10 Expensive Fees You’ll Find at Wedding Venues! (but not at Abella!)
As you’re probably finding, planning a wedding can be expensive! Whether you are paying for the wedding yourselves or have family helping to chip in, a wedding is likely one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make.
If you want the perfect wedding day but don’t want to end up spending a fortune, this article is for you! These often-hidden charges and fees can end up costing couples thousands of dollars.
1. Food and Beverage Minimums
You will find that many venues have a food and beverage minimum. This means that regardless of your guest count, you will be required to spend a minimum amount on often overpriced food and beverage. A food minimum of $5,000-$15,000 is often not necessary to have amazing food served at your event. A minimum of $2,500-$5,000 at the bar may also be unnecessarily high depending on how much you are looking to host and how many guests you are expecting.
One of our Abella bartenders serves wine to a thirsty guest (Photo by Tonya Hjort Photography)
2. Service Charges & Other Common Fees
Service charges, administrative fees, surcharges, cleaning fees, vendor fees, etc.—these are often mandatory fees hidden in the fine print that can easily add thousands of dollars to the initial pricing you see. We’ve even seen venues charge a 22% service fee for setup/takedown of tables and chairs on top of their venue rental, making the initial pricing you may see much lower than it actually is.
3. In-House Catering and Catering Fees
Check to see what the catering options are. Do they use their own in-house catering, contract with one or a few exclusive caterers, or truly allow you to choose the caterer you would like? You may even see different catering companies on a venue’s list that give the appearance of having options, but they are all really owned by one company. Choice is power!
If you work with a company that restricts which caterer you choose, chances are you are overpaying for catering since the venue can charge inflated prices due to your limited choice. Whether it is transparent or not, the venue is often also receiving a percentage of your catering bill, increasing your overall venue cost. Some venues may also let you choose your own caterer but require that you pay an outside catering fee of $1,000 or more.
The same applies to the bar—you may end up paying inflated bar fees where drinks are $9–$12 each versus $4–$8 each or expensive hourly all-inclusive packages. As a starting point, ask your venue what the cost would be for an open bar with wine/beer hosted most of the evening. This will give you a good guide to compare prices, as it can be difficult to estimate how many drinks you’ll need to purchase or how quickly a typical budget of $2,000–$5,000 would actually go at the bar.
4. No Bridal Party Suites
You definitely want TWO great suites for your wedding party to hang out in when getting ready for the big day. This is where you start the day, and it throws a kink in things to have to drive to another location for photos and the ceremony once everyone has their dresses and suits on. You want everything at one amazing property where you can truly enjoy your day with your favorite people. Make sure you have plenty of space to spread out, as there may be family members and friends getting ready together who don’t know each other super well yet. If your venue doesn’t have comfortable suites for your entire bridal party to enjoy, you’ll have to factor in the cost to rent an Airbnb or hotel suite, which can use a significant portion of your budget, and then deal with the logistics of getting everyone to and from the multiple locations. No one wants to deal with that!
Bridesmaids take a selfie on the front porch of The Cottage, one of two suites at Abella (Photo by Miranda McLean Photo)
5. Necessary Furnishings Not Included and More Décor Needed Than You Realize
Ask what is and isn’t included with your venue rental. At a minimum, you’ll want to ensure tables and chairs for both the ceremony and reception are available. You’ll also need a variety of different table shapes/sizes, such as tables for your head table, buffet, service tables, and high-tops for social hour.
We got married at an amazing wedding venue (before Abella was open, of course), but we ended up spending a lot more on décor than anticipated because we felt it was necessary to add accessories like ceiling draping to dress up the room and rent chair covers to hide the ugly chairs; this quickly added up to thousands of dollars that we had not originally planned for!
Also ask about what type of furnishings, décor, and other rental items they have available that aren’t included in the standard venue rental but are hopefully available onsite for an affordable price. This will make planning easier for you versus having to search for items yourself and will also simplify setup/takedown before and after the event (and help you avoid paying painfully high delivery/pickup fees from rental companies)!
6. Ceremony Fee
Most venues that offer locations for both ceremonies and receptions also charge a separate fee for hosting the ceremony at your location. This can often be $1,000–$1,500 and, again, can make the venue pricing you initially see higher than it looks. Also, make sure that the venue you choose has great options in the event of both good and bad weather. In the event of rain or inclement weather, you may want to have another option than guests having to just sit at their dinner table and watch the ceremony at the front of the room (which is the backup option for many venues).
7. Ability to Bring in Food and Beverage for the Bridal Party During the Day
It’s a minor detail in the grand scheme, but it can easily add hundreds or more to your expenses if you are required to order breakfast, lunch, beverages, etc., through the venue while you are there in the morning and afternoon getting ready together. Ideally, you can order food from a restaurant of your choice and bring your own beverages.
8. Shorter Rental Timeframe Than Actually Needed
You’ll find that many venues only offer 10-12 or fewer hours for the venue rental, which is often not enough. You may have the ability to add additional time, but this can often be at high hourly rates of $300–$500+ per hour. At Abella, we offer a generous 14-hour time-frame for Fridays/Saturdays and a 12-hour time-frame for Sundays–Thursdays. This allows ample time for getting ready in the mornings, time for a great dance, and plenty of time to pack up. We also offer additional hours in the bridal party suites for an early start on the wedding morning at an affordable rate if needed.
9. Required to Use the Venue's List of Vendors
Just like with the catering, you want the flexibility to choose the vendors that are the perfect fit for your event! This allows you to curate your budget to spend more on things that are important to you and less on things that aren’t as much of a priority. Being able to choose your own vendors, like day-of coordinators, DJs, photographers, and caterers, helps you make the day unique to you.
You should be the one to decide where your dollars go - like a band or DJ that will keep the dance floor packed all night! (Photo by Miranda McLean Photo)
10. Dessert & Late Night Snack
Being able to choose your dessert from a licensed bakery of your choice can help you get exactly what you want within your budget. You can spend thousands of dollars on an extravagant four-tier cake, or you can pick up cupcakes and other desserts from Costco or a local bakery of your choice. Plus, you can bring your own snacks (made in a licensed kitchen, including store-bought goods) and/or order pizzas from local delivery companies to keep your late night crowd fueled for dancing!
With 20 years in the wedding industry, we’ve designed Abella to not only be an amazing venue but also a smart choice for savvy couples who want a fabulous day at a fair price!