1. Printing – Unless you’re outsourcing all invites, save the dates, programs, place cards, menu cards or any other paper item, you’re likely to experience some cost associated with printed materials.  Even if you’ve outsourced all of the above, you still might experience printing costs due to labels, printer ink or even a fee charged by a calligrapher. Realize the fee is there and put it in your budget. If you have amazing handwriting and are not prone to mistakes – more power to you! You just saved yourself some cash!
2. Postage – Postage is one of those inevitable expenses that you really just can’t squeak by in your budget. Now, we’re not saying it’s impossible. With the internet, evites, and wedding web sites, it’s entirely possible that you might be able to send invitations and receive responses all electronically.  Problem is, some of your guests live in the old ages (without internet) and are going to need a paper invite or response card to let you know they’re coming.  Therefore, you should always budget at least a little money to take care of purchasing stamps, unless you’re ready to make a lot of phone calls!
3. Delivery & Setup - Many vendors charge a deliver and setup fee and it’s perfectly ordinary for this to be the case. We’re just saying that sometimes couples don’t realize the possibilities. Make sure when you are discussing your budget with your florist, linen or other rental company that you find out costs that are associated with delivering the materials and setting them up for your day. Also, you might consider discussing options where these fees might be able to be reduced or even eliminated – maybe your mom can pick up the linens!
4. Gratuities – Just like when you go out to eat at a nice restaurant with a party of 8 (sometimes 6) or more, hosting an event for 50-300 people, results in a significant gratuity charge. Depending on the venue or caterer, these charges will vary, but in general you could expect to pay anywhere from 15% to 25%. If you’re planning a wedding in St. Louis, Mo., you can expect them to fit within that range too! (If you find one that doesn’t, let us know!) These fees aren’t hidden, they’re just a part of doing business, so budget for it!
5. Taxes – No shocker here, right? We all know that taxes are a part of life. Well taxes are a part of weddings too! Just like gratuities vary from venue to vendor, taxes vary from location to location. Depending on state and/or city tax rates,  can expect to pay anywhere from 7% to 10%, and that’s a St. Louis figure. Moral of the story – be sure to find out the rate so you know what to expect!

Here are some additional tips to keep in mind while looking at your costs:

1. Tip 1: When negotiating a cost per person caterer or venue with you, tell them your budget is “inclusive.” This can help save you any heart attacks down the road! If you can only afford $50 per person, let your vendor know that this needs to include taxes and gratuities too. Next, see if they will work with you on it!
2. Tip 2: You can save on setup fees if you have a coordinator or planner! We have to throw this out there, of course! Some people don’t realize that a wedding planner can take care of a good portion of the setup duties. From linens to flowers, wedding planners can chip in wherever needed – part of the reason we can be so great to have around.

That’s all for now! Good luck and happy planning – cheers!

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