20 Unexpected Wedding Costs Couples Forget

Planning a wedding is a huge task - with so many moving parts, there are bound to be a few unexpected wedding costs you’ve forgotten to include in the budget. 

While you may have your major expenses locked in (venue, outfits, photographer), there are always a few smaller or unexpected costs that can sneak up on couples.

The good news? We’ve broken down the unexpected wedding costs that can catch you off guard - so you can make sure they’re accounted for in your wedding budget.

Hitched tip: Always factor in a 10-15% buffer in your wedding budget for surprise extra costs!

20 Unexpected Wedding Costs to Watch Out For

You might be wedding planning pros - complete with a wedding planning spreadsheet to cover every single detail - but there’s always something that gets missed. 

We’ve broken down the costs couples often forget to budget for here - with more detail on how to include them in your budget below.

• Marriage license, giving notice and legal fees
• Booking a registrar
• Outfit alterations
• Hair and makeup trials
• Cake tasting
• Supplier meals
• Postage for invitations (and RSVPs!)
• Overtime costs
• Transport
• Venue extras - corkage, cleaning etc. 
• Tips or gifts for suppliers
• Marriage certificates
• Thank you cards and gifts for your wedding party
• Beauty extras
• Day after breakfast, brunch or farewell event
• Outfit cleaning and preservation
• VAT
• Supplier travel costs
• Insurance
• Dress shop appointments

1. Marriage License, Giving Notice & Legal Fees

• How much to budget: at least £84

A marriage license costs £42 per person (rising to £57 per person if you’re not a British citizen). You may also need to pay for additional paperwork when giving notice depending on your circumstances. 

Your notice lasts for 12 months - if you don’t marry in that timeframe, you need to give notice again.

Please note that costs can vary by country and region in the UK, so always check with your local council to confirm pricing.

2. Booking a Registrar

• How much to budget: from £104

If you are marrying at a licensed wedding venue in England or Wales (i.e. not a register office or town hall), you will need to book a registrar to conduct your ceremony to ensure it’s legally binding. 

You can hire a wedding celebrant, but this isn’t legally binding in England or Wales, so make sure you budget for the cost of a legal ceremony too if that is important to you. 

If you’re marrying at a religious building, they may have an authorised person to conduct the ceremony. If they don’t, you will also need to pay for a registrar to come out.

According to the government website, the minimum fee for a registrar to come to your venue is £104, but this can vary. For a register office, it costs £54.

3. Outfit Alterations

• How much to budget: around £300

How much to budget for wedding outfit alterations will depend on how much work needs to be done. £300 is a reasonable buffer for minor alterations, but if you want big changes you’ll need to pay more.

If you’re hiring wedding outfits, you will not be able to alter them - so bear that in mind if you’re looking for a perfect fit. 

4. Hair & Makeup Trials

• How much to budget: between £100 - £200

Some wedding hair and makeup artists include the cost of the trial in their overall fee, and some charge separately. Ask your hair and makeup artists if a trial is included before you commit to anything, and adjust your budget accordingly.

It’s wise to get a hair and makeup trial, so you know what you like and if it works for you, and your beauty pro has a chance to try things with you.

A great way to really get your money’s worth with your hair and makeup trial is to schedule it the same day as a big event - whether it’s your hen do, a bridal shower, or a fancy anniversary dinner!

5. Cake Tasting

• How much to budget: £20 - £40

Not all wedding cake tastings come with a fee, but there are exceptions. Some wedding cake makers include tastings for different wedding cake flavours in their packages, so check when you’re booking.

Others will sell taster boxes, which you can order to sample at home, before you commit to using their services.

6. Supplier Meals

• How much to budget: between £25 - £50 per supplier

Paying for supplier meals is an unexpected wedding cost that often catches couples off-guard. Lots of wedding venues offer discounted rates for supplier meals, and they might have a different menu.

Check with your vendors to see if they’ll need a meal on the day - it’s usually photographers, videographers, planners / coordinators and entertainers who require meals.

It’s important to look after your vendors as they are often working long days, on their feet, in remote areas where they can’t just pop out to pick up a meal deal, or store a packed lunch. 

7. Invitation Postage

• How much to budget: at least £125

Postage can really add up when you’re planning a wedding - especially if you want to post out save the dates too, and include stamped RSVP cards.

Assuming you’re sending invitations to around 55 households, you’ll need to budget at least £75 for first class stamps, but this can increase if the invitations are large, bulky or need to go overseas.

A great way to save money is to direct your guests to a wedding website, instead of using save the dates, and have your guests RSVP through the site as well - this can reduce your postage costs by at least half.

8. Overtime Costs

• How much to budget: varies by vendor

If you want your photographer to stay late for dance floor snaps, or you want an extra hour at your venue, this comes with a cost.

Discuss with your vendors and your venue if you want anything to run late to find out how much extra you’ll need to add into your budget. 

9. Transport

• How much to budget: £300 - £700

Not every wedding requires wedding car hire, but if you want or need it, remember to factor it into your budget.

If you’re having your ceremony in one place and your reception in another, it’s a nice idea to put on transport for your guests - whether that’s taxis, a mini-bus or something cool like an old-fashioned London bus.

Prices will vary depending on how many people it’s for, how long the journey is and how long you need the vehicles for. 

10. Venue Extras

• How much to budget: at least £500

One of the most important questions to ask your wedding venue is what is included in the price, and what is an extra.

A common charge is corkage, if you want to bring in your own wine. This can be around £20 per bottle, although some vendors charge a flat fee. You can find venues who don’t charge for corkage here.

