Weddings are events meant to be cherished for a lifetime, but in many cases, couples would rather forget about it when they’re pushed into paying off their debts months or years after the one-day affair of a wedding reception.
Receptions comprise a large bulk of wedding expenses, but inasmuch as you would like to trim the list down to a bare minimum, there will always be friends and relatives who would understandably feel slighted when they’re scratched off the guest list.
What do you need to do, then, to be able to share this most-awaited celebration with everyone close to you and still keep a budget within rational levels? Here are a few ingenious tips:
Wedding Reception Venue. Let’s face it – massive hotel ballrooms, stunning museums, or New York’s Grand Central Terminal are reception venues that make for dreamy wedding receptions. But rentals alone could set you back $3500-$20,000 which could be better spent on a down payment for a new house.
Do a little sleuthing and check whether there are “green” organizations willing to offer free rental for a garden area in exchange for donations to their cause from your guests. You might also have a friend or relative with a sizeable property who’d be more than happy to play hostess for your wedding.
To come up with a worry-free outdoor reception, plan your wedding in months when the weather is expected to be fair, such as in late spring or early autumn. Fall colors of red, orange, and yellow would be the perfect backdrop and ideal for a wedding motif.
Wedding Reception Entertainment. Hiring musicians and entertainers could cost a lot, but surprisingly, guests won’t really mind piped-in music for as long as the program is well planned. Instead of a wedding singer, give a friend 15 minutes of fame by allowing him/her to sing for you.
Visit your local university and check if there are theatre majors who could sing at your wedding for a small fee, or music majors who can play wedding music for rates much lower than those of professionals.
Try to contact your local Society for Creative Anachronism. They’re a nonprofit organization devoted to re-creating pre-17th Century activities in Europe, so you might actually be able to realize your dream Medieval-themed wedding. Some socieites may even volunteer to take care of the day’s entertainment.
Wedding Reception Food. It’s easy to simply contract the work and ask the caterer to “take care of everything” for you, but if you have a friend willing to take care of all the nitty-gritty for a reception, you can easily shave off half the cost of a complete package and still satisfy your guests.
For instance, instead of having a lunch or dinner reception, you can opt to have a midday reception where you can serve pasta or salads instead of a full-course meal. This is a fantastic idea for garden receptions, during which kids would rather play in the wide open spaces and adults would rather mingle and have cocktails.
Speaking of cocktails, instead of a full open bar, you can provide a “signature drink” – that is, a drink that you, as a couple, hold close to your hearts…perhaps a cocktail that you shared during your first date.
You also don’t have to order a towering wedding cake to share with all your guests. Fondant wedding cakes can cost thousands of dollars and can eat up a large percentage of the reception budget.
Simply order a medium-sized cake for display and get a larger sheet cake (of the same flavor) which you can cut and serve from the kitchen. Alternatively, there are bakers who can create cakes with artificial top tiers, as only the bottom tier is used during the reception. Your guests will never know!
Keep the magic of your wedding with these simple but creative ways of saving money on your wedding reception. When you make it a point to stick to your budget, you’ll be able to enjoy your special day a lot more.