Hidden wedding venue costs can lurk around every corner. They are usually quite surprising, and they are never fun to fit into your budget. Sometimes, though, they are worth it.
We all know that weddings are expensive. And, we know about the biggest wedding expenses. They tend to be food, vendors, and venue. Of course, there can be hidden fees in just about anything wedding related. However, within the big items, there are little costs that can really add up. These sneaky little hidden wedding venue costs are what I want to review with you today.
Once you know, you know. And knowing will help you make informed decisions when it comes to your wedding. Many hidden wedding venue costs have to do with the logistics of hosting a wedding. Knowing what a venue may charge you for will help you decide what venue you choose, and where you want to get married. If you’re already committed to a venue, knowing what hidden wedding venue costs may come up will help you plan better for how much the final amount could be.
Are These Hidden Wedding Venue Costs Worth It?
This post is going to share with you common hidden wedding venue costs. These are the costs that make up what a venue may include in their package. Sometimes paying for these services may be worth it for you. The point of this post is to make it clear what venues may actually provide for the amount you’re paying them. Depending on your priorities, that amount may or may not be worth it to you to have your wedding at a certain venue.
Let’s get into it!
TIMELINE GENERATION AND GENERAL WEDDING PLANNING
When you book a professional wedding venue, you’re likely to have a service fee attached to it. This service fee can be somewhat vague, so let me go into it with you.
It’s not that a service fee is hidden. In fact, it’s up front and right there for you at most venues. It tends to be the amount that you’re agreeing to pay to use the venue. However, what comes within that service fee can vary from place to place.
If the service fee does not include actual service, you may want to consider a new venue. The services that you’ll want to see covered in the service fee include general timeline generation and wedding planning. No, the venue will not help you plan every little detail of your wedding. They should give you guidance on when to show up to the venue, though. And when certain events will take place. For example, the ceremony, cocktail hour, speeches, dances, and late night snack.
When you see “service fee” in your contracts, be sure to find out what that entails. Knowing what you get for the cost can help you see if it’s a good deal or not.
SET UP FOR CEREMONY AND RECEPTION
One hidden wedding venue cost that is quite common is set up for a ceremony and reception.
Honestly, this cost is worth it for most people. Of course, you can ask your friends and family to help set up a wedding. However, this can be time consuming and frustrating. There are likely chairs, tables, décor, and flowers to place around a space. How other people set up the space may not be in line with what your vision is. If it’s not set up how you’d like, it can create re-work and hurt feelings. This is not fun, for anyone, especially during a time that you’d probably want your friends and family to enjoy.
If you see that a venue is including “set up” in their service fees, it’s likely saving you and your family a lot of work. However, for small weddings, it may not be worth the cost.
BARTENDERS
Bartenders are often an overlooked wedding cost that can be a total luxury and convenience.
Of course, if you’re hosting a backyard wedding at home, you may allow guests to just go and serve themselves. If your bar is strictly wine and beer, self-serve situations are usually maintained and easy. If your wedding is a bit more complicated, a bartender can come in handy.
Bartenders may be a worthy wedding cost because they can help control the pours of drinks. This can save you money on alcohol, overall. Plus, a bartender can help keep the bar moving, giving guests a better experience. Many wedding venues will hide the cost of bartenders in with their service charge, but the service can add a lot of value to your wedding.
SERVERS
Servers can make life a lot easier at a wedding. Not only do they bring out the food, and take it away, but they ensure that the efforts guests put into their eating experience is minimal.
Often, the value of servers is overlooked until someone notices they are missing. Think about it. Have you ever been at a restaurant, and your mostly-eaten plate of food is just sitting there? It’s unappealing, and you’re likely looking for someone to take it away. Having proactive servers at your wedding means that your guests have their food available when they want it, and the used plates are taken away at the right time. Plus, servers will help with drinks and refills.
If you’re looking for an elevated guest experience, servers can be a great addition to your wedding and worth the hidden wedding venue cost. If your wedding vision is simple and more picnic-style, servers may be wasted money.
DÉCOR AND AMBIANCE
Do any of your potential wedding venues come with décor? How about ambiance? Maybe a view? If so, the cost to get married there may be well worth it to you.
For venues that come with decorations, lighting, or views, it means that those who get married there will be able to save money by not having to provide those things themselves. Not only that, but those couples will save on the effort it takes to procure, provide, create, and transport any extra décor. This can be a big benefit when you’re planning a wedding and already have a lot of things to take care of.
