It is always the goal to have fun after the wedding ceremony and throw a great post-wedding party, but without breaking the bank. A wedding reception is an investment just as is the wedding ceremony, but starting off on the right foot financially when walking into the life of marriage is extremely important.
Search For An Affordable Location for Your Reception
A place to sink your hands deep in those pockets is booking a wedding reception venue. Ask around and do your research when looking for somewhere to hold your wedding reception. Hotels, ballrooms, and large restaurant venues are often beautiful and sparkly, but they can break your budget before you get to the catering! Find a public location that is special and specific to your city to host your wedding reception outdoors. See if friends and family have a large yard or space to hold your reception. Most churches have halls and large rooms useful for having a reception. Find a reception location that is interesting and inexpensive.
Cut The Cook For Catering (Do It Yourself!)
Everyone knows that the food is one of the biggest elements in creating a happy and successful wedding reception. Depending on what kind of food you want to serve, try finding other options than simply hiring a wedding caterer. Although wedding caterers create amazing and scrumptious dishes, the price per plate can be more than a dinner at a fancy restaurant. Ask friends and family if they would help out and cook for the reception in advance. See if the venue you are hosting your reception at offers a discounted party menu that might work to serve your wedding party. Mention having a potluck-style wedding reception. This sounds against the norm, but try having guests bring a favorite dish to the wedding to serve at the reception. This will not only be a lot of home-cooked food, but a lot of food to eat!
Limit The Guest List Of Your Wedding Reception
It is never easy deciding who is important and who is not because, in all reality, everyone is important, right? However, when it comes to your reception, the number of people you invite strictly influences how much money you will commit to spending. Narrow down your guest list to 100 people or less and you won’t need a large reception venue space or nearly as much food to feed the crowd.
Cut Down The Alcohol
Although having alcoholic beverages at your wedding reception can bring life to the party, it can create stress on your budget. One option is to cut out the alcohol altogether from your reception. However, if you truly wish to have a bar included, try limiting it to only serving after dinner is over. Choose two different wines and two different beers for guests to choose from. Limiting the choices that guests have can do away with the more expensive, and budget-breaking, beverages.
Do It Yourself Wedding Reception Music
Though they can often be the life of the party, professional DJs can break your wedding reception budget bank. Instead, make a wedding reception playlist yourself and showcase the music that is important to you and your fiancé. Have a friend or family member be in charge of the iPod or CD player, plug in some speakers, and start dancing the reception away!