Wedding dress

Four Costly Wedding Expenses You Weren’t Expecting

When you’re newly engaged, you’re most likely giddy with romance and excitement. Once you have the ring on your finger, it’s hard to think about anything besides flowers, favors and bridal fashion! In our culture of wedding mania, it’s easy to get carried away with every last detail of your Big Day – until you get the big bill.

Because talking about a wedding budget is so utterly unromantic, most brides-to-be blow through their available cash before they even get to their cake tasting appointment. Thankfully, cash-strapped brides don’t need to borrow from friends and family, or assume a high interest, high-risk bank loan to cover unforeseen wedding planning expenses. A budget-savvy bride can apply for plaingreenloans online for a quick and painless solution to affording these four major unexpected wedding expenses.

Invitation Postage

Sure, you were planning to drop a good chunk of change on high-end save-the-date cards, invitations and thank you notes – but most brides-to-be conveniently forget about the high cost of actually mailing these tiny works of art.

Today, the average wedding includes almost 200 guests, and most fancy invitations cost far more to mail than a typical greeting card. With total postage for each piece of stationary you’ll most likely mail per invitee, it’s important to budget at least $2-$3 per person – and that can add up quickly (and unexpectedly)!

Wedding Gown Alterations

You may have found the dress of your dreams, and plenty of lucky brides are gifted their gorgeous gowns by parents or loved ones. But it’s easy to forget that your dream dress won’t fit perfectly off the rack, and alteration costs normally hover around a hefty percentage of the gown’s original price tag!

Even if you found a wallet-friendly bridal gown, making it unique isn’t cheap. In fact, if you’re planning to add delicate lace sleeves or a stunning jeweled waistline detail, plan on dropping another few hundred dollars on that “affordable” dress. And that’s before size alterations like shortening a hemline or tightening a baggy bust.

Marriage License Fees

In a veritable flurry of champagne bubbles, it’s easy to forget the reason behind a costly wedding day – the marriage itself! And Uncle Sam won’t let you off the hook easily. The cost of applying for a legal marriage license varies depending on where you live, but could cost anywhere from $50 up to $250!

Feeding Your Vendors

All those professionals you booked for your big party – like your band, photographer and videographer – will expect a meal on your dime, and wedding etiquette dictates you need to feed them. With average per-head venue costs clocking in around $100, that’s a big chunk of money you never knew you needed to spend!

Planning the wedding of your dreams is exciting, exhilarating – and very expensive! Prepare for unforeseen costs before the Big Day, and save yourself lots of financial worry. We’re curious – what wedding expenses crept up on you while planning your own party? Do you agree or disagree with our list?

Top 8 Wedding Trends in 2011

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

The single hottest trend for 2011 weddings is the do-it-yourself ceremony. You heard right. Don’t worry if you’re unsure of how to bring it all together by yourself — we’ve got seven additional great ideas that’ll make the DIY wedding (or any wedding) manageable and fun! Check out these great trends:

1. Color where it has never been before: the wedding dress. If you are one of those brides-to-be who just can’t stand the boring and expected, add a splash of color. The focus factor really comes into play when the wedding dress itself has a metallic blue trim. Not ready for metallic? Just try a colored satin trim on the dress. A subtle embroidery design in color also works great without venturing too far from traditional. A red crinoline underskirt stirs excitement on the dance floor without affecting the formal pictures.

2. Sparkling veils are dramatic and draw the eye up. A hot trend is the diamond or rhinestone veil. DIY brides can find a dramatic and unique bridal veil on eBay. Getting the veil online keeps you from choosing the one your neighbor refused from the local bridal shop. And when the veil is the standout piece, you want one nobody else has.

3. A touch of whimsy gives the bride a chance to show her fun side. Bring in an old family recipe for the reception for a fun way to include the extended family in the DIY wedding. Maybe granny will cook it up and enjoy everyone’s compliments.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

4. Winter weddings are the best opportunity to bring in faux fur. Make sure it’s high-quality fur, even if you have to settle for less. Use fur cuffs or a fur neckline — just enough to think about your favorite season when you look at your wedding photos.

5. Use non-traditional colors. Tired of yellow, pink, and 1970s baby blue? Then we have good news: Warm, rich orange and chocolate browns are in. Don’t use them together, though. Bright orange is tacky, so stay away from that, but choose the bronzy, deep orange in conjunction with a cream color. You can also try getting bold with red as the accent.

6. All 2011 weddings must have video cameras. These are a big hit at any event but especially at weddings. You can save money and keep in your DIY style by cutting out a videographer. Put one camera on every table so the guests can record a special message to the bride and groom. Bring all of the footage together when you return from your honeymoon with easy-to-use video editing software.

7. Some brides in areas of recent tragedies ask guests to donate to local charities in lieu of wedding gifts. The guests are encouraged to bring a card indicating a donation has been made in the name of the couple.

Bringing personal touches into the wedding is what makes a DIY wedding trendy, practical and quaint. Do you think a DIY wedding should incorporate some of the groom’s personality?