Wedding Catering and Hidden Wedding Costs

When you hear wedding bells, you often see too many dollar signs. Unfortunately, whatever figure you come up with concerning the cost of your marriage, the actual total will likely be higher. This is because there are almost always overlooked expenses to consider.

Staying on a budget can be one of the hardest parts of planning your wedding. This is because there are many costs that are not on the radar. Having a wedding is expensive as it is, which is why it is important that you prepare for those extra fees.

Willow Ranch Restaurant, your wedding catering service in Buttonwillow, offers overlooked wedding costs.

Unexpected Guests

It is a given that somebody will forget to RSVP or say they aren’t going to show up and wind up coming anyway. It’s tacky for sure, but there isn’t anything you can really do about it.

When you come up with a final headcount, add a few more in the mix for good measure. This way, you have enough meals to feed everyone.

Gifts for Parents

It is a common practice to give gifts at weddings, but parents are often overlooked. It is likely that both sets of parents contributed to the wedding either monetary or otherwise. The best way to say thank you is by giving them a nice gift.

Breakfast and Lunch

On the big day, you have dinner covered, at least the caters have dinner covered. But the day will be busy with a lot going on and people need to eat breakfast and lunch.

You and your wedding party will spend all day getting ready. The bride will spend the entire morning with makeup artists and hairstylists. Breakfast and lunch on your wedding day might have slipped under the radar.

Make sure you have all three meals planned out and budgeted for the day. It can be as simple as ordering donuts for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch.

Hotel Rooms

If you will be using a hotel room as your dressing room, you need to have it booked for the night before the wedding. In fact, you should probably have two rooms booked as the groom and bride will need to have their own.

The Marriage License

It is such a small and inexpensive detail. Still, it must be purchased.

Include Bride and Groom in Headcount

The couple getting married often forgets to include themselves in the total headcount. They will need to eat and be seated as well.

Overtime

No matter how well your wedding is planned, it could last longer than you expected. It is a good idea to make sure you spend extra and have that cushion in case time flies by much faster than expected.

Tax and Service Charges

Yup, you can expect to pay taxes and service charges. Ask each of your vendors what other charges you can expect. For example, you paid for the cake but weren’t told about the cake cutting fee.

You also need to factor in tips.

Extra Decor

Everybody knows that there are flowers at weddings and you are prepared for the cost. But many people forget about other decor like candles and specialty linens. These are extras that need to be accounted for.

Lighting and Generators

Whether your wedding is held indoors or outdoors, a few well-placed lights are almost a necessity. If you are too far from a power source, those lights will remain dark without a generator.

Audio

Standing in front of the crowd, the bride and groom look amazing. But when they speak, nobody can hear a word they are saying. This is because there are no microphones. Now, the venue in which you hold your wedding probably has a sound system you can use, but you can bet it will be an extra charge.

Alterations

Wedding gowns need to be altered, that is something most of you will expect. However, in many cases, a second alteration is needed. It could be the hem needs to come up an inch or the bride shed a few pounds and there needs to be adjustments made.

If you are planning your wedding, give Willow Ranch a call and ask about our catering services. You will be glad you did.