7 Hidden Wedding Costs That Most Couples Aren’t Aware Of

Wedding is one of the important event of ones life, and who don’t want a budget friendly wedding. With wedding costs rising day by day, it is becoming difficult for couples to have a wedding without spending stacks of money. Due to these exorbitant prices, couples are moving towards more budget-friendly events to avoid excess spending. But planning these events sometimes becomes complicated and stressful. You can plan your wedding in two ways either hire a professional wedding planner or do everything by yourself.

In both cases, one thing you must keep in mind is the hidden costs behind every service you opt for. All vendors and service providers lay down hidden charges which cause you to overspend.

Stick with us to find out some of the hidden wedding costs which will burn a hole in your pocket.

1. Wedding dress alterations

A wedding gown is one of the most important things in a wedding, especially for a bride. When a bride goes to a designer to buy her a dress that perfectly reflects her personality. These designers don’t openly tell that any alterations will be added to the cost. For instance, if your budget is $1500, you will be given a dress priced at $1500, but the total amount you end up spending is $2000 with alterations. So, make sure that you inquire about any alteration charges beforehand.

2. Postage charges

It is time to invite guests, you want the invitation for your wedding to be unique and attractive. You go to a stationary and pick a unique card, which is a little heavy considering all the decorative pieces attached to it. But stationaries don’t tell you about the hidden costs behind invitations, that is money you have to pay to ship it out. You think it will not cost much, which is untrue. The postage charges to ship invitations may go up to $2 for each card, and might even cost more if the card is oversized, multilayered, or heavy than usual. So, we advise you to go for attractive yet not so oversized designs to keep them budget-friendly. Make your purchases online. Here are some suggestions of websites where you can check out invitations:- Zola, Minted, Etsy, Greenvelope.

3. Extra food

Apart from all guests, you need to have food for all on-site vendors. DJ’s, Catering staff, Venue helpers, and Management staff, who stay on-site till the event is completed successfully. It becomes our responsibility to make sure they have meal to stay active and avoid fatigue.

Prepare a list of accurate number of guests including all the vendors attending the event, and place an order for food accordingly. The food must be sufficient for everyone, or else you have to order it separately, which increases the cost.

4. Rental transport

Couples love to customize their wedding. Any items you use from the venue will not be charged extra. But if you decide to rent something from outside, you will have to pay extra for it. But there are many hidden costs to rent something. It is obvious that all things you rent, cannot fit in your vehicle, and the rental company will have to transport them for you. Be sure you ask well in advance, if the pick-up and drop of all the items will be free, because transportation can range anywhere from $200-$1,000.

5. Overtime charges

Usually, these events never start on time. But the vendors, bands, photographers, and DJs are only hired for a certain time. If your event exceeds the expected time, you will have to pay everyone an overtime fee, which is higher than the normal fee. $250 per hour is a standard fee charged by vendors and it might increase in rate. Sign a contract at the time of booking stating that the overtime fees will be no more than 50% of the original fee.

6. Professionals not approved by the venue

Many venues have a list of professionals and vendors who are approved by it, and only these people will be allowed to help you arrange your wedding. But if you don’t comply with the venue on this clause and want someone who is not on the approved list, you will be asked to pay 20% or more extra on your bill. So use professionals from the approved list or find the best wedding venue without an approved list to avoid these hidden costs.

7. Marriage license fee

Even if you get married in a community center, you will be charged a marriage license fee. This fee is unavoidable. But it varies on the place you choose to get married. For example, in New York, the fee is $35, and in states like California and Las Vegas, it can go up to $85 and $100 respectively.

These are a few hidden wedding costs which can be avoided if you enquire about them with your vendor. We often tend to think these small amounts of money are insignificant and won’t really matter. But the reality is these hidden costs may pile up to become a huge sum of money that you may end up spending unwillingly. It is very simple to avoid them ‘Always ask questions!’ before you hire them.