MemberFor 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.
MemberPhotography was a big one but the biggest shock was how much chair covers cost. Who knew.
Membercan’t believe I missed photography/videography. I added it to the poll!
MemberFlorals, hands down. Flowers are going to live for 2 or 3 days, and you want me to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars? Thank you, no…. I’m getting married in one of the most gorgeous places on God’s green earth. Is the natural setting not enough?
It was ridiculous!
MemberFlowers!!!!!!!! My photography was expensive, but it lasts forever. My food is pretty expensive, but I had an idea of the per person costs for food before starting. FLOWERS DIE! A day later! I couldn’t believe how expensive they are!
MemberMaybe 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.
Memberfor me it was the cake, I ended up making my own cake
MemberOne I’d like to add is- THE CAKE!
Ours is 3 tier, diff. flavor on each tier, and pretty simple decoration (some filigree and some little black flower things) for $100 people andddd with delivery it’s $545!
MemberMine was the rentals. I was completey suprised by how quickly it added up.
MemberMine 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.
MemberFlowers! When we shopped around for florists, I couldn’t believe how much they were quoting me for what we wanted. Ridiculously overpriced!
We were so thrilled when we finally found our florist. Not only is she waaaaay more reasonable, but she seems like she actually cares. 🙂
MemberPretty much everything! But especially the food. It is our biggest item on the budget. I’m sure it is for everyone, but I just never realized how expensive it would be because I compare the food prices to other areas and it is a lot!
MemberCould we have an option that says "the whole wedding"? 🙂 I had no idea how much everything would cost before I started planning.
Memberrentals, for sure. the tent, tables, dishware, lights, fans, etc. have doubled the cost of our already expensive venue and blown our original budget.
MemberI 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
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