Nashville bride Megan Diem Easton was shooting for a low-cost wedding.
She had planned on spending $25,000, but despite months of searching for budget-friendly vendors and making every possible cut, her total cost ballooned to almost $40,000.
In a TikTok video, Easton details how she spent thousands more in unforeseen expenses that many couples fail to account for.
To that end, she created a downloadable wedding budget planner available for $4.39 on her Etsy shop — just don’t forget to include it as one of your expenses!
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The template has line items for the big expenses, such as rings, the venue and the dress. But it also includes many of the hidden costs you may not be aware of, such as alcohol license fees, gratuities and venue costs.
“There’s a lot of things on here where you would never be able to think of in a million years that you would need,” she said.
Easton’s story sums up the consumer spending pitfall in the wedding industry. What looks like a simple list of big-ticket items, such as venue, food and dress, in reality is a complex web of fees, services and taxes that add up to a significant amount of money.
“I kept track of every cost I could think of, so even ring sizers from Amazon, I would write that down,” Easton said of the $7.66 line item on her list of expenses.
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Although she was meticulous in keeping track of her expenses, Easton was still floored by how much she was spending.
“How is this all adding up to $40,000? $500 here and there every couple of weeks adds up very quickly,” she said.
Easton’s experience, and the commentary from other TikTok users, points to a number of sneaky expenses that can demolish a wedding budget. While some are small individually, they become major contributors to the overall cost.
“My ‘low-cost’ wedding was quoted at 12k but ended up being 30k,” TikTok user Jacinta Jones wrote. “Our venue had so many hidden costs disguised as ‘upgrades’ but the upgrades were basics that felt necessary. Exploitative industry.”
“I keep seeing people talk about budgets and keeping things “low cost,” but then go on to include a florist.” User74929175810 wrote. “Like DUH you’re going to incur thousands of extra $$ if you go with real flowers!”
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I’m getting married next month, I’m right there with you,” wrote Veronica A. “Hidden costs, things that shouldn’t cost this much, and my 37k does not include the honeymoon.”
Wedding costs are rising and show no signs of slowing down. Couples are spending an average of $31,281 on their weddings, according to a 2024 study by financial services company Empower.
Like Easton, more than half of all couples go over budget. Millennials, in particular, are spending more, with an average of $51,130 for their big day.
“If I had known what I know now, I probably would have eloped and saved some money,” she said. “There’s so many hidden costs, and there’s not a lot of transparency in the wedding world.”
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