There are lots of things you can do to save money at your reception…here are a few that come to mind…
First you could have it on an "off day" like Friday evening or Sunday afternoon. Saturdays are prime and are more expensive.
Bring in your own wine and beer and hire some acquaintances to supply as bartenders for the evening. Did you know that you can buy alcohol for your event at places like Sams Club or Costco and return any unused alcohol after your wedding?
Have pre-made mixed drinks made on the lighter side…or one signature drink in addition to beer.
Fore go the DJ. Make your own reception playlist and have it played from your iPod. If you have friends who have speakers, see if you can borrow them (your reception site may have them as well).
You can buy gorgeous roses and other flowers in bulk from Costco and you can use these as decor on the tables. Flower petals go a long way with centerpieces. If you’ve getting married in October, why not carve pumpkins with your initials to be your centerpiece? You could make it a fun activity after the rehearsal dinner.
Ditch the favors. Trust me. Just ditch them. The least thing people want is a keychain with your wedding date on it. Or another frame. Or candy. Or any other trinket that doesn’t have much meaning. They get thrown away. Or forgotten. And it’s money lost. If you feel the need to do a touch, brilliant a charity that is near and dear to your hearts and make a donation to them. We did this for our wedding and informed our guests of this by a framed note at the table where they picked up their seating cards. It was so special and meaningful when our guests read the reasoning behind our choice (because my sister and grandfather had cancer).
Top and print your own seating cards, menus, etc.
Make your own table numbers with photos of you and your hubby owing to the years. Table 1 = photos when you’re 1 year ancient….all the way owing to.
Don’t do a sweet table…instead…do candy jars where guests and snag M&M’s, mints and your other favorite sweet treats. You get to bring the candy in and you’re not charged $5 per chocolate covered strawberry.
Scroll the classified boards on places like The Knot and pick up votive candle holders from another bride’s wedding. After the huge day, there’s small use for them so often you’ll find someone who has a lot of stuff to share. I’ve seen brides sell chinese lanterns, glass votive candle holders, candelabras and more. You can doubtless find some additional things on sites like FreeCycle and CraigsList.
Cut a SMALL cake. Heck, even have the "other" layers be styrofoam that is frosted over. Then, in the back have sheet cakes to be cut for your guests. They’ll never know the difference and it’ll taste just as yummy. Or you could even do a cupcake cake. Supply the top layer rather than saving it (you can always have your bakery recreate a cake top for your anniversary).
Don’t do a full course dinner. Cut back to heavy hors d’oeuvre or do food stations. Or do a champagne reception. You could also do the buffet route, but I know some brides aren’t keen to this option.
Non-flower centerpieces - try candles, they are usually cheaper. OR see if your venue has centerpieces you could use (that’ll really save).
In some areas buffets are cheaper than sit-down and in other places 1 choice sit-down is cheaper than a buffet. Look into the price options.
If you don’t supply dinner, you’ll save alot.
Skip or limit the alcohol and you will save more.
Make your own favors. I had a table set up with four different types of candy (they matched my wedding colors). And then I place out small bags with scoopers. I had a small poem about like and candy and called it the my new last name’s Candy Shoppe. It was sweet and cute and got many rave reviews!
You can try the source below for excellent thoughts on saving on your wedding reception…
Some thoughts include:
- Find a cheap venue
- Cater yourself - buffet, bbq or a touch a bit different
- Make your own wedding favours
- Make your own wedding decorations and centrepieces
- Do you own flowers or use the flowers from the ceremony venue at the reception as well
- Have a drinks bar, or offer only selected free drinks
- Reduce the numbers of guests you invite
- Don’t have a second serving of food later in the evening
- Choose a mid-week day, you could save up to 30%
There are lots of things you can do to save money at your reception…here are a few that come to mind…
First you could have it on an "off day" like Friday evening or Sunday afternoon. Saturdays are prime and are more expensive.
Bring in your own wine and beer and hire some acquaintances to supply as bartenders for the evening. Did you know that you can buy alcohol for your event at places like Sams Club or Costco and return any unused alcohol after your wedding?
Have pre-made mixed drinks made on the lighter side…or one signature drink in addition to beer.
Fore go the DJ. Make your own reception playlist and have it played from your iPod. If you have friends who have speakers, see if you can borrow them (your reception site may have them as well).
You can buy gorgeous roses and other flowers in bulk from Costco and you can use these as decor on the tables. Flower petals go a long way with centerpieces. If you’ve getting married in October, why not carve pumpkins with your initials to be your centerpiece? You could make it a fun activity after the rehearsal dinner.
Ditch the favors. Trust me. Just ditch them. The least thing people want is a keychain with your wedding date on it. Or another frame. Or candy. Or any other trinket that doesn’t have much meaning. They get thrown away. Or forgotten. And it’s money lost. If you feel the need to do a touch, brilliant a charity that is near and dear to your hearts and make a donation to them. We did this for our wedding and informed our guests of this by a framed note at the table where they picked up their seating cards. It was so special and meaningful when our guests read the reasoning behind our choice (because my sister and grandfather had cancer).
Top and print your own seating cards, menus, etc.
Make your own table numbers with photos of you and your hubby owing to the years. Table 1 = photos when you’re 1 year ancient….all the way owing to.
Don’t do a sweet table…instead…do candy jars where guests and snag M&M’s, mints and your other favorite sweet treats. You get to bring the candy in and you’re not charged $5 per chocolate covered strawberry.
Scroll the classified boards on places like The Knot and pick up votive candle holders from another bride’s wedding. After the huge day, there’s small use for them so often you’ll find someone who has a lot of stuff to share. I’ve seen brides sell chinese lanterns, glass votive candle holders, candelabras and more. You can doubtless find some additional things on sites like FreeCycle and CraigsList.
Cut a SMALL cake. Heck, even have the "other" layers be styrofoam that is frosted over. Then, in the back have sheet cakes to be cut for your guests. They’ll never know the difference and it’ll taste just as yummy. Or you could even do a cupcake cake. Supply the top layer rather than saving it (you can always have your bakery recreate a cake top for your anniversary).
Don’t do a full course dinner. Cut back to heavy hors d’oeuvre or do food stations. Or do a champagne reception. You could also do the buffet route, but I know some brides aren’t keen to this option.
Hope these thoughts help!
You can try out the site below, they offer reasonable prices.
Non-flower centerpieces - try candles, they are usually cheaper. OR see if your venue has centerpieces you could use (that’ll really save).
In some areas buffets are cheaper than sit-down and in other places 1 choice sit-down is cheaper than a buffet. Look into the price options.
If you don’t supply dinner, you’ll save alot.
Skip or limit the alcohol and you will save more.
Make your own favors. I had a table set up with four different types of candy (they matched my wedding colors). And then I place out small bags with scoopers. I had a small poem about like and candy and called it the my new last name’s Candy Shoppe. It was sweet and cute and got many rave reviews!
instead of a cake buy stuff like eclairs and cream puffs…so much cheaper!! and cute.
You can try the source below for excellent thoughts on saving on your wedding reception…
Some thoughts include:
- Find a cheap venue
- Cater yourself - buffet, bbq or a touch a bit different
- Make your own wedding favours
- Make your own wedding decorations and centrepieces
- Do you own flowers or use the flowers from the ceremony venue at the reception as well
- Have a drinks bar, or offer only selected free drinks
- Reduce the numbers of guests you invite
- Don’t have a second serving of food later in the evening
- Choose a mid-week day, you could save up to 30%
Excellent luck!