VENDOR COORDINATION
Does your wedding venue provide any vendor coordination? Meaning, will they help you book vendors, and ensure that they arrive at certain times on your wedding day? If so, the cost that they charge to take care of this may be worth it to you.
When we got married, our venue took care of a lot of vendor coordination. They provided help with all the chair and table rentals, the linens, and the lighting. This meant that I didn’t have to deal with the phone calls, or the actual logistics of meeting those vendors on my wedding day. The venue took care of all of that. And, you know what, it was totally worth it to me that they baked in the cost of that service into their hidden wedding venue costs. The less coordination I had to do, the better.
CAKE CUTTING FEES
At first glance, a cake cutting fee is usually seen as a total waste of money.
I mean, why would we want to pay for someone to just cut our cake?
Well, let me break it down for you.
When it comes to cutting cake, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Many wedding cakes are not easy to cut. There is often multiple tiers. There’s an effort to make it look appealing once cut. Embellishments, decorations, cake toppers, and non-edible items may be involved. Cakes, especially wedding cakes, can be complicated.
Cutting a wedding cake is one thing, but a cake cutting fee often covers more than just that. It involves having the right tools to make the cut. It may also mean providing storage of the wedding cake until it’s time to put it out. Cake cutting can also include plates, utensils, and the clearing and cleaning up of them once dessert is over. Plus, cake cutting may involve packing up leftover cake for later consumption.
Of course, you can attempt to do this yourselves, but it’s a lot when you think about it. It may be a worthwhile wedding venue charge when you really think about the effort verses the cost.
CORKAGE FEES
Oh man. If cake cutting fees are misunderstood, so are corkage fees.
Corkage fees are the upcharge that venues will ask you to pay for providing your own wine. The charge ranges, but they are typically $10 to $20 a bottle, on top of what you’ve already paid for the wine. Corkage fees are more than just being allowed to serve another business’s wine, though. They usually cover the opening of the wine, chilling it, and pouring it.
If you get married at a winery, there’s often the expectation that you only serve wine that that winery can provide themselves. However, many other venues will allow you to bring in your own wine, with a corkage fee. Knowing what extras they will provide with the corkage fee may make it worth it to you.
OVERTIME FEES
Overtime is a hidden wedding venue cost that can totally add up. And, it can seem infuriating at first.
Overtime is when you’re paying people to work past a certain hour or number of hours in a day. It’s calculated at a higher rate than a base hourly pay. What may be difficult to accept is that a venue may pass along the cost of overtime to those renting out their space. However, if your venue is providing day of coordination, servers, bartenders, and helpers to set up and clean up, overtime may occur.
Look, I know that this charge can add up. And, it’s not a fun one. However, there’s no real point in getting married at venue if the staff isn’t there at the right times to help out. And, if your wedding is going to last longer than eight hours, it’s only fair that you pay for it.
Sometimes overtime can be wrapped up into a base hourly venue rental rate, or it can be snuck into different packages. Just know that if you’re going to need help for an extended period of time, you’re going to pay for it.
TAKE DOWN AND CLEAN UP
Last one! Take down of your wedding and clean up is definitely a hidden wedding venue fee. It’s worth it, though.
Even if you’re getting married at home, this is a big one. Taking down your wedding, all the stuff, and packing it up can be a big task. Sometimes you may have time to get this done. Or, it might be a rush job to get everything back to where it should be. Every situation is different.
If your venue is including take down and clean up in their service costs, it’s likely worth it. No one wants to clean up at the end of a wedding. And, I mean, no one. Your friends don’t want to help. Your family will be over it. You and your partner will be super tired and ready for the next location. It wont be fun to clean it up yourself, if you can help it. Paying for this expense is likely worth it in most cases.
THOUGHTS ON HIDDEN WEDDING VENUE COSTS
Friends, I hope this post helped you understand the logic behind many hidden wedding venue costs. Wedding venues aren’t out to get you with their service charges. They are providing services that will help make your wedding day easier. However, in some cases, you may find that the services aren’t worth it to your wedding. If that is the case, you’ll have to analyze if certain venues and their fees are right for your wedding. Happy wedding planning!
More About Wedding Venues From Hummingbird Wedding Advice
9 Tips To Help You Pick Your Perfect Wedding Venue
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How Discount Wedding Venues Can Cost You More
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