Budget Tips For Your Wedding Reception
Wedding receptions are expensive affairs and can set you back a pretty penny. However, most brides have their heart set on an all out wedding reception. Here are some ways to cut back the costs, without compromising on the quality of the wedding reception.
Alcohol is probably the largest expense at any wedding reception. There are several ways you can cut short the liquor budget at your wedding reception.
- Offer punch ? virgin and spiked - instead of having a bar. This works really well if you are having a summer luncheon wedding reception.
- Offer only wine and beer along with soft drinks, coffee and tea at the bar. Ask the staff to pass around glasses of champagne especially for the wedding toast.
- Close the bar an hour before the wedding reception ends. Serve only cold drinks, tea and coffee afterwards.
- If possible, choose a venue that allows you to bring your own liquor. Once you are bringing your own liquor the rates go down considerably and you can consider having an open bar at the wedding reception.
The venue is another large expense for the wedding reception. Think about having your wedding during off-season. Most wedding venues will be available for discounted prices during the off-season.
Also, booking a wedding venue for your wedding reception well in advance gives you the leverage to try and bargain for a good discount. If you cannot get a monetary discount try and wrangle some perks like valet parking at the venue for your guests.
Wedding cakes can get really expensive. Instead of having one single large wedding cake, order a smaller wedding cake to be cut at the wedding reception. Use this cake for display and for the cake cutting ceremony. Let the guests be served from sheet cakes inside the kitchen, which are a whole lot cheaper. You also don't need any other dessert other than the wedding cake.
If you are on a really tight budget, plan a cocktail wedding reception instead of one that includes a full meal. Also, discuss with your caterer, which foods are in season. Using foods that are freely available also means they are cheaper. Strawberry shortcake in the middle of summer costs a whole lot more than it does in winter!
Wedding photographs and wedding photographers can be expensive too. Hire a wedding photographer to take only special moments of the wedding reception. Restrict the wedding photographer right from the beginning and put him on a budget. Instead, get someone in the family or a good friend to click photographs all through the wedding. Even if you have to click 5 rolls of film to get a few good photos of the wedding reception, it will save you big bucks. Disposable wedding cameras placed at each reception table can also help you capture those special moments. Have your guests use the wedding cameras through out the reception for some wonderful candid wedding photos for pennies a photo.
At the end of the day, money won't make your wedding reception a success. How much fun you and your spouse have at the wedding reception will determine how much fun the guests have and how many memories you create!Copyright Andrea Britt, 2005. All rights reserved. Reprint Rights: Feel free to use this article on your website or online publication. Please remember that you must include the author's copyright, resource box and live URL links, exactly as shown below, to the author's website at the end of the article. Andrea Britt is owner of CharmingWeddings.com where you can find elegant, unique wedding favors, bridal shower favors, and wedding planning tips for your wedding reception and bridal shower.
Related News
Why Impact Florida will demonstrate outside of Governor Crist’s ... - Creative Loafing Tampa
Wedding Videography: The Best Way to Share Your Love Stories Over Time - Best Syndication
Brad Pitt On Today: Make It Right, Marriage, Adoption Fears (VIDEO) - Huffington Post
Did Spencer Pratt 'drug' Heidi Montag for wedding? Ask Mom! - Los Angeles Times
Crist Fields Questions About Wedding, Obama, Politics - Tampa Tribune
Melody LaLuz Fabien and Claudaniel Fabien wait until marriage to kiss - Chicago Sun-Times
6 Common Mistakes on Your Wedding Day - Best Syndication
The God of the Middle - ChristianityToday.com
ChristianityToday.com |
The God of the MiddleChristianityToday.com, IL -4 hours agoBut as I attend wedding after wedding of friends who ventured out on this journey with me all those years ago, it can feel tiring to keep pressing on, ... |
Julianne Hough to Hear Wedding Bells? - Great American Country
Julianne Hough to Hear Wedding Bells?Great American Country, TN -7 hours ago3, 2008 — If Julianne Hough ends up walking down the aisle, she might want to skip the traditional white wedding dress in favor of a paisley one. ... |
California lawmakers decry gay wedding ban - United Press International
California lawmakers decry gay wedding banUnited Press International -7 hours agoProp 8 would amend the state constitution to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples, ending a brief period in which it was legal for same-sex couples to ... |
|
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The (American) Bride Wore Red
Increasing numbers of American brides are thinking about doing the formerly unthinkable -- getting married in a bold red gown.
