Don't Let Your Wedding Brain Forget These Last Minute Expenses
Planning a successful and joyous wedding day is a long time in the making – perhaps even years. But the closer you get to the Big Day, the more your brain starts to take a turn for the worst. The nerves start to kick in, and you will be feeling a strange mix of anxiety and excitement. And there is every chance that the wedding day you have meticulously planned for ages suddenly seems like it could easily get out of control.
But don’t panic. With proper preparation and lists of all your tasks, you will ensure that, at the very least, you have all the major stuff sorted with no problem at all. There are, however, many little expenses that are easy to forget, and unless you have them written down now, there is every chance your wedding brain is going to help you to forget.
With this in mind, here are some of the hidden costs and expenses of a wedding that not everyone plans for. Read on to find out more, add them to your checklist, and ensure that your day runs smoother than you could possibly imagine.
Taxes and service charges
First of all, make sure that you understand that taxes and any service charges have been accounted for when you book your venues and services. It could be a sizeable amount – some sites charge anything up to 25% when taxes and fees are taken into account. And if you haven’t paid it by the time your wedding week arrives, you could be in for a rude awakening, and face all sorts of problems if you can’t raise the cash.While finding instalment loans online isn’t difficult, it’s not something you want to be doing on the morning of your wedding, or the week before, purely because you forgot to go through your terms and conditions properly. Go over your contract at least a month before the big day to ensure that everything is paid for – or that you have the time to raise funds.
Overtime charges
The best wedding days feel like they should never end, and if it weren’t for the venues closing things down, most fabulous weddings would probably run all night. But bear in mind that not all site managers will act as your timekeeper. And if you do run overtime, you can expect to pay a significant amount more for the pleasure. Your other vendors could charge you overtime, too, whether it’s the live band, DJ, or wedding day photographer. Also, bear in mind that they might need paying right there and then – or the party ends whether you want it to or not.
Gratuities
Not all venues will add on service charges, o f course. And unless you want to go down in history as Tight-Fisted Bride of the Year by site employees, you’ll need to remember to bring cash for gratuities. Usually, this will be somewhere in the region of 5-10% of the cost of your wedding and don’t forget that there are many different people to thank. Bar staff, serving staff, valets, makeup and hair artists – the list is a long one. No, you don’t have to tip – but it will be noticed if you don’t.
Dress alterations
Have you lost a lot of weight since you went dress shopping in preparation for your big day? The chances are that you will fit into your dress just fine, but what happens if there is a problem? Dress alterations can be cheap – a hem change could cost less than a $100. But if there are problems with the bodice or waistline and it needs a lot of taking in, you could be looking at over $500. It’s not a quick fix, either, so make sure you have a final dress check on the eve of your wedding to prevent any last minute panics.
Vendor emergencies
We’re hoping that your wedding day goes off without a hitch, of course, and that everyone manages to get through the day without falling over and hurting themselves. But there are other accidents and emergencies that you need to be aware of – primarily involving your wedding vendors. Take your floral delivery company as the perfect example. They are booked to come in first thing in the morning and make the venue look amazing – but what happens if they get a tire puncture en route? What happens if they get hit by another car, and your flowers end up all over the freeway being sped over by a dozen or so cars every second? You need to have some cash available on the day to allow for – quite literally – anything that could happen.
Cab money
It’s a wedding – and people are going to drink alcohol, even those that drove to the venue with the intention of only having a small glass of wine for dinner. And the worse thing that can happen on your big day is one of your guests driving off and getting involved in a serious accident after drinking at your party. Don’t forget, your guests are your responsibility, so it’s worth getting in touch with a cab company to see if you can book some cars to ferry people home if needs be. Yes, it’s another expense – but surely one worth paying if it means everyone gets home safe and sound?
Unexpected guests
Like it or not, some people have a habit of turning up at a wedding regardless if they have been invited or not. And the big question is – how are you going to deal with it? Going down the angry route and asking them to leave is going to make your day memorable for all the wrong reasons, so you are probably better off allowing for some leeway with guest numbers when it comes to meals and money behind the bar. It won’t be much, but it’s worth factoring into your budget just in case.
Not everyone will encounter all – or, indeed, any – of these problems on their big day. But as long as you are aware of the things that could go wrong, and budget accordingly, they won’t even matter. Good luck with the prep – and your wedding day, of course!