Wedding Expenses You Might Not Think Of

It’s all too easy to get caught out by costs you weren’t expecting. Often they will be things you might not think to account for. Here are just a few of the main ones…

Postage: Have you allowed for the cost of posting your save the dates and invites AND thank you cards? You can try to save yourself money by giving them out by hand but there will be some you are likely to need to send.

VAT: Be careful when it comes to VAT. Not all companies quote including VAT and if you don’t realise that’s 20% being added to what you have already budgeted!

Service charge/tips/thank you gifts: Some venues/caterers might expect or enforce a service charge. Details of this should be made clear in the terms and conditions of your contract but it’s worth double checking. You may want to leave a tip or a thank you gift to a supplier or venue to show your appreciate of their hard work. Even a box of chocolates will make their day (unless their dairy intolerant!). Oh and a review is always welcomed and costs you zilch! Happy days!

Feeding your suppliers: It’s so easy to forget that some of your suppliers like your photographer, band, DJ etc will be with you for a long time and will need something to eat. They won’t need anything special but something simple will suffice.  No one wants a hangry supplier!

Photos: If you haven’t purchased a package that includes all of your photos you will need to allow money in the budget to purchase your desired photos. If you have a package where you get all of your photos on a disk, USB or link online you will need to allow for the cost of printing the photos you want.

Delivery, installation and breakdown fees: If you are hiring in furniture or decorative items these will normally come with a fee for delivery, installation and breakdown unless you are doing this all yourselves. These fees might vary depending on the day/time so if it’s antisocial hours it might raise the cost. Speak to your venue in these cases to see if these items can be stored till a time when the fee is more reasonable. You might also find you have a minimum spend you have to reach with these hire companies.

Don’t forget yourselves: Remember to include yourselves in the number and that all the key people are accounted for. I’ve seen it happen countless times but you can’t have a Wedding without the happy couple!

Beauty treatments: You want to be pampered for your big day so be sure to allow for the beauty treatments you want to give yourself your best Wedding glow.

Hair and make-up trials: Until you see a style on yourself you won’t know for sure if it’s right for you so a trial really is a must but remember there is a cost involved. Maybe try to schedule it so you can go out afterwards and trial it out (then you can feed back if there needs to be any adjustments for the big day – an extra kirby grip here, a bit more blush there).

Alterations: These are not always included and they can often be charged per alternative needed i.e. hem raised, taken in etc. You can also find that after the first alterations you might require further work doing especially if you are losing weight for the big day.

DIY venues: Depending on the venue you might need to factor into your budget for things such as table/chair/linen hire, generators, a bar service, lighting, catering equipment etc. Check with your venue what you are required to supply.

My advice…always ask! If in doubt, check and double check. Ask your suppliers and venues “are there any other costs we need to think about?”. Try to keep some of you budget aside as a contingency so you know you’ve got a back up in case anything crops up you weren’t expecting. And always ALWAYS plan plan plan when it comes to budgeting!

Happy Planning!

Amy x

Thanks for reading this blog!

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me by email or on 07729230136.

A Little Bit of Wedmin – A Wedding Planning service will a difference. You know what you want, it’s your big day, you just might need a helping hand. I want to give you the tools, knowledge and support you need to have the best Wedding. I can give you as much or as little support as you need, all you have to do is ask! There are lots of services on offer so pick and choose the ones that are right for you.