How can we save money on the reception ?

Answer 1

Have a morning wedding (10AM) followed immediately by a brunch or breakfast. Breakfast is always less expensive than lunch or dinner PLUS you do not have to serve liquor except for a toast to the Bride and Groom. A lot of places have great brunch buffets!

Control the time the bar is open and what liquor is being served (wine and/or beer only). Wedding guests love FREE liquor and they will take advantage of your hospitality so limit the open bar time before dinner (30 - 60 minutes) . . close the bar during dinner . . and then re-open the bar for 60 - 90 minutes after dinner . . and then close the bar at the end of that time period.

Control your guest list . . every time you add another name to your guest list the cash register rings and you have another dinner to pay for. I always recommend that it is better to have a quality meal for a few people than a lousy meal for a lot of people. Your guests won't remember what color the bridesmaids dresses were BUT they will remember the food.

Find out if the banquet hall provides complementary candle centerpices on the dinner tables, you will not have to purchase floral centerpieces.

Eliminate table or wedding favors. Wedding guests do not like "cute" or "clever" favors. They are either left on the dinner table or thrown away when the guest gets home.

Try to hire a less experienced or apprentice or "B list" DJ from one of the big DJ companies (just remember you get what you pay for).

Cupcakes are usually less expensive than a wedding cake. Order a small wedding cake for photographs and cutting . . and then order cupcakes for the guests (plus they are easier to take home than a slice of wedding cake).

There is no need to buy a disposable camera for every reception table unless you are not having a professional photographer. For every disposable camera you buy, you have to have that film developed and that expense mounts up quickly.

Eliminate the printed napkins and matchbook covers. They are "throw away" items.

Answered by: A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consultant / A Wedding ceremony officiant

Answer 2

Are you going to have a full reception? Are you just thinking of a meal after the ceremony? If you are thinking of the second call places that have banquet rooms A lot of time they will give you a deal during the week My dad 3rd marriage he did that It was very nice I have been to a wedding at a restaurant that opens at 4, they had the wedding and a meal before it open How many people is small Some people think under 50 others think 100 is small You can always do a back yard reception that is not large That will not cost more than any other party like this If your or a close one house is biggest enough, you can do the reception there You can look at a park or a church for the ceremony

Answer 3

The easiest way to save money on your reception is to cut the number of people you're inviting to the reception. Smaller numbers means fewer people to feed, smaller space to rent, fewer chairs/tables to rent, etc., etc., etc.

The next easiest thing you can do is cut your menu. If you're having a plated dinner, check with your caterer about having a buffet (which sometimes isn't cheaper). You can also do heavy hor'duerves or simply cake and punch. You don't have to feed people a meal in order to have a wedding reception. You can also choose less expensive food items; chicken instead of shrimp, etc.

The next thing you can do is lose the alcohol. This is usually by far the most expensive item on the reception tab. Change a full open bar to a beer and wine bar, or simply serve wine with dinner. But if you can eliminate this from your reception altogether, you can save a boatload of $$.

Hope this gave you a couple of good ideas to start off from. You'd be amazed at how much $$ you can cut from the reception expenses by doing these few changes. Good luck!

Answer 4

I saved by having my wedding on a friday, with a lot of the vendors, my DJ was $200 less. The reception hall was cheaper along with the food.
I also saved money by not doing table cameras and little extra stuff like that.
Also, make sure you find out if your reception place will let you pay by consumption for the alcohol that people drink, some place say you have to pay like $3 an hour per person for an open bar but if you ask they will let you pay per drink, our bill only ended up being $350 and that was for 3 hours open bar and 80 guests who drank A LOT.

Answer 5

As you have probably noticed, alcohol is a major MAJOR expense. You are probably looking at $20-$40 PER PERSON for alcohol alone (at least that is here in the NE). A few ideas...
1. Cut the bar to be one hour shorter than the reception. So, for a 5 hour reception, do a four hour bar. Then, have the bar close for 30 minutes during the toasts, and for 30 minutes before closing (so people are less likely to drink and drive).
2. Or, if your family doesn't drink a lot of hard liquor, see if the site will do a beer/wine/soda bar, and follow a "comsumption bar" scheudle for any liquor drinks ordered.
3. OR....have a drink special. Serve beer/wine/soda, but then have two special drinks (like martinis and rum&cokes). This will limit the cost of expensive liquors, and they may charge you less as they dont have to buy a lot to be prepared to any drink that can be ordered.
4. Make sure you get a discount for minors (under 21) who won't be consuming alcohol. Also, those under 12 who will drink little or no soda. We asked and got $10 credit for all U21, and FREE for all U12.

Answer 6

Keep your guest count as low as possible
Get married on a Friday night or a Sunday afternoon
Skip the videographer....you'll watch the video a few times right after the wedding and after that it will become a dust collecter.
No need for an additional dessert....the cake is just fine
DJ instead of a band
Have the reception at the same place as the ceremony
Don't get married in April-September
Price several places and all your options.... buffet isn't always cheaper than a sit down meal
See if you can supply your own alcohol if having it at all. You can return unopened bottles to the state store
Use a guest seating board instead of individual placecards
Keep decorations simple

Answer 7

Here's where you can make the biggest dent in your costs:

- Reduce your guest list

- Have your reception on an off-day like a Friday evening or Sunday

- Get married later and have an appetizers/cocktails reception instead of a full dinner reception

Answer 8

There are a number of ways:

*Decorate the reception area yourself (you can get tons of cheap wedding things at Oriental Trading Company)

*Don't do liquor/open bar. Place individual bottles on the table if you just feel liquor is a must, but only one or two bottles.

*Don't serve a full meal. Do finger sandwiches, peanuts, mints, chips, etc.

*Have friends/relatives make several different types/flavors of cakes and serve those rather than the traditional wedding cake. This way, the wedding cake can be smaller and cheaper and there is still enough for everybody.

*Hire someone you know to D.J. rather than hire a professional or simply use a stereo with a several disc changer.

Answer 9

Know what your priorities are. If food don't scrimp there. If band put the money there. Then save save save with everything else you can. Use talented friends and family for cooking or decorating, photography etc. Do a buffet rather than sit down dinner. Buy wholesale flowers online, arrange them yourselves or with the birdal party and turn them into take away bouquets for the guests at the end of the evening in place of favors. Have family members serve the cake or consider cupcakes or a dessert bar or sundae bar in place of super expensive cake. Invest in a great sound system and use an ipod for music with your own personal playlist. Most of all, keep the numbers down.

Answer 10

The most cost effective reception is a cake and punch reception. It is exactly what it sounds like...just serve wedding cake, punch, and maybe some simple munchies like pretzels, mints and cocktail nuts. You do not need to have music, although a simple ipod shuffle mix playing in the background is nice. You do not need favors, or fancy decorations, especially if you choose a time of year where your location is already decorated...

Keep it simple, either with simple food, or a small guest list.

Good luck!
Kat