Spending money on a wedding is a bit like breaking a £20 note. Before you know it, you've only got a handful of change left and plenty of stuff still to buy. Overspending is a given with a wedding [1], but it's not the price of your wedding dress [2] or the cake where you're racking up extra costs — most couples will have discussed the big costs in advance. It's far more likely to be costs that you didn't factor into your initial wedding budget [3] that are the undoing of your meticulous spreadsheet. Nothing on its own is particularly eye watering, but £10 here and £30 there soon add up when it's across the whole event. Take a look through these easily forgotten expenses — they could set you back as much as £2,000 in total — and make sure they're on your checklist right from the start.

The Service Charge at the Venue

In the (completely understandable) excitement about menu choices and wine, we completely forgot to include the venue's service charge in our wedding budget. It's often mentioned at the end of an agreement so isn't in the final quoted figure. Our service charge will be 10 percent of our final bill; 10 percent to 15 percent seems to be the standard in the UK, so take a similar figure into account when planning your celebration, plus any further tips you plan to give on the day.

Stamps For Invitations and Thank-You Cards

You've probably added invitations and envelopes to your budget, but what about the stamps to post them? Don't forget the ones for the thank-you cards, either. A second-class stamp costs 58p, so you might be spending over £100 just on postage. (No, you cannot sneak them into your work post.)

Cake Stand Hire

Your three-tier cake will only look beautiful if it's sitting beautifully (and securely). If you don't hire a suitable cake stand, it'll sink before you've got to the first dance. Some cake companies include this in the cost of the cake, but others charge a hire fee. It can be anything from £25 to £75, and you might have to pay a deposit to ensure you return it after your big day.

Cake Tastings

Sadly, cake tastings aren't free. They're usually taken off the cost of your final order, but if you try a couple of places before making your final decision, you're going to be out of pocket (but at least you had a fun time eating all the cake). It'll be around £25 per cake tasting session.

Last-Minute Beauty Treatments

While you might have factored in your hair and makeup (or asked a bridesmaid to help), you'll still probably get your nails done, get your legs waxed, and perhaps even get a facial before the big day. Put aside £50-£100 for this depending on your usual regimen. You could argue that you'd get these done anyway, but you're likely to go for more expensive treatments (or add extras, like eyelash extensions or a spray tan), so make sure they're on your list anyway.

Bridal Lingerie

The cost of wedding lingerie is certainly not as small as the garments themselves. What you'll need depends entirely on your dress (if it's lace, backless, or strapless, you may not need or be able to wear a bra), but you'll probably want something a bit more special than your usual. Make sure you have a dressing gown you love, too, unless you want your wedding photographs to feature your tatty old number with the Care Bears on it. Set aside £100, or a lot more if you think you want to go super luxe.

Table Decorations

You might have all of the flowers sorted for your wedding, but do you have anything to put them in? Don't forget to include the cost for all your table decorations; it can be easy to forget something, and across 12 tables, that adds up. Add £15 per table to your budget for the basics, more if you're planning to go big on the details.

Place Settings

It's surprising how easy these are to forget! If you have nice handwriting and you're good with swirly letters, you don't need anything but plain cards, but you should set aside at least 50p per guest for something fancier.

Domain Name

If you're creating a wedding website, you're probably going to need a domain name. That's another £10 or so. You can host websites for free through services like Wordpress or Wix, but your family and friends are far more likely to remember the URL if it's a simple domain format they're used to. Make sure you don't have a payment that auto renews, though; it'll just be money down the drain after the big day.

Taxis

You're going to need to arrange more taxis than you realise: the aunt who's broken her leg, your bridesmaid who had a few too many, your hop and jump to the venue after the ceremony if you've stayed behind to have some photos taken, and your ride to your hotel after the party. Taxis never go on the budget, but you should put aside around £60.

Mother of the Bride/Groom Gifts

You don't have to spend a lot on your gifts for the day (and neither recipient will want anything bulky), but even a bunch of flowers each will set you back £30, plus you'll need a reliable person to look after these (usually a groomsman).

Giving Notice

Not only will you have to pay for your ceremony, but you'll also need to pay a fee when you give notice to marry [4]. It's £35 per person.

Dress Alterations

You might have found your dream dress, but it probably isn't perfect just yet. It'll need adjusting (they're always too long), and you might have decided to get the neckline altered or have some embellishments added. Factor in at least £150 to get your dress exactly how you want it.

Dry Cleaning

It's best to get your wedding dress cleaned as soon as possible — the sooner you do it, the less likely stains will be permanent — so if you can arrange to have it done while you're on honeymoon, so much the better. This isn't like getting your favourite dress cleaned; it's expensive and delicate work, and it'll probably cost you about £100.

Petrol

You might not be driving anywhere on your big day, but you'll probably still have to make a few deliveries. Add another £20 to the bill, more if you're driving to a different venue.

A Meal For Your Photographer

Your photographer is working really hard to capture your special day, and while they'll probably grab a bite to eat behind the scenes, you do have to cover their meal, so make sure you include them (and their assistant) in your final head count. This depends entirely on your cost per head, but it could add around £80 to the final total.

Food and Drink

You might have thought about food for your guests, but what about before you get to the ceremony? You'll need breakfast (even if you insist you're too nervous to eat!) and some drinks for bridesmaids and anyone else getting ready with you. Factor in a couple of bottles of bubbly at least.