Top 10 Commonly Forgotten Wedding Costs

Staying on budget can be one of the hardest parts of planning your wedding, mainly because there are so many costs that aren’t likely to be on your radar. To help you with the tricky task of sticking to your budget we’ve pulled together this list of wedding costs which often get overlooked, so you can factor them in without panic!

Hen and Stag do

When you sit down with your beau and agree a budget you also need to agree whether or not you will include your Hen and Stag dos. Costs can spiral if you want to celebrate with friends abroad and your budget could take a hammering before you’ve even got married. If you’re booking flights, you’ll want to do this well in advance to get the best deals.

Stationary & postage

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Sending save the date cards, invitations and Thank You cards will set you back for printing and postage. The cost of a first class stamp is currently 65p so postage alone could seriously stack up. This will be one of the very first costs you’ll face if you send out save the date cards 18-12 months before your wedding. However, it’s one you can spread the cost across the year because Thank You cards won’t need to be posted until after you say I do.

Registering your marriage

To make your marriage official you’re going to need to pay fees for giving notice of your intent to marry (currently £35) and registering your marriage (currently £46 in a registry office but will vary at other venues), your marriage certificate will also set you back £4. You need to give 28 days’ notice so it’s not a cost you need to worry about until 6-8 weeks before your wedding.

Including yourselves

Don’t forget to include yourselves in the head count for the caterers. This sounds like an obvious one but you’d be surprised how many people forget to do it. Caterers charge per head so if you’re looking for ways to save money on your wedding inviting fewer guests will help to keep costs down.

Alterations to your outfits

Paying for a professional to make sure your clothes fit perfectly can vary and can run into hundreds of pounds. Plan to pay for this service closer to your special day – there’s no point in getting your clothes made to fit beautifully months before only to crash diet and find you need alterations doing all over again. Book your appointment well in advance because tailors and seamstresses are often in high demand.

Beauty appointments

Hair and makeup costs are seldom forgotten but other beauty treatments can often be overlooked. Teeth whitening, a manicure and pedicure, waxing, spray tan, hair extensions, eyebrow shaping, facials etc. They all add up and you’ll need to budget for them in the week leading up to your wedding.

Gifts and tips

Buying favours for your guests, cash tips for staff and thank you gifts for anyone you’d like to recognise for helping out are all costs you’ll need to budget for in the month leading up to your wedding. Some couples like to buy each other a wedding gift to commemorate the day too.

Accommodation

Couples are often so busy arranging where all their guests are going to stay in the run up to proceedings many can forget to book their own accommodation. Costs for hotel rooms before and the night of your wedding will need to be paid for on check out. Some hotels may require a deposit upfront when booking.

Extra venue charges after your wedding

Depending on where you’re getting married you might need to budget for extra charges from the venue or suppliers like delivery fees, corkage and VAT. If your wedding goes on late into the night your venue may need to keep staff on later than previously agreed and pay them overtime. These won’t necessarily be upfront costs so you can pay after your wedding but make sure you check whether there are likely to be any.

Printing and treasuring your memories

Getting your wedding photos printed and framed is another cost you can plan to pay for after you say “I do”. If you want a professional photo album the cost can seriously start to mount up. It could be cheaper to buy the digital copies of your photos from your photographer and sort it yourself.