Unexpected Wedding Costs You May Not Have Been Aware of

When planning a wedding, it is easy to forget that almost everything you do is going to have a cost associated with it. Usually, there is a pretty high cost associated with it. If you’re trying to stay within a budget, as many will during these difficult economic times, you should be aware of some of the costs that may creep up on you if you are not watching out for them.

Wedding Dress Alterations

Of course you set aside money for your Wedding dress, but unless you’re a perfect sample size, that number also has to cover any hemming up, taking in, or letting out your gown needs to fit you like a dream. Some bridal salons include alterations in the price of the wedding dress; many don’t, and they can cost anywhere from $50 – $600 (mine were $575!).

Undergarments

Maybe you’re super-trim and can get away with wearing your regular bra and underwear on your wedding day. I needed some help in the slimming department, and a corset and Spanx (for a total of about $100) came to the rescue.

Wedding Day Accessories

It’s true you can order a veil online for as little as $15. If you want an exact match to the lace on your gown, though, you may need to cough up a lot more. I was wedding-dress shopping with my friend this weekend, and we came across veils that were over $500! Don’t forget to budget for a necklace, earrings, a bracelet, a wedding ring (I forgot to leave money for that!), shoes, comfy shoes to change into (if you hate heels like I do), and a pretty bag if you’ll want to carry one around.

Wedding Ceremony Doodads

What do I mean? Unity candles for lighting, Kiddush cups for drinking from, brooms for jumping over, fabric for tying your hands together, and the like. Pretty much every religious or cultural tradition calls for some extra accessories.

Hair and Makeup Trials On Your Wedding Day

Even when the budget’s tight, you don’t want to take a chance on a stylist you’ve never worked with. Trust me. I had two hair trials and three makeup trials before I found the people I wanted to be in charge of my wedding-day look (and I’m not even high-maintenance—I swear!)

Wedding Invitation Postage

Wedding invitations are so rarely the right weight and shape to warrant the lowest level of postage (what is it now? 41 cents?). I know someone whose invites cost nearly $2 a piece to send! Multiply that by 200 guests and that’s a big, fat chunk of change.

Tips

I know, I know: When you’re already shelling out hundreds (OK, thousands) of dollars for a single service, it seems crazy to tack on extra, but it’s the right thing to do, so leave room in the budget for everyone in this tipping guide.

Bridal Party Gifts

I bought my ladies their bridesmaid dresses over a year before our wedding, so I totally neglected to budget for gifts for the groomsmen and our parents. (We got them monogrammed money clips and engraved photo frames, for the record!)

Did you forget to set aside money for any of these? Are there any other wedding things you think brides forget to budget for? Do you think you can skip any of the above?