10 Hidden Wedding Costs
It’s no secret that planning a wedding can be a stressful, hectic and altogether expensive process. With the average cost of a wedding increasing every year, you could end up spending tens of thousands on everything from the venue and reception, to the wedding dress and the honeymoon.
To help make sure your budget will stretch – and reduce your pre-wedding stress levels – here are 10 costs that are often forgotten about.
Alterations and Adjustments
No wedding dress or suit will fit perfectly straight off the rack. This means you’ll need to schedule time – and money – for alterations. While this can seem like a small expense, with all the suits and dresses it can cost hundreds, so make sure to include this in your budget.
Hair and Beauty
Depending on how you’d like to prep for your big day, some brides splurge on a spray tan, manicure, eyebrow treatment, hair stylist or makeup artist. While you may have factored in the cost of appointments on or just before your big day, don’t forget about paying for trials, too.
Beware Bridal Underwear
Whether you’re wearing a strapless dress and need a new bra, would like shapewear to make you feel a little more confident, or simply want something special and luxurious, make sure to set money aside for your bridal underwear.
Gifts and Thanks
As well as receiving gifts, you’ll probably want to give some, too. Whether these are tokens for the groomsmen and bridesmaids, or thank you presents for your parents, this is often an unexpected expense – and it may cost more than you think.
Don’t Forget Postage
With save the dates, invites and thank you notes for all your wonderful wedding gifts, you’ve probably accounted for stationery. But have you thought about postage? While this may seem like a minimal cost, sending out hundreds of invites and notes can soon add up.
Register Your Marriage
When you get married, you need to make it official. This includes fees for providing notice of your marriage, registering or obtaining a license, and paying for your certificate. While these costs are usually minimal, it’s important to include them in your budget.
Wrong Head Count
When arranging a wedding, a venue or caterer will ask for the head count. Unfortunately, many brides and grooms forget to include themselves, only thinking about their guests. This can mean having to pay for additional meals on your wedding day.
Additional Venue Expense
While you’ve already paid for your venue and food, there may be additional charges after your big day. This could include cake cutting, corkage or, if your wedding ends later than planned, you may have to cover overtime for staff. To counteract this, ask about any additional costs before booking and set some money aside, just in case.
Setting and Clearing Up
While some venues will include this service as part of their fee, not all do. As such, unless you want to be running around on the morning of your wedding – or the first day of married life – setting up and clearing decorations, find out if this is included in the price and if not, account for it in your budget.
Post-Wedding Costs
Have you thought about what you want to wear the day after your wedding? Is breakfast included in your hotel stay? Would you like to store or preserve your wedding dress? What about any additional photo prints? Set aside some post-wedding money for these expenses.
Setting a wedding budget can be difficult, but sticking to it, even more so. While you may think you’ve planned for everything, you may suddenly find you’re faced with unexpected costs and have no idea how you’ll pay for them.
No one needs that kind of stress on their big day, so we hope this will help you to create a comprehensive checklist, reducing stress and allowing you enjoy planning your big day.