"I have been searching the internet regarding wedding web pages and I have to say that your site is most impressive one I've seen..." - Becky, Fredericksburg, VA
The
most expensive part about a wedding is usually the reception. Many couples are
trying some very creative ideas to keep the expense of a nice reception to a
minimum. Here are some ideas I have heard in the past couple of months and some
that I looked into for my own wedding.
You
may not realize it, but a lot of caterers and facilities have great discounts
for Friday and Sunday receptions (not to mention receptions in the middle of
the week!) Often, they book their Saturdays very far in advance, but are just
dying for the Friday and Sunday business. A great way to cut off a large chunk
of your budget would be to get married on a Friday evening or a Sunday afternoon.
Ask your caterer or reception facility what kind of discounts they offer for
the flexible bride.
A
great time of year for a Sunday wedding is Memorial Day weekend or Labor Day
weekend. That way, you can get married on Sunday, but for the majority of your
guests, it is like a Saturday - because they don't have to work on Monday. Plus,
this gives your guests extra travel time or visiting time. You can plan a gift
opening for Monday and see your distant relatives again. If you are close to
an Aunt or Uncle, you could even ask them to host this for you to reduce your
(and your parent's) stress. In 2002, July 4th will be on a Thursday - another
great time to get married, since many people will also get Friday off of work
(or wouldn't be unhappy at the idea of making your wedding an extended visit).
Something
that is gaining a lot of popularity is the brunch reception. Couples are getting
married in the AM and following it with an intimate brunch. Don't be fooled,
though. If you want to be extravagant, you can spend just as much money on a
brunch as you can on a dinner. If you choose to make the menu light however,
this can significantly reduce your costs.
Also
gaining popularity is an hors d'oeuvres reception. A lot of fancy bite-sized
sandwiches, mushrooms, and shrimp is less expensive than an entire meal. This
works especially well for evening weddings. There is something romantic about
getting married when the lights are low. If your church just happens to have
a nice hall in it, or grassy area outside, you could get married at 8:00 PM
(indoors or out) and invite your guests to remain for some mingling or dancing.
Another
great idea, is to check out public parks and attractions in your area. I live
in the Milwaukee area, and when we were getting married we looked into both
the Milwaukee County Zoo and the Milwaukee Domes as places to hold our reception.
Both of these ideas were exciting to me because they were so different. Plus,
they were very inexpensive! Both required the hiring of a caterer, but the small
facility costs would have been worth it. Call your parks office, or a city administrator
for more information. (For the record, we didn't go with either of these because
one couldn't fit all 300 of our guests and the other did not have our date available.
Oh well!)
Well,
I hope I have given you some food for thought for a less expensive reception.
If you have other ideas or have been to a really cool wedding, I would love
to hear about it! Just drop me a note: kelly@bwedd.com.
I hope you are experiencing a wonderful time of engagement and that all of your
plans are successful!
