Hidden Wedding Costs That Could Catch You Out

Most happy couples are well aware of how much it costs to book a wedding reception venue or a designer wedding dress. These costs are well publicized and a bit of research will soon enlighten you if you don’t have a clue. However, there are many hidden costs that could jeopardise your budget, so even if you use ukweddingsavings.co.uk to help you save money, you may still get caught out. So what are these hidden costs and how can you ensure they don’t wreck your dream wedding?

Postal Invites

If you invest in beautiful, hand printed wedding invitations, remember to factor in the cost of posting them to your guests. Postage is not cheap these days. Invitations that are larger or thicker than average will cost even more to send. By the time you have posted 200, the extra cost will be well over £100. Consider emailing invites instead. It’s free.

Reception Furniture

Many venues charge extra for tables, chairs, linen and other essential extras. The location might be super romantic, but check whether the cost of hiring the venue actually includes all of these essentials. If it doesn’t, you need to work out how much extra it will be.

Religious Ceremony Costs

A church wedding is very traditional, but what many couples don’t realise is that it costs several hundred pounds to get married in church. The cost of getting married in a C of E church is set nationally. The fee includes the cost of the vicar, marriage certificate, calling the banns, and a banns certificate, plus administration. By comparison, a registry office wedding is a fraction of the price and the certificate cost just £4.

Approved Wedding Suppliers

Many venues offer a complete wedding “package”. In theory this sounds great, as you have less to worry about, but in practice it means the venue only uses their preferred suppliers. Whilst you might be OK about this, if you decide to use your own suppliers – for example, you might have a friend who makes amazing wedding cakes – the venue will probably charge you extra as a result. Corkage fees are another good example. Venues prefer that you use their wine, so if you bring your own wine, they will charge you a fee. To avoid this, check whether your venue insists on you using their suppliers for catering, flowers, etc.

Dress Alterations

Imagine you have found the perfect wedding dress, but it doesn’t quite fit how you need it to fit. This is fine – after all, an ill-fitting wedding dress is not pretty – but what you need to remember is that the bridal boutique will charge you for every minor alteration. For major changes, this cost will soon eat into your budget, so think twice before you fall in love with a dress two sizes too big.

It makes sense to have a contingency fund to cover unexpected expenses. That way you won’t be caught high and dry without any money left in the kitty.