Riding into the Sunset in Style
Details, details, details. Paying attention to details, that's what makes a good wedding great. As the maid of honor or best man, a lovely send off for the newlyweds is a tastefully decorated car-announcing to the world "Here comes Mr. & Mrs. Happy Couple"!
3 Easy Steps to Buying the Right Engagement Ring
You've made the plunge, you've decided to get married. Congratulations!
Marriage Advice: Eight Steps to Marital Harmony
The formula for marital harmony and success is not a mysterious secret. It's actually very straightforward.
Emotional Infidelity: A KEY Tactic to Save the Marriage
Hearing that your cheating spouse is "in love" with someone else is devastating. I hear often, "I can handle her having sex with someone else. I think I can live with that. But, for her to give herself emotionally and "love" someone else?man, that is hard." (Feel free to substitute the word he for she in this article.)
Hawaii Honeymoon Vacations - Romanticizing Your Honeymoon!
Hawaii honeymoon vacations could take you to a miracle trip to the most enchanting beaches of Hawaii. There are beaches, long and beautiful across the world but none of them could be a match for the ultimate Hawaii beaches. The Big Island of Hawaii especially has activities like scuba diving and snorkeling to enjoy. Some of the well known beaches in the Big Island are at Kohala coast, Kona District, Hilo District, Puna and Kau districts. Then there are other beaches which are equally exotic and bewitching like Maui beaches, Kauai beaches, Oahu beaches etc.
The Most Important Things In Marriage
When it comes to marriage, there are things that you are responsible for doing that are so important to the marriage's success. But, we could list an endless list of these things. Instead, though, let's talk about those things that are most important in marriage.
Maui: A Prime Wedding Destination
Most visitors to Hawaii would agree that Maui is the most beautiful of all the settled islands there. For your wedding ceremony, for that special day you'll remember for the rest of your lives, there's no better location than Maui. When most people think of Maui, one of the first things that come to mind are the beaches -- Maui has some of the most picturesque, beautiful beaches anywhere in the world, making it a popular location for a beach wedding.
Marriage Counseling: How to Keep Jealousy From Destroying Your Marriage
Jealousy has often been called the "green-eyed monster," and with good reason. The "monster" is fueled by envy and can over time devour the trust and harmony in a relationship.
Searching For A Discount Mother Of The Bride Dress
You can look fabulous at your daughter's wedding in a discount mother of the bride dress. There's no need to spend a lot of money on an expensive dress if you don't have to. With a little time, consideration and effort spent on the shopping process, you can find a discount mother of the bride dress that will make you feel just as wonderful and accomplished as it will make you look.
Choosing the Wedding Disc Jockey
Your wedding day is the day when all the details that you've always thought about will come together and planing that day may take more than a year to plan. Having the right disc jockey playing the perfect music and creating the atmosphere can get you surprised bringing family and friend closer than ever before.
A Wedding Theme Can Rescue Your Wedding from Being Another Ho-Hum-Boring Disaster
Are you a Bride-to-Be? Wonderful! Congratulations! But what's that enormous cloud hanging over you? Of course! It's that insurmountable task you're thinking about all the time: "How am I going to create a beautiful and memorable Wedding Day out of thin air?"
You?re Making Your Wedding List and Checking It Twice?What Have You Forgotten?
