How much can a small wedding reception cost?

Answer 1

It all depends on the kind of reception you want to have. It can be anything from a few hundred dollars to 10's of thousands of dollars. A traditional reception for 200 guests that includes a buffet dinner, photographer, cake, open bar, and dancing would probably run between $5000-$10000 depending on where you live.

A cake & punch reception would be a lot less. I'd count on $500-$1000 for the reception hall, $1.25 - $2.00 per person for cake, and $1 per person for punch. That would give you an idea of cost. Now for a buffet dinner, count on the same amount for the reception hall, $10-$18 per person for food, and the same calculation for cake. The DJ would run $300-$750 for 4 hours of music.

If you really want to save money, have the reception in the park or in someone's home and ask family/friends to help provide food. We were on a REALLY tight budget. My mom made chicken oriental salad, I made a pasta salad and my sister made a potato salad. Then we bought meat/cheese trays from costco and fruit trays from Albertson's. The cake (which was AMAZING) was $1.25 per person and the food ended up being about $4 per person. We planned for 200 people and spend less than $800 all together. Add the $300 for the DJ and $75 for all the disposable cameras and $300 for the reception hall (a community center) and we spent a total of less than $1800 on our reception.

So like I said, it all depends on the kind of reception you want. Keep in mind, I've been married almost 10 years, so prices have changed in that time.

Answer 2

It depends on what you consider a small reception, based on what you would like to have & how many people will be there. Also weekday receptions are cheaper.

However, you can have a very nice small reception with anything from about $500 or less (cake & champagne reception...you might be able to include finger foods in this).

There are so many variables involved:
Location...what do they charge?
Food, Beverages, Cake?
Will your location be an empty hall or a tent that requires you to rent tables, chairs, & linen; or will they provide it? Or will you choose a place that includes everything?
Will you decorate the place? Decorations can be inexpensive, but how much decorating would you like to do? Do you care if your tables have centerpices? These can also be inexpensive, depending on where you buy them and how elaborate you want them to be.

Will you serve cake & champagne only, have a buffet, or a sit down meal (waiters serve you)?
Do you want music? A single musician (like a violinist), or a band?

I have experienced a $600 reception, a $2300 reception, a $3500 reception, and so on. The $600 dollar could have been better (the meat was inedible), the $3500 could have been great (the location tried to cheat the bride & groom).

The $2300 reception was fabulous, and was on a yacht. The day was beautiful, the weather warm and sunny....and everyone almost missed the boat: we were stuck in traffic for hours because of Grateful Dead concert attendees (trafffic for miles). But we had fun anyway.

I went to a really inexpensive reception held at the groom's Mom's home. They had cake & champagne, about 20 guests, and I estimate they spent between $50 and $100. Very few decorations also. But everyone had fun.

Just remember: If you have time, do a little research, and get estimates. Make sure you visit the place & taste the food.

Be careful, though. One of my sister had a fairly big wedding (about 150+ guests) and something was wrong with the food. I was there for hours, and never ate a bite. Neither did the bride & groom, or anyone else. Her first wedding (also fairly large: about 200+ guests) was at a country club. Because she had an open bar, many people got sloppy drunk, and fights broke out. At another sister's reception, she had someone pass out tickets for the drinks (so everyone could get two alcoholic drinks), and had a buffet served by family & friends. Because I was serving (for about 2 hours, maybe a bit more), I never got to eat. Neither did my children. (My husband couldn't make it). And the people passing out the tickets gave them only to people they knew, so that didn't exactly work out.

Even so, none of these were really the disasters they sound like. Nice people adjust, and move on (I only told my sister about the drink tickets after she asked me several months later).

These were extreme circumstances.

My own wedding was small. We had planned on a larger one (about 300 people), but changed our minds because we didn't have the money to pay for such a huge crowd, and our main requirement was just to be together. And I wanted a house. So we got the house, and reduced the wedding size.

