How can I plan an inexpensive reception?

Question

My fiance and I want to be married mid September of this year. We will most likely be married in Las Vegas and have the reception back at home. However, I don't know where to begin in order to plan this quickly. Do I have the reception a week or two later? How should I do the invitations? Our main thing is to keep the price low. That is one reason why we are going to Las Vegas. Also any suggestions on good chapels to use in Las Vegas? Please Help. It is such a short time to plan such a big and major occasion!! Thanks for any suggestions.

Answer 1

Find a hall that doesn't have a liquor license. It's much cheaper to bring in your own, typically they mark up liquor 100%. Also, to really save money, only serve beer and wine and soft drinks. A buffet is usually cheaper than a sit down dinner and it's nicer. Everyone can pick what they want to eat instead of getting whatever shows up on the plate. I usually starve at sit down dinners, because they're usually something I won't eat.

Don't let the florist talk you into $50 centerpieces. Not necessary, there are lots of centerpieces that can be done for less than $10. Go to your local arts and crafts store, buy a glass bowl, fill part way with water and float some blooms in the water. Much less than a typical florist arrangement. If the bowl is shallow enough you can also put a pillar candle in it. Check out the neat centerpieces they did on Design on a Dime wedding, link below.l

Don't buy a four figure wedding gown. I have seen a $5000 gown up close and personal and I'm here to tell you, it doesn't look that much better than a $500 gown from Davids. You can't tell the difference at all in the pictures or on the video.

Don't rent limos or any other kind of transport, they're a very expensive, waste of money. I went to my wedding in my dad's pickup (it looked nice, not a beater). We left the church in my mom's car, she has a nice Cadillac.

I will say that you should spend as much as you can on a photographer. This is the only part of your wedding that is permanent. Go with the best person you can afford.

Don't buy really expensive invitations, no one but you and maybe your mom, will keep them. I ordered mine from one of the companies that advertises in the wedding magazines. Send away for all those catalogs and order from one that you like.

Order a small tiered wedding cake to cut, instead of a cake that will serve everyone, and have sheet cakes in the back that the caterer can serve to guests. Also, a good place to get a cake that's not too expensive is a grocery store with a good bakery.

Skip favors all together or go with something simple and inexpensive. Wrap up some Hershey kisses in tulle and your good to go.

I hope this was helpful, have a good wedding. Another course of action you might want to consider is a destination wedding on a cruise or at an all inclusive resort. You get your wedding and honeymoon all in one, plus you can invite whoever you want but you don't have to pay for a reception because it's all inclusive. Friends of ours did this in December, it was fun and about 40 people were there. We got a 4 day vacation and a great wedding on a beautiful island. I don't remember how much it cost us, but it wasn't bad, since we got a vacation out of it. Not everyone will come if you do this, but I'll bet the people who would complain the most (parents and siblings) will come. Good luck

Vegas is popular because the license office is open until midnight 7 days a week and 24 hours on holidays. All of the casinos have wedding chapels, and good packages. There are some beautiful places to get married in Vegas, that aren't in a casino. Friends of ours got married in Red Rock Canyon. It's still one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to. There were 8 of us in this awesome canyon. You can get married in the Valley of Fire, Lake Mead. Good luck.

Answer 2

We're also getting married in Vegas soon, and the chapels we found most helpful and friendly were Graceland Wedding Chapel and Little Chapel of the Flowers - they're both very pretty and offer low cost packages (as do most of the non-hotel chapels). Little Church of the West is also a pretty, historic option (it's where Elvis gets married at the end of Viva Las Vegas). No problem about the short time frame - you can book a package and the chapel will take care of your flower, photography and music requirements - all you need to do is turn up with your wedding licence ($55 in cash - no waiting period - from the Marriage Licence Bureau).

In terms of invitations, we informally told family and friends and asked them if they'd like to come along to Vegas, then we organised written invitations later on. If you want a Vegas reception there are dozens of venues that offer well priced fixed-price menu options (always useful when working to a budget), and then you can always have a low-cost party when you get back home - we booked a local pub function room.

