For fun - most overpriced part of a wedding??

I'd forgotten about cars! We are paying £320 for about an hours worth of driving. Although there will be three separate trips, Mum and BM's to Church, me to Church, Me and OH to venue, It's a very gorgeous car, but it is still a very expensive mode of transport! and its all for these fancy pictures I want taking!! x

After going to my first wedding show this year, I thought pretty much everything was overpriced! The things that have really shocked me were:

- The price of some dry hire venues. Initially I had my heart set on a funky London warehouse, after getting a quote for £8K for an EMPTY SPACE we ran back to the drawing board dragging our jaws off the floor

- The dress. My first appointment was just to see what suited me and what didn't the dress I most liked (but didn't love) was over £2K. I got my dress for just under £900 and I was banging on about how much of a bargain it was! There will be no other time I would spend that much on one item of clothing. I was lucky enough to get my cathedral length veil thrown in for free but it cost £150 ordinarily.... it doesn't even have any sparkle/bling on it.

- Catering. We've managed to find a really good caterer to do our day who didn't cost the earth. They're doing the canapes, wedding breakfast, bar, evening buffet (with Polish and Jamaican options we wanted to be included) but my God, I got some quotes that almost made me cry!

Weddings are a huge money-maker, think I might have to re-thing my career! Any Hitchers fancy going into business???

x

Wedding cars! In what other universe would you spend £400 on a three short taxi rides?

This is why we are staying at the venue the night before - the cost of two rooms, one for H2B and a suite for me and the girlies, was less than the cost of transporting everyone on the day of the wedding. Plus we get a decent breakfast and the use of the spa thrown in.....you don't get THAT with an overpriced taxi!!!

We looked at a beautiful lochside location, it was costing us £3k for the use of the main building wether we used it or not, £1500 for a lodge for 2 nights which we had to take, then £10k for a marquee!

We've settled for a beautiful country house which is a bargain at £5k including food, accomodation and some of the drinks!

I can see me needing to take a crash mat with me when I see the prices for some things!

I'm not having chair covers so can't use that one but chair sashes for a party not even the wedding is probably my most bonkers but I fell in the trap of getting carried away! Also cake which is a ridiculous cost, wedding dress (as I remember picking a dress up once for a party looking at the price and laughing thinking £600 was a lot. That was before I found wedding dress price tags!!) and my last is flowers. I'm not even having real ones haha. I wouldn't change any of it for the world but on a regular day I would think these things were a huge rip off and pointless lol

People may think weddings are a good money maker and yes some business are if you have low start up costs but photography isn't one of them, you only have to search back on Hitched 2 to 3 years and see if those photographers are still in business, they think its easy money but they soon find out a year or two later that it doesn't pay.

Cheers Bruce! You've killed my dreams with your voice of reason ?

Sorry☹️ but its true, for photography you are looking at 5k per camera for top of the range then lenses costing anything from 1k to 2k each then you need backup cameras and lenses, I carry 30k's worth about with me?? yes you/I can do it cheaper but I like the quality and reliability that the pro gear offers.

I have seen mua's, cake makers and stationary business's come and go in my time and they are only in the business a few years. If you want to go in to a business then do your research on the type of business you want to go in to and as I said searching back through Hitched forums you will see who has given up and who is still here, it will give you a good indication on what wedding business is worth while pursuing.

I think the church at £950 is taking the mickey. The church are very wealthy in general and I think that cost should be controlled and capped.

i think what we need to appreciate is that with small bespoke suppliers they have to invest plenty of hours and days in designing and editing their ideas. There will be a fair amount of those designs that do not make it into production. They are not making money during this time.

Time is something you have to value as part of the end product, not just the tangible elements that you see. Photographers for instance will spend hours at the venue taking the photos, have a lot of high tech equipment to buy and spend hours afterwards editing the photos, putting them up online, producing albums etc.

I do appreciate though that some suppliers are taking advantage but you make the decision if you enlist them. There is so much choice out there, get a quotation and negotiate if you feel the need.

Bruce, some of us have been around 10 years plus ... ?

Our church hasn't given us the rates yet - don't come out til January! I really have my fingers crossed for clergy mates rates as my mum did her studentship with the minister of the church (my mum is doing our ceremony and the minister is doing the legal side) and also OH grandparents are close friends with the church warden.

Got to agree on the cars it was a cost we were not expecting but we have them for 3 hours so not too bad. For us its chair hire and toilet block - £650 for loos! We really have a DIY venue though!

All of it! Lol. I think the thing thats shocked me the most was the cake. We were getting quotes from £500-£1k for a tiered cake to feed 200. What an utter joke!! Gone with cupcake tower with a top cake for £200

That's way more expensive than free because I'm not having them. ? Not having any of that other stuff you listed either.

And Sam&Louise - I am driving myself to the venue! ?

Good for you, I don't blame you at all. You can't beat free ?

This was in Sussex, she really wants this church as well but wow £950☹️

Oh dear! Not looking forward to the cost of our church. I'm from East Sussex. Why was it so exspensive? Was extras added? I thought there was a standard rate across the uk and any extras was charged at a rate of which the church wishes? If it did include extras, what was the cost brake down?

Not sure of what it included, will ask her when I see her over the weekend. There was a church in East Sussex that didn't charge at all, well that's what the bride told me. they just said to give them what ever you could afford. I think the church was in Hastings.

Our biggest expense by far will be the catering bill due to the size of our guest list. Haven't got final numbers together or anything yet but will be looking at around £5.5k ? I think we've done ok in other areas though, so makes me feel better that we've offset some of the budget

We were quoted £3 per chair for chair covers - I too think that it is ridiculous! For 120 guests, that would have been an extra £360! More expensive than our cars! Luckily, the chairs are a nice red and gold, which fit into my theme perfectly and so will be left naked

Hi,

If they are Oasis then make sure the brothers don't fight in their changing room!

x

My dress, the most expensive dress that I've ever worn and now its been cleaned and is boxed up. Need to find an occasion to wear it again!

We just got our bill for the church for our wedding in March. At £608, sounds like I've got a bargain in comparison to some of you!!

So far it's definitely our photographer. His work is brilliant and he is award winning but his starting price was crazy! We got a really good deal because he also photographed my friends wedding so gave a big discount but I cant see anyone paying the starting price when there are so many other people out there too.

Or the price of renting a marquee.....i mean its only to rent a roof!

I've found a fair bit of it more expensive than I anticipated, but for me chair covers and wedding cars are definitely the most overpriced
There was no way I could afford £400+ on a car ... luckily my best friend's dad has recently bought a rather nice car so he's offered to drive me
My OH and I flat out refused to buy/rent chair covers, we think the chairs at our evening venue are nice anyway despite what his mother says!