Having a wedding is expensive, which is why it's important to prepare yourself for these inevitable costs so they don't sneak up and surprise you later. So here are a bunch of expenses that you may not have already thought of and factored into your budget. You’re welcome!

1. Wedding Band Equipment

Why It's Hidden: The cost of the wedding band includes fees for the musicians' time and the minimum amount of equipment needed. If your reception space is extra large, additional speakers and microphones could be required to project the best sound quality.

The Cost: Anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars.

How to Avoid It: Before booking your wedding band or DJ, you need to clearly explain the layout of the space (or have them check it out, if they can) so the pros know exactly what they're working with. If they want to add in extra equipment, have them explain why it's necessary before signing a contract or agreeing to pay for anything else.

2. Postage

Why It's Hidden: Stationers don't advertise shipping costs. If they did, you might decide to go with cheaper invites.

The Cost: Oversize, uniquely shaped, heavy or bulky invitations can cost you about $2.20 each to mail.

How to Avoid It: Skip the fancy boxed invitations and multilayer cards, which can bulk up quickly and cost a lot more than you bargained for.

3. Wedding Dress Alterations and Steaming

Why It's Hidden: Most stores don't include alterations (or steaming) in the price of the wedding dress, and they're not doing it for free—it can take up to three hours just to alter the bustier.

The Cost: A simple hem can be less than $100, but completely rebuilding a bodice can send the price up to $500.

How to Avoid It: Ask about what the store charges for every alteration you may need before purchasing the gown so you're not blindsided by the extra costs.

4. Overtime Fees

Why It's Hidden: Your band, DJ, wedding photographer and videographer are booked for a certain amount of time, so if your wedding runs a little longer than you expected, they'll charge per hour after they've reached the time specified in the contract.

The Cost: Starting at $100 per hour (although some vendor's per-hour overtime fees are more expensive than their typical per-hour charge).

How to Avoid It: Factor in additional time for getting dressed and taking photos—that way, you can book your pros for a more realistic time frame. Get overtime costs in writing (they shouldn't really be more per hour than the regular rate), so you'll know what to expect if you decide to keep the party going.

5.Hire Gear Transport

Why It's Hidden: You'd assume the rental companies would include these extra fees in the per-item costs (do they honestly think you're going to fit 150 Chiavari chairs in your car?), but surprisingly they don't.

The Cost: From $50 up to more than $500.

How to Avoid It: Ask the rental company what its shipping and packaging fees are up front—if the cost is too high for your budget, shop around a bit. You might actually save some money by renting items from a more expensive company that includes delivery costs at no extra charge.

6. GST & Tips

Why It's Hidden: Make sure that all your quotes include GST as some places and vendors (particularly smaller ones) don’t include it on the original quote for some reason. Also, will any of your vendors expect a tip at the end?

The Cost: This will depend on the total amount of money you're spending.

How to Avoid It: There's no getting around paying GST, just ensure that you account for it from the start.

7. Service Fees

Why It's Hidden: No, these service fees aren't a tip for the event staff—but a fee that venues charge to cover their own cost of hiring servers, coat checkers, and bathroom and parking attendants. Additionally, going with an outside cake maker or your own wine can raise the price. Why? Because your venue's workers are responsible for slicing and serving each piece, then cleaning the dishes—and this means more work for their staff (but know that if you use the cake or liquor provided by your reception site, the charge is usually wrapped into the cost).

The Cost: Service charges can typically amount to 20 to 25 percent of the event's total food and drink fee. Cake-cutting can cost anywhere from $2 to $5 per guest, and a corkage fee can cost anywhere from $1.50 to $3 for every bottle the staff opens.

How to Avoid It: Be up front. Ask about any service fees (like cake-cutting and corkage) before you decide to go with an outside source for either.

8. Vendor Trials

Why It's Hidden: Yes, a florist or other vendor's demo may be gratis the first time, but if you make repeated changes, you definitely risk being invoiced and of course, you'll want to factor in your hair and makeup trials with your stylist into your overall beauty budget.

The Cost: It depends on the total cost of your vendor.

How to Avoid It: Ask about trial fees (and additional changes) up front. If you want to avoid trial fees altogether, feel free to skip and simply describe to your vendors exactly what you want—but know you're taking a risk by doing so.

9. Cleanup and Breakdown Costs

Why It's Hidden: Many couples spend so much time planning the actual day they forget to budget for what happens when it's all over.

The Cost: While a full-service venue won't charge for these things, if you're paying a flat fee to rent only the space, anticipate additional charges for garbage removal (up to $250) and cleaning (up to $500). And even most full-service venues require same-day setup and cleanup. So if you're getting married on a weekend, expect to pay time and a half for labor, and if your party goes into the wee hours of the morning, you may face extra charges for late-night pickup and cleanup.

How to Avoid It: Read your contract carefully—the setup and breakdown costs should be included in the labor charge.

10. Non-Venue-Approved Professionals

Why It's Hidden: Some venues require you to use caterers or florists from their preferred pros list—and tack on a fee if you don't.

The Cost: Usually an extra 20 percent or more.

How to Avoid It: Stick to its list of preferred vendors, or choose a venue without one. Once again, just read the contract carefully as out should be stated in there. Just have the conversation.

12. Marriage Celebrant

It's NOT Hidden: This is the one fee you can’t avoid. If you want it to be legal, you will need an authorised marriage celebrant. And remember you get what you pay for. There are a lot of celebrants out there these days and some under charge so that they can get their number of weddings up. This is great because there is a celebrant for every budget. But remember, you get what you pay for and if you want an experienced celebrant who will not leave anything to chance and will lead you through the process of getting married and deliver a perfect ceremony on the day, it’s worth paying more for. Most importantly though, you should go with someone that you feel comfortable with.

The Cost: Your starting price is around $300 at Births Deaths & Marriages with a registry style wedding. From there you can go upwards to around $1,600 for the top ranked celebrants.

How to Avoid It: Unfortunately, you can't get around this one!

Discover how to choose the right celebrant for you.

Hidden Wedding Costs