2007-06-07 13:42:37 · 14 answers · asked by dyu_an18 1 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
cocktails... serving Hors' Dourves and appetizers, wine and cheese... champagne... light and regular beer? instead of the typical sit down or buffet dinner...
2007-06-07 18:36:29 · update #1
cocktails... serving Hors' Dourves and appetizers, wine and cheese... champagne... light and regular beer? and don't forget the wedding cake... instead of the typical sit down or buffet dinner?!
2007-06-07 18:39:09 · update #2
i'm sorry about the details... i'm new with this thing... didn't know it was going to re-post it for me. thanks for your insights... i really appreciate it.
2007-06-07 18:43:00 · update #3
Not if you are tight on a budget. Liquor is costly, not to mention the trouble you can get in if someone drinks and drives. Litterally, the best reception I ever went to, was at a state park. The food was catered by the family, ( we all cooked our butts off), there was a lake for the kids to play in, and if you wanted liquor, you brought it. I understand this may not be the "choice" reception for you, but the point is the liablity was off the bride and groom, and went directly to the guests themselves. The money wasted on liquor can be better spent in other areas.
2007-06-07 13:54:25 · answer #1 · answered by Barbie 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because mixed drinks (that's what cocktails are) are so expensive, a cocktail reception with hors d'oevures will not save you very much money, over a simple dinner or even a nice luncheon, at which you can serve wine with the meal.
Better to sit everyone down for a simple meal than to have a cocktail reception, in my opinion.
There are plenty of types of receptions you can throw if money is tight, but you NEED to choose a non-meal time of day if you plan to throw a non-meal reception. Cake and punch, or cookies and cocoa, or wine and cheese, or champagne and wedding cake, or donuts and coffee...
Never have a cash bar of any kind. It is rude to have guests have to pay for ANYTHING you are offering them.
2007-06-07 13:51:43 · answer #2 · answered by Etiquette Gal 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmmm. If you mean, should you have ONLY cocktails at your reception...then NO. Do you really want a bunch of people drinking on an empty stomach? If money is tight, then you should consider doing it on a Friday or Sunday to avoid peak costs... or doing a breakfast or lunch reception instead of a dinner reception.
You could also trim your guest list WAY back so that you can afford to feed the people who are invited. Invite only close family and close friends...don't allow single guests who aren't seriously dating someone to bring a guest. That kind of thing. If it gets to the point where even that isn't enough..then maybe you should consider eloping, and having a small party at your home - like a BBQ or dinner party. Ask your family to help out, by making part of the meal if necessary.
You're expecting people to give you gifts (all brides do), so you should at least feed them. As for the "cash bar" scenario...I find this pretty tacky. I'm sure that some people don't mind, but if I got to someone's wedding where I just shelled out like $100 or more in a card, and then had to pay for my drinks on top of that...that's asking a bit much from your guests.
check out theknot.com if you want some ideas.
2007-06-07 13:50:08 · answer #3 · answered by firebetty74 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My husband is a professional chef and I am a professional baker. We have catered many wedding receptions, and this is always a question that is asked when the budget is tight.
The simple, easy answer is that it will probably be more expensive. If you are doing appetizers, those can cost quite a bit because they have to be indivudually handmade. You need alot of them and have to have them constantly flowing from the kitchen.
If you have a caterer you like, you need to give him or her the budget amount and talk with him or her about what you would like to do.
You could do alot of other things tho. You could have a dessert reception, with you wedding cake as your centerpiece, and other desserts available.
Do not have a full bar available. If you are serving alcohol, you should work with your caterer to come up with one or two wines, a light beer and a regular beer, and perhaps a signature mixed drink. If you are doing a Spanish theme, you could make a wonderful non-alcoholic or alcoholic Sangria. A signature drink could be any drink - martinis, a bloody mary bar - and your caterer should be able to help with this.
You should plan to spend a minimum of $10.00 per person on your reception, not counting the cost of your cake or bar. This is the very low end - if anyone can cater your reception for less, you may end up with pretty crappy food.
Best of luck
2007-06-07 15:45:28 · answer #4 · answered by yarn whore 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is a great idea if you have a tight budget. My husband and I had a cocktail and horderve reception and it was great. But looking back on it, the price we spent on horderves we could have had a sit down dinner, since we had 5 different horderves and it was at a country club. I think just strictly a cocktail, no horderve reception would be great, as long as the guests know that they will not be fed. . . nothing would be more embarassing than having 100+ hungry guests. Plus drinking on an empty stomach is not good.
2007-06-07 13:54:41 · answer #5 · answered by aln 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My cousin had an evening cocktail reception after her afternoon church wedding and it turned out beautiful and classy. She had a good size backlawn, we had a nice bar setup done there with small candle-lit portable tables. A bartender friend agreed to work it just for tips from the guests. The day before, we had a "kitchen bridal party" where the bride and female wedding party decorated, made center pieces, and made all the food for the reception. Total cost- $350.
2007-06-07 14:13:35 · answer #6 · answered by amy t 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My wedding was also on a budget. We had a church wedding on a Sunday late afternoon. The reception was cash bar and appetizers. It was in our budget and people loved it. Not having a sit down dinner gave a little more time for dancing and entertainment. By not having the sit down dinner we got away with renting the room for a shorter amount of time. I loved it just as much as I would have anything larger.
2007-06-07 13:49:37 · answer #7 · answered by knight girl 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think cocktail receptions are very classy and elegant. You'll be able to invite more people and save some money at the same time. I think they work best with weddings scheduled for Friday evenings or Saturday evenings. Best wishes!
2007-06-07 16:44:36 · answer #8 · answered by KaseyT33 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're having trouble with your budget already, nix the cocktail reception.
For the reception at my wedding, we had punch, tea and kool-aid for the kids, and several different sodas. And we had nice (but inexpensive) foods so no one had to go home hungry.
All in all, it was very nice. I enjoyed that far more than I would have a more 'glamorous' production.
Congratulations on your coming wedding!
2007-06-07 13:55:24 · answer #9 · answered by Tigger 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with some of the other answers...you can spend a lot of money on a cocktail reception. I would suggest a sunday brunch.
If you're still in the planning stages and haven't decided on invites...contact Occasion Creations for great invitations and stationary. I have checked and their website is still under construction but you can contact them at contact@occasioncreations.com
I have worked with them before and they are good people.
Good luck! :)
2007-06-07 15:22:03 · answer #10 · answered by Consultant 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