Budgeting for a wedding is certainly not for the faint of heart. While booking the venue and grabbing a wedding cake plus buying the dress are obvious costs, there are also some less obvious costs that you may forget—or didn’t even think to add to your list!
Helpful tip: you may like to try out our Budget Feature (requires sign in). We’ve thought of just about everything and you can even add your own custom line items as well.
Show some Gratuity
How do you thank the people responsible for helping you execute one of the most important days of your life? Well, a monetary token of appreciation (aka a tip) is always a great place to start. The hard work behind the scenes that allows you to focus on yourself, your significant other, and just being in the moment on your big day is priceless!
Set some cash aside for tips on your big day. You can even make a list of your vendors and decide how much to tip them, dividing them accordingly. Tips are helpful for your drivers, your wait staff, your delivery folks, your valet. Keep a close eye though as some vendors may include a gratuity in their fee.
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Overage fees
In a perfect world, your wedding will start and end on time and guests will consume as much as originally intended. Ya, no. Life inevitably happens and things can change on a dime. Weddings run a little bit longer than planned, guests do a last minute switch from chicken to fish, and so forth. Either way, it’s always smart to allocate some extra funds to handle any overage fees in the event they arise. Make sure to ask what those fees are when booking your venue and vendors, such as your photographer and your DJ. Some photographers can charge upwards of $150 an hour to stay longer than anticipated. If you want to party a little longer than planned, it’s a good idea to be prepared to pay for those extended services.
Cleaning services
If you don’t have an all-inclusive wedding package, where most, if not all services are being provided for by the venue, you’ll need to think about the cost of cleaning, setting up, and tearing down. It’s easy to envision your wedding day and forget that you’ll need people to set up chairs, and decorations and then take out the garbage and clean up at the end of the night. There are numerous companies that provide cleaning services for weddings and other events, so do some research early on. You can also speak to your vendors and ask for recommendations, as they will more than likely have companies they trust and work with regularly.
Undergarments and little extras
We can’t forget the fees associated with beautifying oneself for the big day. Picking out some sexy lingerie set can be pricey. You may also want to consider some Spanx to hold everything together and give you the best silhouette possible for your dress. Don’t forget about getting waxed a few days before the wedding so you don’t have to worry about shaving, and maybe even a facial treatment to have you looking your best and allow for easier makeup application. These types of services should definitely be on your list of wedding expenses!
Additional meals
Ideally, only those invited to your wedding will attend, but sometimes an RSVP’d single brings a plus one, or a couple can’t find a babysitter and you need a few extra plates to feed those unexpected last minute arrivals. Discuss extra meal options with your caterer in advance, as they may have practices already in place to make a little more food just in case. Some may charge extra per person if the guest list exceeds the previously discussed amount, so having an idea of what those fees could be can allow you to prepare. Consider buying a few extra plates of food for your vendors including photographers, members of the band/DJ, and your planner. It’s a really nice gesture to feed the team that is making your day so special and trust us, it won’t go unnoticed!
