Hidden Costs: Extra things to budget for
Life’s full of surprises - like the moment your partner proposed!
Wedding planning is no different - some are wonderful surprises, but some can also be a wee bit stressful, like unexpected expenses. While you might be pretty certain about your budget so far - there are undoubtedly those little extra bits and pieces that will pop up along the way! The best thing you can do is be prepared; so today, we’re covering just a few things that you may not have thought about yet. This is by no means an extensive list, and depending on your planning, they may or may not apply - but either way, they’re elements to consider!
Wedding invite via Etsy
Postage
Yep - the design and printing of the invites cost, but a lot of people forget to factor in the actual postage! Depending on how many invites your sending out this will fluctuate massively - but as an indicator, a standard letter costs $1.20 to post. If you’ve got 150 invites going out, you’ll be looking at an extra $180 on your budget.
Treats for the bridal party
Wanting to give your bridal party thank you gifts or keepsakes? This sweet idea does tend to add a bit to the budget - so keep it in mind during the planning.
Tailoring
Ah, this one’s a biggie, especially if your wedding is post-Christmas! Sometimes you’ll need to make some last-minute alterations. Depending on what changes are needed, you could be looking at an extra $100+ per alteration. Talk to a local tailor and see what you might be in for.
And it’s not only the last-minute changes - you might find the perfect dress, but it just doesn’t fit right. Or the groomsmen’s suits might not quite fit each person’s body type, and may be in need of a little adjusting.
Image by Wildfire Photography of S. P. Makeup
Hair and makeup trials
It’s totally worth doing trials for your hair and makeup - after all, you want to be happy on the big day! However, they do come into the budget - so chat to your makeup artist and hair stylist, and make sure you set aside enough in the budget to nail the test run.
The marriage licence
This is something you can’t legally get married without, so it should be at the top of your priorities list! This is $150 if you’re using a celebrant, and $240 if you go to a registration office.
Image by Mere Street Photography via Married By Ros
Vendor meals
They’re there for the whole day, and they’ll probably be a bit hungry! It’s a good idea to factor in the vendors like the photographer, videographer, musician and anyone else who’ll need to eat, when figuring out a headcount and ordering food.
Post-wedding costs
These could be anything from sending out little thank you notes, to posting anything that was left behind at the venue, or hosting a next-day BBQ. Or you might be wanting to get your photos printed as a keepsake, or in an album to share with your family. Making sure you have considered the post-wedding craziness in your budget will ensure there are no nasty sums that come up later!
Honeymoon
Going on a honeymoon? This will definitely need to be factored into your budget - but one thing that’s easy to forget about is keeping those passports updated! It’s much cheaper that doing it in a last-minute rush - you’ll be looking at $191 per adult, and it can take up to 10 working days.
Brought to you by the wonderful Deanna Walker.