Indian Wedding Costs Estimate
We hate hidden costs. We hate it even more when it is our wedding. The evil dollar signs rears its head on invoice statements.
Approx 1 $ (American) 68 Rupees
$1000 for taking out the trash, $4000 for meals $2600 to edit $50 extra photos. When will it end?!
Every time you shop or order with a vendor is a potential for hidden costs. I'm covering the most common and uncommon sinkholes in Indian wedding planning.
Whatever your budget is, add 25% to it for miscellaneous costs. This will diminish the shock and keep your finances in order.
When possible, have it in writing. If a written contract is not possible, record the conversation with the vendor/seller AND bring someone else with you (father, uncle, older brother). You should also tell the vendor that you are recording the conversation so BOTH parties knows what was agreed upon.
Now for my list of ugly hidden costs!
Postage
When you're looking at all those fabulous wedding invitations, be sure to think about the weight and size of those invites.
What to do
? Take a kitchen scale and weigh the cards and all elements you'll be shipping in the invitation. Heavy stock paper are exactly that, heavy paper.
? Check the post office website for shipping information to figure domestic and international rates. Then figure out where your guests are located and make a preliminary estimate of postage costs.
Mehndi
While mehndi for the bride and the bride's mother is a must, getting mehndi done for guests can be costly.
Menhdi artists can charge a per hour rate or a per hand rate. The per hand rates may be based on:
- Simplicity - how long it takes to complete one hand of design
- Size of design - palm only, full hand, hand plus wrist, hand plus wrist and extra.
What to do
? Get that information up front from the artist and decide how much henna each guest can have applied.
? Decide on how many people can get henna.
? Stick to a specific set of hours women and men can come and get henna done.
Priests
You may think hiring a priest is free or cheap, but that's not usually the case. During the busy wedding season, priests are easily booked up.
? Find out how much the priest will charge for himself and any assistants he brings.
? Check whether he will bring the necessary items to perform the poojas.
? Book the priest well in advance to avoid extra "high season" costs.
? Discuss with your priest what events you want covered in your wedding ceremony and in what order. Just because the priest is Hindu or Jain or whatever doesn't mean they know how your community conducts religious rituals.
Wedding Trousseau
The wedding trousseau is not only expensive but an emotional nightmare. Packing up 7, 15, or 21 brand new saris, lenghas, and salwar kameez is daunting for every mom and daughter.
What to do
? Decide how many new outfits you really need. Really really need.
? Can you mix in part of you current collection?
? Instead of spending money on clothes that can fall apart and not fit in a few years, consider investing the money in a gold coin or a bank bond.
Videography and Photography
This is a well-known black hole. You can be charged for hours of post processing if you want more photos than in the contract, or if the wedding goes over time and you are paying by a block of hours, or if you want full res photos even. While the vast majority of photographers are great people, there are plenty that add in costs.
Good photographers will tell you all the investments associated with your wedding. Bad photographers will hid the costs deep into your contract.
What to do
? Get everything in writing. If you want 500 photos than the 400 mentioned by the photographer, negotiate for a good rate for the extra 100 photos.
? When it comes to videos, editing hours and quality shooting cost a lot of money. Talk to other brides who have used the same video company. For that matter, high quality photography will cost you good money too.
? Sometimes videographers and photographers put in extra costs for additional cameras (ie. they carry an extra camera), lighting, assistants, side photo stages, and even jumbotron televisions. These extra costs maybe, or they want to sneak in easy profits.
And note, if you have a wedding more than 100 people, you should expect a main photographer and an assistant to come. That's because they reasonably cannot cover your wedding as just one person. Don't be cheap and force your photographer to drop an assistant.
No matter what, great quality photos and video is an investment.
Events, Events, Events
How many events will you have at your wedding? South Asians don't do the simple one day wedding and cutting out events can cause strife in the families.
? Make a list of all the events and expected costs. Decide who's paying for what or if it is jointly shared.
Desserts
I love desserts. Cakes, cookies, kulfi, hot gulab jamuns...yum yum yum! And weddings are full of food. Indian weddings are confusing when it comes to desserts: do we eat cake or rasmalai? Or hot brownies?
But the question is: do you really need it? And do you know how much it's going to cost?
What to do
? Discuss what desserts you will serve at the reception. Do you want a full dessert table or a select few goodies?
Bridal Jewelry & Accessories
Yet another black hole when it comes to money and emotional well-being. You want the best as a bride, your parents want the best for their little girl, and your American Express card wants you to max out the card so you can pay 24.95% APR.
What to do
? Write a list of EVERY single outfit and jewelry you need to buy.
? Write a list of outfits that you can use from your current collection. Have you really worn every outfit?
? Make a list of all the accessories you need. Remember each outfit needs a necklace, earrings, bangles, and possibly a mang tikka. Bindis, payals, kamerbands are also well needed accessories that can be used at any time.
? When buying real gold, set a firm budget and stick to it. YES, STICK TO IT.
Aunts, Future Sister-in-Laws, People, & other Idiots
I am going to sound cruel for the sake of making a point. Your family loves you, hopefully. Your family can also be full of idiots who buys things you don't need for the wedding.
Weddings are not about "me, the bride," it's about the family showing off for the in-laws and the guests. That means people in your family can buy stuff, say it's "useful" and force you to pay for it.
Relatives / in-laws who order things at your expense without consulting you first or getting your approval.
What to do
? Talk to your parents first and foremost. You need their support before going after anyone else.
? Tying up with the first point, have your parents decide on a course of action for rouge, happy-shopper relatives. Your parents stand on equal footing with aunts and uncles. You do not.
Bonus: Contracts
Contracts by the nature of them, have lots of legal verbiage and include everything payment conditions, extra, cancellation, and more.
And while a contract is not a type of vendor, it is the crux of what and how you'll pay. Which is why I included this very important category at the end of the article.
What to do
? Make sure you have a contract! No contract? If things go belly up with your vendor, you'll have a hell of a time getting your money back. And if you paid in cash without a receipt, shame on you.
? Read the contract. Know when payments are due. Know what the cancellation fee is (if any) and the timeframes of canceling. Know what extra costs that can be tacked on. One outdoor venue tacked on a cleaning fee of $1500 for the wedding. .
? Ask questions. Be clear with your vendor and what is and isn't included.
You will feel like a lawyer after reading them, but you need to read.
Keep yourself together, breathe, and be prepared. Don't freak out. If you know there will be hidden costs, the costs won't be so hidden anymore.
Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensue discussion or debate.
Thank you …We hold the mehndi, haldi, networking night, dinner events in our Gujarati back yard garden. The costs and decorations were minimal as the focus was food, and fun! The sangeet, wedding reception and wedding ceremony were held at the same location. There we used local flowers acquired by the vendor and simple chair coverings
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There's also the dangerous part of buying real gold. Troy ounce prices of gold are not what they used to be; your dollars are not stretching far.
"When a western man doesn't know how much gold is, it is going to cost him. The less certain he is, the more certain the bride is.
*Smile*"