If you want to browse chapel and reception options by cost, take a look at the link below.

Good luck - and congratulations!

Julia

Answer 3

My sister was married in Gulf Shores, AL in early May of this year. She just had her reception this Saturday here at home. There is no set amount of time, but you might want to plan nothing over 6 months from your original wedding date. To keep the price low, have the reception in someone's back yard (someone centrally located where people can find easily and plenty of parking). You can decorate the back yard, make your own food, punch etc. Do a Yahoo search for "las vegas weddings" and you'll find lots of information. You want to start planning the date of the reception now so you have a date that you need to have everything done. Nothing has to be overly fancy (unless that's how you want it) but you can easily plan something like this quickly. Hand out invitations to people you know instead of mailing them, my sister handed hers out at a family reunion and my grandma's retirement party. You can design some really nice invitations on your computer and you only have to pay for paper and ink. But all you need is to plan, food, place, and invitations (decorations maybe). It's not as overwhelming as it seems.

Answer 4

Where is home? How big do you want the reception to be - small, medium or large? The best suggestion I can make since I don't know all the details is to check out the following website:

http://www.theknot.com

It will have broken down by state and then major cities, local vendors for everything. If you are wanting a big reception, start now because a lot of the reception venues will be booked. September is a very popular month throughout North America now so availability will be limited.

Answer 5

I can help you. I planned a large wedding and reception in only two months. Finding a facility is going to determine how much you spend. Some halls are catering inclusive so you can't bring your own food. Some don't allow alcohol. I used a hall that did not do catering and my family made all of the food. We went to a wholesale club like costco to buy all of the food. We went to a craft store to buy all of the decorations and did everything ourselves. The biggest way to save money is to do as much as you can yourself. I bought blank invitations and printed them up myself. I made my own centerpieces. try to get your invitations out as soon as possible at least a month early, that way people can clear their schedules. If I were you I would do the reception two weeks after the wedding that way it gives you time to get everything set up once you get back from Las Vegas. If you are going to have a bar decide if it is going to be a cash bar or an open bar. Look online for reception ideas, you will find plenty of info.

Answer 6

On the invitations, first announce your marriage and then invite people to the party. Wording can be like "Dick and Jane are pleased to announce that they will marry on September 16, 2006. They joyfully request your presence at a reception on" and then give date, location, etc. I'm sure there is "official" wording out there if you look hard enough.

Depending on the number of people you want to invite, try reserving a restaurant for the afternoon and creating a menu of finger foods or other appetizers. Or how about a backyard event? Limitting alcohol will help keep the costs down. Or maybe do something out of the ordinary like a "drinks and dessert" night with dancing.

Answer 7

Invite less people to the reception. Spend the money on food & drinks instead. A small affair with 25 people and great food & wine is far better than 200 with cheese plates and shasta. The guests will really appreciate it. : )


For the invites, Simply say that you are celebrating your recent wedding and then include the date, time, and location.

Answer 8

You can have your reception anytime after you come home. Have you checked with the local VFW halls or does someone have a large enough back yard? I would also suggest requesting people to bring dishes (potluck) and doing the decorations yourself. Michaels has a great selection and their website has a ton of suggestions.

http://www.michaels.com

I am a rep for Regency Thermographics and their website has a very user friendly tab that you can look at different wordings based on your requirements.

http://AphroditesCreations.regency.ac

Good luck!

Answer 9

How to Save on the Ceremony:

If cost is your primary concern, how about nixing the Las Vegas wedding altogether and using that money instead to pay for the reception? You don't actually need a ceremony to get married; all you need is to pay for a marriage certificate at your local city hall. Whether or not you dress up for the occasion or buy flowers (some do, others don't -- I didn't) is up to you, but if every dollar counts, then maybe you could dress in your nicest dress/suit and let that be that. So there you have it -- no money spent on the officiant, ceremony, clothes, or flowers, and the only money spent so far will pay for the required marriage certificate.

