We interviewed a REAL BRIDE to find out what the most unexpected wedding costs were! When Zyan first got engaged she was ecstatic! They had been together for seven years, owned a home together, and had three dogs. The only thing she wanted was that pretty little ring on her finger. After they got engaged she started planning right away. They always talked about how they would get married on his family farm, so that was taken care of. Zyan knew she would have to budget expenses for a dress, photographer, videographer, food, alcohol etc, but there were a lot of expenses that she didn’t even think about until it got closer to the day of the wedding. Below are the 10 unexpected wedding costs that Zyan + Hunter didn’t think of when getting married.
10 Unexpected Wedding Costs
1. Marriage License
A marriage license can cost $18 if you are an Indiana resident. If you are from out of state it will cost you $60. $18 is not a big deal, but it is an expense that you might not think of.
2. Postage
Postage is a huge expense if you are having a big wedding. According to The Knot the average wedding size of 2019 was 131 people. If you send out 200 invites that is $100 you spent in postage and that does not include the $100 that you sent out for “Save the Dates” For Zyan’s wedding they sent their “save the dates” out as holiday cards so they only sent them to close family due to the fact that they were going to be sending out close to 400 invites. You also will be sending out thank you cards so keep that in mind!
3. Wedding Party Gifts
Wedding party gifts are a nice way to ask friends and family to stand with you on your special day. They are not needed but they make the experience special for them. Common wedding party gifts are jewelry, cups, bags and t-shirts. Depending on how many gifts you give and how many people you have in your wedding party this can get pretty expensive. According to BRIDES the average couple spends between $75 to $150 on their wedding party gifts.
In addition, it is often common to give your partner a gift on your big day! Common gifts include jewlery, a watch, shoes, socks for cold feet, etc 🙂
4. Stationary
Day of the wedding stationary is something that Zyan wished she would have planned better. Table numbers, reserved seating or pew, reserved table, escort cards, seating arrangement cards or banner, and menu cards. These are little details that you don’t think about right away. According to BRIDES an invitation suite printed digitally will cost you between $700 to $1200 for a set of 100.
5. Meals for Vendors
Don’t forget to feed us! Feeding your photographer, videographer, bartender, security, DJ, and any other person that you hired to work at your wedding is very important. You should include a plate for them in your guest count when placing your order.
6. Accessories and Undergarments
Make sure to leave money in your budget for shoes, veil, jewelry, undergarments and or shape wear! These items could set you back another $500 to $1,000. You could also save money by making your veil or jewelry your “Something Borrowed”. These items are extras but they could tie your whole look together for your special day. Zyan’s advice would be go all out! It’s your day to shine.
7. Makeup and Hair Trials
Ok, so you’ve finally found the perfect stylist to do your hair and makeup on your big day! SO EXCITING! But you had to go through so many trials that cost you money to find the right person. Zyan suggests that you need to add this to your list of expenses and your wedding budget. Keeping track of expenses is important. According to Zola, the average hair and makeup trial can run you about $75 to $150.
8. Vendor Gratuity
Gratuity is not required, but it would be nice of you to tip your BOMB vendors. They came together to make this day as special as they could for you. Maybe your bartender went above and beyond and served 400 people by herself all night. She deserves that tip. You should always budget for gratuities in any service that you are requesting. Some common vendors you should tip are bartenders, security, servers, valets, officiants, videographers, photographers, the cake deliverer, drivers, makeup artists, and hair stylists. According to Bridal Guide, if vendor gratuity is not included in the overall price, you should be tipping them between 15% to 20% of the total amount.
9. Dress Alterations & Preservation
When finding your wedding dress make sure to keep in mind that it might have to be altered for your wedding and depending on where you go and how much you need the dress altered this could cost you anywhere from $100 to $800. Zyan chose her small town seamstress and it was around $100. Bryt was lucky and did not have to get his altered at all. My wedding dress had to have about a foot cut off the bottom and a few things taken in. I think it was about $300 total. So don’t forget to budget this in!
When purchasing a dress keep in mind that by the end of the night, IT WILL BE DIRTY. That is ok, it means you had a load of fun on your wedding night! Preservation kits from David’s Bridal are $99.95. Another expense that Zyan was not prepared for! Bryt and I actually have not preserved our dresses, they actually still smell like the beach 😉 HAHA JK!
10. Unexpected Guests
When planning your dinner, alcohol, and dessert you should add a few place settings for those unexpected guests who will most likely show up if you have a local wedding. It could be a friend who just forgot to RSVP, someone who said no on their RSVP, or even a family member who brings their kids because their sitter canceled on them. This is very common to have extra guests. Make sure to add extra to the budget for this.
We hope that these 10 unexpected wedding costs help you out while planning for your wedding! No surprises for you when budgeting! Was anything on this list surprising to you? Drop us a comment and let us know below!
Does this list have you overwhelmed and ready to elope? Many of the unexpected wedding costs are still included for an elopement, but the total spent is MUCH less! Click HERE to see the costs compared between and Indiana Wedding and a destination elopement.
XOXO,
Sam + Bryt
