Hidden wedding costs
So you put together a budget and you think you’re completely set. Except, well you forgot a couple things. Sure you included the cost of the band, the photographer, the invitations, and so on. But what about the postage? The cake cutting fee? The gratuities? While one thing here or there might not be a big deal they all add up quickly and soon you could find yourself in a mess of trouble financially. These are some common hidden wedding costs that you should be aware of when planning your wedding so you won’t be caught with a big bill later on and no way to pay for it.
Postage
It’s amazing how quickly it adds up but just think about all those forty-something cent stamps. You have stamps on the save the dates, on the invitations, on the RSVP envelopes, and the thank you cards. If you send out one hundred invitations you’re looking at a couple hundred dollars in postage when all is said and done.
Cake cutting fees
Lots of reception venues charge a per slice cake cutting fee. Check with your reception coordinator on whether this is applicable or not. If they do charge a fee see what you can do to have it reduced or eliminated by serving it yourself (a member of the wedding party) or something else because at two dollars a slice or so that makes for one expensive cake service.
Dress alterations
If the dress needs any alterations or changes you’ll be paying for them. Factor this into the cost of the dress itself. So when shopping for your attire think about more than the dress, but also the alterations, jewelry, shoes, undergarments, and hair accessories.
Corking fees
Many venues charge bottle corking fees for serving alcohol. If you site does see if there’s a way around that or if you can at least get a fee reduction such as one flat fee regardless of how many bottles of wine or champagne they end up opening.
Thank you gifts
It’s always nice to give the members of your wedding party as well as the parents a thank you gift for their participation in the wedding and help throughout the process. This can be anything from a homemade photo album to some personalized barware and gift cards. Whatever you decide suddenly there’s another bill.
Marriage license
Yes, you actually have to pay for your marriage license. When you go down to apply for it with your documentation you will have to write a check so be prepared.
Tips
Gratuities for the vendors, limo driver and others involved in the wedding day process are not required but some people do expect them so decide ahead of time what you plan on doing regarding the tipping situation.
Wedding stationary
While you may have included the cost of invitations and save the dates in your budget you likely forgot about thank you cards. You absolutely must send out thank you cards, it’s impolite not to. So add in some more money for those.