Well what I was wondering is if you guys could help me find a place thats cheap to have one...we have about 25-30 guests at our wedding (its close friends and family only)
I wanted to go to a Buffet place, but i was wondering if that was too tacky. Any ideas would be great! We are looking to spend up to $800 if not $1000. I have never been married before or been to any weddings so i dont have a clue as to what to do. I know the reception is where you make the toast serve the cake and eat, just basically a big party. If im missing anything please let me know
Thank you very much for your time!!!
2007-03-26 07:51:56 · 30 answers · asked by Jenn 3 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
Well what I was wondering is if you guys could help me find a place thats cheap to have one...we have about 25-30 guests at our wedding (its close friends and family only)
I wanted to go to a Buffet place, but i was wondering if that was too tacky. Any ideas would be great! We are looking to spend up to $800 if not $1000. I have never been married before or been to any weddings so i dont have a clue as to what to do. I know the reception is where you make the toast serve the cake and eat, just basically a big party. If im missing anything please let me know
Thank you very much for your time!!!
Ok we are getting married in Florida and having a small beach ceremony. :)
2007-03-26 08:38:22 · update #1
Ok we are getting married in Florida and having a small beach ceremony. :)
Also we live in a suburban area.
2007-03-26 08:39:21 · update #2
Congratulations!!!! When is the Date?
We need more information to help you. Are you in an urban or rural community? Are you having a civil or religious cerimony? If so what church are you getting married in? Who is the person conducting the cerimony and can they tell you what other couples have done?
Thoughts to ponder:
1) Churches often have auxiliary/community rooms that you can use for a very low fee or no fee at all.
2) Check with your local non-profit organizations and clubs. Like a VFW, Massonic Society, Knights of Columbus, Shriners, etc. They can often do a deal that gets you a nice hall and catering for a low price.
3) Check with all your parents, friends and other relatives. Meaning, if you are not a member of a church that has a hall, your friend might be.
4) Check with your local government and the court (if that is where you are getting married. Folks just like you have been doing this for a long time, you are not the first. They can ofter you advice based on what others have done.
5) Your favorite restaurant. Pop in your favorite restaurant and ask to talk with the owner, or manager if you can't talk with the owner. Tell them how special the restaurant is in your relationship and how you have been on a very important date there. Then ask if it's possible to have a wedding reception there and if a deal can be worked out so it will cost less since you will have a number of guests.
6) Do a non-traditional receiption. Maybe you have a friend who has a beutiful flower garden. I once attended a hog roast at someone's home. The food was fabulous and there was lots of it. If you live in a rural community this is a great idea. Find the farmer your self to save money.
7) Do a non-meal receiption. To do this you have to have a something else that is fun going on almost like a company picnic. You need appetizers and finger food, or make it a cook out. Do both of you have a special hobby or interest you share that might direct the sort of activity you might want to do for fun?
8) The center piece of your reception will be the cake and cake cutting. If you have a friend who is really a fabulous baker, you have a major helper. Or see if one of your relatives who loves to bake can help you out. You can save a bundle if you receive the cake as a wedding gift.
9) For the toast, consider Austi Spumanti - It's less expensive than champagne and it's a little sweeter.
10) Consider getting married on a weekday, maybe a Friday. Places are more reasonable on non-traditional days because there is less demand. A Thursday wedding can often result in half the price for the reception location. Also, If you are a student, check with your school.
The Beach Idea sounds Beautiful! Have a luau!!!
Good Luck!!!!
2007-03-26 07:55:34 · answer #1 · answered by notasperfectasyou 3 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Hoepfully that budget is just for the reception because the thing that will cost most is the food. A buffet style is not tacky at all. It's cheaper because you don't have to pay for the servers and etc. I would recommend that you have your wedding in the morning and have a buffet style brunch at a hotel or some local restaurant. Prices may be range anywhere from $7-$12 per person depending on your area, the menu and if you have to pay a rental fee. You will also save on not having to buy any alcohol since it is brunch. Or, you can buy a few bottles for the toast only. A cake will cost an additional $100-$300 depending on how fancy you want your cake, the place may even have cake available. Don't worry about the small stuff, people will forget about most of it. A nice brunch, some cake will be fine. Good luck and Congrats!