You should also check your contract for things like cleaning fees or breakage/damage costs - particularly if you have restrictions on things like confetti. 

11. Tips for Suppliers

• How much to budget: around £300

It’s not expected to tip your wedding suppliers in the UK - it’s way more common in the US - but if you’re thrilled with their service, a tip or a gift can make their day. 

A general rule of thumb is around 10-15% of their fee, so budgeting around £300 for tips would allow you to tip your hair and makeup article around £25, your photographer £100, £50 for a DJ, £50 for catering staff and £75 for a planner.

12. Marriage Certificates

• How much to budget: at least £12.50

In the UK, you need to pay for your marriage certificate. It costs £12.50 for the certificate and it will be sent around four days after you apply for it.

If you need it in a hurry, the express service is £38.50. If you don’t have the GRO number to identify your certificate, there’s an additional £3.50 charge for the search. 

Marriage certificates come in handy for things like changing your name after marriage. You might want more than one copy so you can change multiple things at once, or so you have a spare if one is lost or damaged. 

13. Thank You Cards & Gifts

• How much to budget: £350 - £500

Thank you gifts for your wedding party will vary in cost depending on how many people you need to get gifts for, and what you want to buy.

You might choose to get bridesmaid PJs for your best girls, or select personalised groomsmen gifts, and this can all add up.

A nice way to thank them without blowing the budget is to write them a personalised card telling them how much they mean to you, and how grateful you are to have them by your side on your big day. 

14. Beauty Extras

• How much to budget: around £400

This will vary based on the type of treatments you want in the run up to your wedding, but if you’re planning on tanning, teeth whitening, gel manicures and pedicures, plus brow and lash treatments and facials etc., you could be looking at around £400. 

15. Post-Wedding Events

• How much to budget: around £500

Again this cost will vary, depending on how many people you invite, and whether you go to a restaurant, host it at home or at your wedding venue.

If you want to do a post-wedding breakfast or brunch, make sure you consider how many people you’d like to invite and what it will cost to host it - or if you don’t want to pay for it, make sure your guests know they’ll be responsible for their food costs. 

16. Outfit Cleaning & Preservation

• How much to budget: around £300

Wedding dress dry cleaning is often classed as a specialist service, and comes with a higher price tag. You could be looking at around £150 to dry clean your dress - then you will need to store it with acid-free tissue paper in a preservation box. 

Dry cleaning suits can cost around £45, particularly if it’s a three piece suit and you want a specialist service. Make sure you store the suit in a moth-proof storage bag or box to protect it. 

You can always recoup some costs by selling your wedding dress, suits or wedding party outfits. 

17. VAT

• How much to budget: 20% of your costs

VAT can often catch couples off guard. Make sure you ask your vendors and your venue if VAT is included in their quotes. If it's not, make sure you add on VAT to the costs as you track them - it's 20% of the price you're paying, added on top.

18. Supplier Travel

• How much to budget: £50 - £150

While lots of wedding vendors are happy to cover weddings across the UK, they may charge extra if they have to travel a long distance. How much they charge will vary by vendor - it could be per mile, or it might include accommodation if they need to stay overnight.

This cost could increase significantly if you're planning a wedding abroad.

19. Insurance

• How much to budget: £70 - £150

Wedding insurance is often overlooked, but it's a small price to pay for peace of mind (and financial protection!). If anything goes wrong during the run up to or on your big day, you can be protected. Whether it's a vendor cancellation or unexpected damage, budgeting for insurance can save you money in the long run.

20. Dress Shop Appointments

• How much to budget: £25 - £50

It's common for wedding dress shops to charge a deposit for appointments - this protects them against last minute cancellations and no-shows. Some shops charge for appointments, but the experience will include drinks, snacks and gifts, while others will allow you to redeem the cost against any purchases made. Check with the shop ahead of time to find out what the deal is. 

How to Prepare for Unexpected Wedding Costs

Even if you’re a planning pro, you can still get caught off-guard by unexpected wedding costs. But don’t stress - a little prep goes a long way. Here are our top tips for avoiding unexpected costs while planning a wedding:

• Add a buffer - set aside 10-15% of your budget as a buffer for unexpected costs. Hopefully you won’t need to use it, but it’ll give you peace of mind, and if you don’t spend it, you can put it towards your honeymoon.
• Track your expenses - our budget planning tool is perfect for keeping track of every single wedding spend, and it’s free! You and your partner can both access it to keep track of costs.
• Ask suppliers about their fees - get your vendors to break down their costs so you’re totally clear on what’s included - and more importantly, what isn’t.
• Use a wedding planning checklist - our pre-populated wedding planning checklist allows you to see all the key things you need to tick off your list - and you can add your own tasks in too, to avoid any expensive surprises.
• Get wedding insurance - it’s a one-off cost, but it could save you thousands if anything goes wrong. 

Planning ahead will allow you to feel more in control and will help you be prepared for any surprises. 

Unexpected Wedding Costs FAQs and Expert Advice

Still curious about surprise wedding costs? We’ve got you covered.

What wedding costs do most couples forget?

Most couples tend to forget to budget for things like supplier meals, outfit alterations and legal fees. 

How much should we set aside for unexpected costs?

It’s wise to set aside at least 10-15% of your wedding budget to allow for unexpected wedding costs. With the average wedding now costing £23,250, that’s around £3,487.

Are we expected to tip our wedding suppliers?

It’s not expected to tip your wedding suppliers in the UK, but if you can afford it, a tip or a gift for exceptional service will be appreciated. 

Remember, planning a wedding budget is the best way to keep on top of your spends and ensure you stay in control of your costs!