Budgeting for a wedding can be tough and nothing is worse than unexpected charges. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back so you wont be caught off guard when the bills start flowing in.  As wedding planners, we have the inside scoop on charges that no one thinks about but will come up.  Be sure to read the points below so you are well-prepared:

Postage
You’ve had beautiful invitations designed. And now its time to take these bad boys to the post office and send them out. You couldn’t be more excited to get these in the mail and then the lady behind the counter delivers the horrible news that because of the weight they’ll each be a $1.50 to send. Can we say vibe killed? Bottom line, when designing your invitations and other wedding stationary that will be mailed keep in mind the weight of them and the mail cost associated with that weight.

Alterations
We get it, we get it. You want to spend every dime you have on your wedding dress. I mean who wouldn’t, everyone wants to see that fairytale come to life. But, the reality is that your dress is more than likely going to need alterations.  Alterations can run in the hundreds so be mindful of that in your budgeting. We know its not how you want to spend your money but you’re going to want your dress to fit perfectly on the big day!

A/V Charges
Mom wants to make a sweet slide show of you and your fiancées oh, so cute baby pictures during the reception. Easy peasy, right? Whelp, unfortunately not! Audio and Visual costs can reach into the thousands very quickly.   These are typically governed by an in house AV company and we want you to be well prepared that this bill can rack up quickly.  We know mom means well, but you’ve got a budget to stick to.  Be sure to keep in close contact with your wedding planner and venue to see what these charges may run before the time and effort gets put into the creation of anything needing power, lighting, sound etc….

Getting Ready Room Charge
A lot of our brides opt to get ready in the hotel room with their bridal party. Often times getting ready in the room before your wedding is not included in the venue fee or check in isn’t till much later on in the day. You’re going to be responsible for that extra time in the room. We recommend throughly checking your contract with the venue or double checking with your wedding planner to figure out where you and your lovely ladies will be getting dolled up and how much this will run you.

Gratuity
Who needs to be tipped? Bartenders. Servers and Wait Staff. Hair and Makeup Artists. Catering. Officiant. Transportation. Photographer.  Musicians.  Do you know how fast that adds up? So heres what we recommend. Are you sitting down because this one is going to be a tough one to swallow. We recommend you budget 5%-10% of your wedding budget on gratuities. Breathe! We get it, its a lot, but better to know now than later.

Happy Wedding Planning!