Sometimes all the planning in the world may fall short with last minute unforeseen details when it come to a wedding spend. These are the list of some of the most common clitches and ways to tackle them.

Hidden costs – Bridal mehendi 

Why it is not forseen easily: “Families in general din’t think much about this cost because mehendi is must for a bride and the close family members. Mehendi artists usually charge at per hand that is based on many factors like simplicity of the design,size of design ,and it can cost as little as Rs.75 and can go upwards of Rs.500 per hand. Expensive designs can be double or triple the price of the starting cost even end & you chose actually costs Rs.15000 ! Its true and happens to almost everyone.

Expert tips: Get that information upfront from the artist and decide on the design beforehand.

Hidden costs – Extra Guests, Transportation and Room Service

Why is it not forseen easily: while a fixed number of rooms are booked for the guests, many confirm their attendance last minute and accommodation then needs to be organised obviously affecting the budget. Also some guests can take advantage of the transport organised and use the cars beyond the time specified. Usually even when there’s no room service extended, Some guests inevitably order the room service and bill the host for it.

Expert tips: Keep a contingency fund to fall back on in case the need arises.

Hidden costs – Pundits 

Why is it not forseen easily: You may think hiring a pundit is cheap, but that’s not usually the case. During the busy wedding season , priests are in huge demand and charge anything from Rs 11,000 – 1.5 lakh, depending on the dates, duration etc.

Hidden costs – Panditji Sagan

Why is it not forseen easily: You may not realise it while booking the pandits but during the course of the wedding there are going to be numerous instances of the panditji requesting for sums of money separately as ‘Sagan’ . That amount can pile up pretty quickly so make sure there is cash in the parents wallets. Can range from Rs.2100- 11,000/-

Expert tip : Find out how much the pundit will charge for himself and his assistants if any, check whether he will bring the necessary items to perform the pujas or you should get the list yourself. Book the pundit well in advance to avoid extra ‘high season’ costs.

Hidden costs : Sales tax and service charges

Why is it not forseen easily: Even though these aren’t exactly hidden and we all know there are taxes on almost everything, most couples don’t think about how much they’ll end up spending just for taxes.

Expert tip: Check the contracts carefully to ensure that sales tax is included in the price quotation, otherwise you may be in for a surprise whom you receive your final bills. Additionally, the plus plus can make a huge difference. If a caterer quotes you rs 2000 per person ++, that means that you will also need to add service tax to this. The two tiny plus signs can add as much as 30 percent on top of the best cost!

Hidden cost: Postage and Courier Charges

Why is it not forseen easily : You may choose a gorgeous looking box and a beautiful invitation but do remember the more weighty it becomes the more expensive your courier and postage charges will be. This is specially true for people with a lot of outstation postage.For a box you are looking at 200 -400 INR per box which by the way in many cases is more expensive than the box itself ! For cards approxinately 100-200 INR per card.

Expert tip: You can either choose two designs for your weddings invitation. One specifically for out-stationed guests, This invitation can be a simple yet elegantly designed post card which cut the costs.

Hidden cost: A hotel room the night before the wedding

Why is it not necessary easily: If you and your family are planning on getting ready in a hotel suite,pay attention to chek –in /check –out times.

Expert tip : you’ll often need to book the room for two nights instead of one to have the morning to get ready. Hotels will not guarantee an early check-in on the wedding date or a late check-out.

Hidden costs: Non-approved proessionals

Why is not forseen easily: Some venues require you to use caterers or florists from their preferred professionals list and tack on a fee if you don’t.

Expert tip: Always ask the venue if you can bring your own vendors before booking the place.

Hidden costs: Wedding reception band /entertainment

Why is not forseen easily: Most families forget to account for this aspect of a wedding. The cost of the wedding band includes fees for the musicians and the minimum amount of equipment needed. If your reception space is extra large additional speakers and microphones could be required to have the best sound quality. Some of singer or a band performing at one of your events, you will need to purchase a license from their managers which can cost between Rs.5000-10,000  (PPL License).

Expert tip: Make sure the band/DJ have visited the venue before to ensure they have the necessary sound system before giving you a quotation.

Hidden costs: Vendor meals

Why is not forseen easily: your photographer and vediographer will be with you for 8+ hours on the wedding day; they’re going to need food and beverages to keep themselves active. The same might be true for your make mehendi artists, makeup artists etc

Expert tip: Make sure you include these additional head counts in your bullet count.

Hidden costs: Gratuities

Why is not forseen easily: Every vendor starting from the ghodiwala to sweepers,waiters, etc are expecting tips. While tips are not the most common thing in Indian weddings, in a lot of instances specially weddings down South there are people who ask for tips pretty directly. The person who gets the gifts from the car to the Mandap, the person who serves the bride and groom- all of these guys ask for tips and you don’t want to be caught in a situation where you have no cash infront of a sea of guests!

 

Expert tip: Assign an amount to your wedding planner or close cousin to distribute this fairly.

Bonus  – UNFORESEEN WEDDING COST – Videography and Photography

Why is it not forseen easily: This is a well known black hole. Given the choices available with traditional services, candid photography, cinematography, albums, pre-wedding shoots, save the date video, LED tv, Drone coverage, costs can go upto lakhs before you even realise. Well this isn’t a hidden cost but something you should be aware of.

Expert tip:

  • Some events aren’t prominent, which you may just need to document it, Opting for traditional services for those events cuts the cost down.
  • Hire one team to do cover both bride and groom events, helps you to save a lot of time & money.
  • Many parents would argue how much ? Why do you need to spend this much photography ? Well straight forward answer for this question is after all the chaos, you be only left with photos & videos to refresh your memories. 🙂

We would suggest a min budget 10-12 percent of whole wedding budget for photography and videography. Lesser percent you opt for quality drops, and opting for less memories. Here is a link, what to discuss with your wedding photographer.

List keeps adding on, Portable Toilets, Costs of certain rituals, Corkage Fees, Overtime / Extra Hours, Number of Desserts, Bachelorette Party, 

Sales Tax and Service Charges,Cleanup and Breakdown, Beauty Treatments,  Dresses for Pre-wedding Occasions & Alterations etc.

It is always good to be prepared for such unexpected wedding costs to avoid a load of trouble.