5 Hidden Costs when Planning Your Wedding
Overlooked expenses can easily arise during the wedding planning process. If you choose to go with an truly all-inclusive venue, you can rest easy that you are paying one price for everything, thus eliminating the chance of hidden costs. This section covers common hidden costs to help you budget more accurately and avoid surprises on your big day.
1. Wedding Stationery and Postage?
You have carefully and thoughtfully chosen your announcement cards and invitation, but believe it or not, some vendors do not include the envelope in your wedding announcements, so make sure you check for that.
Postage is a sneaky one and can really rack up costs, especially if you send announcements and invitations internationally. Postage to mail a letter costs 68¢, which equates to $136 for 200 guests.
2. Wedding Insurance?
There is such a thing, and it might be worth purchasing, especially if you are investing a large sum of money in your wedding. Think of all those folks who never anticipated Covid shutdowns and how much money they simply lost.
Purchase your insurance before you book any vendors, and at the very least, consider purchasing insurance for cancellations or postponements and deposit loss.
You may also want to cover any unexpected financial losses, such as
- illness
- damages to venue property
- rental breakages
- theft of wedding gifts.
- additional policies for destination weddings.
Couples pay an average of $275 for coverage.
3. Wedding Trial Runs?
Do the trial run! It is better to spend the additional money to ensure you get what you expect. There are better times to experiment than on the wedding day. All-inclusive venues as well as some vendors include the trial runs in their fees, so check with them first.
These include:
- Hair and make-up – $50-$150 per person
- Wedding cake sampling – $20-$40
- Catered meals/tasting fees – price of a meal for one person
- Do-it-yourself decorations (don’t scoff, that crepe paper flower garland so lovingly designed and created by Auntie might look lost in the reception room.)
4. Attire and Alterations
This applies to both before and after the wedding. If you borrow your attire, you should get it cleaned before and after the wedding, and be prepared to fork out around $200-$300. If you rent your wedding outfit, verify if dry cleaning is included in the rental fee.
The bride can expect to have at least two fittings for alterations once the wedding dress is delivered. Dresses from retail stores are standardized to a specific size, and you will need your dress tailored to your fit. For the groom, you can expect at least one fitting, after you have chosen your outfit.
Hint: Pack fabric spot cleaners for accidents on the wedding day.