2007-03-26 15:02:04 · answer #2 · answered by lovin' life... 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Rather than going to a local buffet, where you would probably have to share the site with customers....consider having the reciption catered You could probably do this easily on the budget you have. Since your having a small ceremony, your options are really limitless. Does one of your family members have a large enough house or a property that would accomodate this many people? You could make the toast, serve cake, eat, dance, and party as much as you'd like. Receptions can be as formal or informal as you like...if you're having an informal wedding with close family and friends...I'd keep the reception, simple but lots of fun!! You could even have a big BBQ or fish fry. Incorporate the likes of you and your fiance'....turn it into a dance, golf tournament, pool party, what ever the two of you enjoy doing!
2007-03-26 15:22:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
We also had a small wedding/reception. My family got together and decided what to bring for the reception. My husband's aunt made the wedding cake and the rest of the family pitched in to make the other finger foods. I got married in June (Georgia) and it was an outside wedding. The only thing we actually got catered was a local woman made the Groom's cake. We got married at a friends' house in his front yard by the pond. The entire wedding cost us less than $ 750.
2007-03-26 15:17:39 · answer #4 · answered by twinmom 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would just have it at a local restaurant that has a special room for bigger parties. You could order off the menu and stay close to $800 or $1000. Maybe just limit the alcohol (like buy a few bottles or wine or pitchers of beer) and order a few appetizers to share and then let everyone order what they want for dinner. Some buffet places have a seperate room as an option too if you want to go that route. A lot of receptions have a buffet style dinner, so it's not like it's much different than that :) Plus, if you got the seperate room you can decorate it a little bit too. And I would think any of those places would allow you to bring in a cake for something like that so you wouldn't have to order off their menu. Have fun planning!
2007-03-26 15:02:51 · answer #5 · answered by jennyss 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You didn't say if you were getting married in a church or not, but most small weddings w/small budgets that I've been to had their reception in the church reception hall. It should cost practically nothing. If not then I would suggest someones home or backyard. I had mine in my mother-in-laws home and it was great. It's not about the place anyway, it's about your happy occasion. Especially if it's just close family and friends, they will totally understand. Don't let some of these bozo's on here tell you otherwise! If you live in a small town you might also check into your local American Legion building. I know ours rents theirs out for minimal cost as we have used it many times for family reunions and such. Then you could use all the money you saved on your honeymoon. Anyway, good luck to you and congrats!!!
2007-03-26 15:13:06 · answer #6 · answered by F-1 says KISS IT! 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you get married at a church you could rent the hall. Or if your parents or the grooms folks have a big enough house why don't you just have the reception at their home?
You can have a big meal or just snacks and champagne.
A restaurant can get expensive.
I had a catered thing in a hall it ran about 1500.. that was with no band. But I have seen people have a small wedding at a bed and breakfast in the Napa valley with a small buffet afterwards. It's really whatever you feel comfortable without breaking your budget.
2007-03-26 14:59:32 · answer #7 · answered by Tapestry6 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The reception is where the guest tell you congratulations and so forth. Do what ever makes you happy. When I got married I only had snacks at the reception. such as mints, peanuts and cheese cubes and crackers. You can do this well in your budget. There is also the cake. You don't have to have a huge reception, this is your day do what you want. If you want the buffet then have the buffet. It doesn't sound tacky. If you want snacks do so. Good Luck and Congratulations!!!
2007-03-26 14:59:25 · answer #8 · answered by Kimmie 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You could make use of a church hall,or ask for the use of the home of a kind relative/ friend with a large living/dining room. Be responsible for getting the place cleaned up after(about sixty to a hundred dollars for a pro service).
If you live in the NYC area,contact :earthmotherfromnj@yahoo.com
for help pulling this off,she's really great and has even planned a wedding for someone long distance, actually working from another town when she was in hospital (in traction), only coming on-site two days to the event and it went off seamlessly. I don't know how she did it, but she did. And she will really work with your budget.
2007-03-26 15:05:12 · answer #9 · answered by Mimi U 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are going to have to do some research on this. Buffet place for a wedding reception is tacky. I would check the yellow pages or on line under wedding receptions to give you a better idea of how much you are going to pay. More then likely it will be more then $1000.
Congratulations on getting married.
2007-03-26 15:03:02 · answer #10 · answered by angels 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