This young lady I've know since she was about six, got married about 2-3 years ago. Everything went as smooth as silk. Food-great. Cake- delicious. Celebration-people danced for hours. They served champagne. She had about 100 guests, and had a sit down meal.

The reception is a celebration, so plan on doing just that.

Hiccups in the plans occur sometimes, and other times they don't.

The bottom line is, figure out how much you can afford to spend (be realistic), then determine what you would like to have: food, beverages, cake, decorations, etc. (write down everything), then work to make sure you get as much of what you want while not going over budget (willpower is necessary here).

And don't forget: do not stress over every little detail. Prepare to compromise, or you may find yourself upset over what you didn't get. As long a s you get a portion of what you want, compromising on other things won't bother you so much. Be flexible. And read your contracts very well before you sign or pay anything,even the deposit. Make sure you understand everything, and that you are getting what you want.

I had to change my cake because the hotel didn't permit outside food to be brought in.

Have a wonderful wedding and reception. (Sorry, I just realized you might not be the bride.)

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

We're having a small wedding at a botanical gardens, and an afternoon hors de'oeuvres reception. There will be about 40 people. We're cutting a LOT of costs by self-catering, and not being very fancy or formal. I thought originally it would cost around $1000, but it looks like it's going to be closer to $1500. That's still really cheap, as far as most weddings go. I'm pleased with everything we're doing, and I'm REALLY pleased that it isn't going to be a big deal financially.

Answer 4

It depends on how and where you want to do it. If you decide at someone's home (without catering, DJ, etc.) then VERY cheap. If you want those other things, then more expensive. My brother in law had a reception that was under $1500 by having it at a bar. He and his wife rented a room (loft) and the bar provided music, he paid for appetizers (chips/ nachos/ etc.) and paid an upfront cost of $500 towards drinks. An announcement was made when this ran out so guests had to pay for their own drinks. You can also have cash bar instead of paying a certain amount...this is popular now a days to save money, and most guests understand (especially if they've been married).

Answer 5

We have a site (b&b) for $250 (both ceremony and reception) and meals are $15 (x 30 guests = $450). The cake will be around $100, and we're making centerpieces so maybe $50. That all added up is $850 for 30 guests. You can also get some nice light meals for $10 or under, depending on the company and what you are looking for.

Answer 6

I am having a small wedding of 32 people including us. We are spending 5500 (I hope that it doesnt increase). We are getting married on a Saturday evening (more expensive), We did choose the more expensive menu at 60.50 a meal not including wine or cake, and I did pay about 500 more on flowers then I wanted to. We are getting married in a B&B type place in the drawing room. I think that 3000 - 5000 is a reasonable amount and this can be cheaper if you do a Friday Night, Sunday Brunch and shop around. Good luck

Answer 7

Depends.

If you have a small budget, then start with that and fit your plans into the budget.

No joke, but you COULD have a reception at a fast food place for cheap. Not likely what you want to do, but it's a way.

If you're looking to feed a dozen people at a nice-ish restaurant, expect to spend a few hundred dollars.

Answer 8

Well, I just had one and very little...I only spent money (more than I would have liked) on a good photographer and good flowers...other than that, invite very few people...keep it simple, no one cares about the food, just have some nice h'dourves...

I got married in nov....small, had the ceremony and reception in my home, it was lovely, this is my second marriage, the first was a big huge deal and I hated it.....hundreds of people I didn't know and thousands and thousands of dollars, smaller is classier and the fact that you are getting married doesn't get lost in all the details...enjoy this day...but do get a good photographer...oh and dresses on line can be very reasonable...!!!

Answer 9

more than you'd ever expect.

there a a lot of variables in your question. Elope, then have a small party when you get back. Its been two years and I'm still paying off mine.

Answer 10

Mine was for 100 people and it ran me about $3,000.00. We ate at about 4pm so that way it was cheapper. They told me eating at dinner hours would cost more.