How to Save on the Reception:

Reception costs are broken down primarily as follows:
- venue rental
- table, chair, linen, plate, utensil, dance floor, sound equipment rentals
- paying the people to serve the food
- alcohol
- food
- dj/band
- decorations

Avoid venues that require you to use their in-house caterer. They cost a lot, as their catering costs are usually pricey. If you're going to rent a venue, rent one that allows you to bring the caterer of your choice.

Backyard receptions that are self-catered can be affordable for smaller weddings. But be aware that backyards often require you to rent chairs, tables, linens, and other similar things, which greatly increase the cost. Check your phone book or ask around for local party rental companies, call them, and price some of these items if you're looking to go this route. If your wedding is big, keep in mind you're going to have to rent a lot of chairs, tables, linens, and such for the backyard. The same goes for weddings in public parks.

For the most affordable sit-down meal, consider having your reception at the restaurant. Doing so enables you to pay primarily for the food, as they do not charge separately for venue rental and do not charge you for every chair, table, tablecloth, napkin, plate, glass, and fork you use. (Granted, I'm sure this cost is accounted for in the meal cost, but even factoring that, restaurants are still the better deal.) In my opinion, restaurants offer you the best value when it comes to the food. Maybe you could have your reception at your favorite restaurant.

If your wedding is on a weekened, have your reception at a business hotel or in a business district that sees little business during weekends. You might be able to get a better price on the venue.

If you don't care what day your wedding is held, holding it on a Sunday might reduce the venue cost. Holding it on a weekday might reduce it further.

One of the greatest costs of having a reception is the alcohol bill. There are several ways to cut the alcohol bill, and some may or may not be to your liking, depending on your culture, upbringing, or background. Instead of having an open bar, you could have an open bar for a short amount of time, say the hour before the reception begins. After that, it could be a cash bar only. Or, if it's your thing, you could have a cash bar the entire night. Or offer no alcohol. Or, if your venue or restaurant is OK with it, you could buy your own alcohol from Costco (very affordable by the case) for the reception. Some venues and restaurants allow that. Venues with in-house caterers and caterers in general will not allow you to bring in your own alcohol, since this is where they make a good chunk of their money. If you want to supply your own alcohol, your best bet is holding the reception at a restaurant that allows you to do that or self-catering the event at a venue that allows it.

Avoid having servers walk around with drinks and canapes. This adds greatly to the cost, as people tend to eat and drink more if the servers are walking around offering drinks and food. People eat/drink less if they have to go to a station. Stations are cheaper than having servers walk around. Restaurants are cheaper than catered stations.

If you want a small, casual reception, you could simply reserve several tables at your favorite restaurant, select the menu, and let that be that -- no decorations, no servers, etc.--don't even bother telling the restaurant it's a wedding event.

Similarly, you could hold a backyard event affordably as long as you don't have to rent too many tables, chairs, etc. Maybe friends could lend those items.

For self-catered events, you could have friends/family cook. Or, for a more efficient method, you could order large pans of food from your favorite restaurants and delis and have your friends/family pick up and serve the food (or offer it as a self-serve buffet). If you don't like the look of the aluminum pans, you could check out Smart & Final for super affordable serving pieces and transfer the food onto those. I find the ease and efficiency provided by buying large pans of food from restaurants and delis to be well worth the cost of buying that food. Smart & Final is a great place to pick up supplies for parties, receptions, etc.

Choose your decorations selectively. Flowers bought at the local flower mart that are arranged simply but beautifully in affordable vases from Michaels go a long way to making a reception site beautiful. Balloons are also an affordable, impactful way to decorate.

It's up to you whether or not you want to have the reception a week or two later.

For wedding invitation and announcement wording suggestions, check out Crane's free Online Wedding Blue Book.

Best of luck, and congratulations!