These expenses can actually increase the total cost of your wedding by 10% to 20% and can blow your budget out of the water.
No matter how well you plan your wedding there are inevitably some unexpected expenses that crop up at the last minute. These expenses can actually increase the total cost of your wedding by as much as 10% to 20% or more and can blow your budget out of the water. The best way to handle unexpected wedding expenses is to account and plan for them as much as possible before your big day. Unexpected expenses can happen in almost every category of your wedding. Here are some tips for handling these expenses and planning for them.
Wedding Attire
You order your dress months in advance. Now it’s just weeks before your wedding and your dress arrives. The dress may be incorrect or may have features that you didn’t want it to have. Additionally, you’ll need to have the dress altered to fit properly. These costs could range from about $100 up to $500 or more, depending on what needs to be done. Since you’re in a hurry, you don’t have time to shop around for the best price – you’re stuck with getting the work done quickly at the place where you purchased your dress. To avoid this problem make sure that all alterations are included as part of your original contract or that alterations are contracted at a specific dollar amount.
Transportation
If you’ve ordered a limo for your special day it is important to sign a contract ahead of time. When the wedding suddenly goes longer than anticipated or starts late it can throw your whole schedule off. This, in turn, can suddenly create the need for an additional hour of limo time. Check the contract to make sure that there is a specific dollar amount for additional time and find out what increments the time is available. For example, even though you may only need the limo for an extra 15 minutes, the limo company may actually charge you for an extra hour of time.
Catering and Venue
You’ll need to provide an exact head count to your caterer about a week in advance. When signing the contract, make certain that the caterer has included 10% additional plates than are needed. This will allow you to add several people at the last minute without negative consequences. To eliminate the need for additional food you can invite some people to the after-dinner portion of the reception. To ensure that the proper head count is used assign a friend to count all the adults and children seated for dinner at the wedding. If the reception is going well it is common practice to want to extend the ending time. Extending the time by even a half-hour could add a large chunk of money to your bill. Keep in mind that extending the time at the last minute will also add to the bar bill and the DJ services needed as well.
When planning your wedding budget it is best to take your final amount and add a line item equal to about 10% of the total wedding costs. This amount should be held aside should the need arise for any extras and unforeseen expenses that crop up. With this amount as part of your wedding budget you won’t need to stress when you need to add some costs to your wedding bills.