Weddingbee boards

I think food was my biggest sticker shock, I definitely started to shop around after speaking to just one vendor.

Food and alcohol was a shock for me! I knew it was going to be somewhat pricey, but I was shocked at how much so!

I knew NYC averages going into venue and food search. Our biggest shock was the honeymoon. We thought 10k for Tahiti/Bora Bora was plenty, but we ended up going way over instead. I have no regrets because it was an amazing once in a lifetime trip, but wow!

For me it was the photographers/videographers.  I've always known what to expect for the reception, flowers, dress, etc.  I just had no idea that photographers can be so expensive. 

For me it was rentals.  We are having a tented reception and are bringing everything in.  I didn't realize just how much everything would be.  Photography was also more than I anticipated.

Photography was a big one but the biggest shock was how much chair covers cost. Who knew.

Maybe another vote for 'all' here!  I pretty much knew I what I was getting into.  I read Bridal Bargains early in our engagement (a MUST read, it's more of a consumer-advocacy bood than anything else), so I became surprised when people weren't trying to rip us off when our event was a 'wedding' rather than a 'reunion'. 

But, the biggest sticker-shocks for me were sort of a three-way tie.  I didn't expect that we'd be able to have our wedding at a high-end venue, but I was surprised at how far off we were from being able to afford some of them and how much they REALLY cost when you read the fine print -- cake cutting fees, overtime charges if cleanup takes a bit longer than you expected, .... price escalation clauses.  Plus, the quality of food when served on a large scale (after sitting in a hot box for a few hours prior to being served) is often quite poor in comparison to their on-site 5-star restaurant -- I polled wedding guests (don't ask how!). 

The wedding dress, too was not fun.  Again, with my budget I didn't expect to walk out with a high-end designer gown.  What surprised me was the variation in quality of the dresses at the same price.  For instance, I went to one shop where around $2,000 would get you a very nice Matthew Christoper dress -- wonderful fabric, well-constructed, etc.  And the next place I went to they tried to charge $2,000 for a no-name polyester frock.  The nerve!

Flowers were rough, too.  I set aside $1,000 for flowers (you know, 'cause they die).  I wanted to get the bouquets and other wedding party flowers  from a florist, and then buy flowers online for centerpieces and such and do them myself.  All I was able to get were the wedding party flowers, and it still went over the budget.  Sigh.

Mine was definitely food. I couldn't believe that I was thrilled when my venue was $30 a person. Most of them are close to or are over $100 a person. I just couldn't believe that.

I knew that there are many things that are expensive when it comes to weddings. So I had really thought that I did my research well but unfortunately I wasnt expecting that chair covers and table linen rentals would be such an expensive. Especially to have someone come in put them up and take them down

One I didn't see on here is the band. I had nooooo idea what a good band would cost for one night. It makes me sick to think about what we are spending. But at the same time this fall I went to a wedding with my band and at one point in the reception 15 people were sitting down in this 200 plus person wedding. I also went to a wedding with a bad DJ and the dance floor was pretty empty all night so I try to make myself feel better but it still hurts. I'd say initially I was shocked by the food/per head costs of venues I thought I had a good idea of what they'd be and they were $50 more than I thought in general...

I think veils cost entirely too much money!  All the other stuff, I expected.  I am most annoyed about the price of a cathedral veil. I think all veils should be 25.00 or less. 

Flowers definitely! I had 300 people at my wedding, so my centerpieces alone cost $3,000! In total, my flowers were somewhere around $4,500 and I almost fell over.

My photographer was also really pricey, but in the end, after I saw his work and what we got for our money, we got a bargain! And pictures last forever!