked or closed.
- «زوروا القاعة قبل ما تحجزوا» (visit before you book): visits are free, with times every week.
- «السعر ده معقول؟» (is this a fair price?) appears next to a package once the category has enough real packages.
- «قبل ما تتفقوا» (before you agree): what the contract must spell out.
- «قسّطوها» (pay in instalments), if the venue accepts instalments.
The deposit goes straight to the venue. Record it in the money tab so you remember the remaining payments and their dates.