Preparing for a wedding, large or small, is overwhelming! A way to combat that feeling is to break down the required tasks, divide the responsibilities and assign deadlines. Ok, all that is fine-but what have you forgotten?
Organizing The Wedding Menu
Deciding the menu is a pretty simple affair. Once you've chosen your menu items, you can move on to organizing the wedding menu. By organizing I mean planning how people will sit, what your tables will look like, types of glasses. All the fine details.
Jewish Wedding Rings - Traditions and Customs and How to Buy Smart
In a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, Jewish wedding rings play a very important role. In Jewish law, a verbal declaration is not enough to be married.
Your Wedding Invitation?s in the (e)Mail: Pros and Cons of the Virtual Wedding Invitation
From purchasing the garter to choosing the photographer, brides (and grooms!) are online and as the Internet's many advantages have begun to permeate most every aspect of wedding planning, a single question has been popping up more and more: can I use the Internet for my wedding invitations? As a wedding website designer I've answered numerous emails from brides asking if an email announcement to visit their wedding website can not just supplement their wedding invitation but actually replace it. It's an interesting idea, one with the potential to save a great deal of time and money. However, one big question remains. Is it acceptable? Considering the potential benefits, it's certainly a question worth asking, and some compelling arguments can be found on both sides.
First, consider the many purposes of a wedding invitation. Most obvious is the intent that the recipient understands who is invited. Also important is the inclusion of maps and directions, RSVP information, reply cards and essential wedding details. Furthermore, the wedding invitation is an expression of the couple's personal style and can serve as a memento for friends and family to remember the event. Considering all these essential functions, the question, then, is whether the traditional wedding invitation can be replaced by a simple email invitation to visit the couple's site online. Certainly, a creative and informative wedding website can serve the majority of the purposes mentioned. In fact, wedding details might be more specific and useful on a website given the amount of space that can be afforded an entire page devoted to each subject. One can easily give details and links to important wedding locations, schedules, maps, etc. Also, if the bride and groom are able to create their own site or find a designer they like, they can certainly express their own unique style and theme on a wedding website. But what about the empty space in grandma's album just waiting for her granddaughter's wedding invitation? Here is where an online invitation falls short. One solution, however, could be to purchase or make a wedding CD with the website on it. Technologically hip grandparents can treasure this memento like they would a written invitation (even if it doesn't go well in an album).
Still can't decide? Consider some of the pros and cons of the "virtual invitation":
Pros:
*Save money on wedding invitations (certainly the most compelling argument for many). The cost of an online invitation, including one designed by a reasonably priced professional, should be considerably less than sending written invitations for an average sized wedding when factoring in the cost of the printing, postage, and reply cards.
*Save the time of selecting and sending written invitations, especially if you were going to have a wedding website anyway.
*Make things a little easier for those guests who already do a great deal online.
*Receive RSVP responses via email.
*Include links to maps and directions.
*Have wedding details laid out for guests to avoid the bother of answering the same questions over and over.
*Include important links so guests can find the information they need on such things as local attractions, accommodations, and travel (particularly useful for destination weddings).
Cons:
*Compiling all of your guests' current email addresses can be a daunting task.
*Not everyone is online. Unless you know for a fact that you can get your email invitation to everyone who should receive one, this is not a good option. You never want to offend family and friends when planning a wedding.
*Etiquette, etiquette, etiquette. If etiquette is particularly important to you or the people who will be receiving your invitations, this is not the right choice for you.
For those who are thinking the whole "virtual invitation" is too drastic a change I suggest a compromise. Many couples are finding that combining the modern with the traditional is the way to go until all their friends and family have caught on to the Internet. The couple's web address can be included in the traditional invitation so their guests can have two sources for wedding information. Also, written invitations can be sent with instructions to RSVP online thus saving the couple time and money for postage and reply cards (with just a slight bend in tradition).
In the end, whether it's traditional, modern or modern-traditional, what matters most is that the bride and groom have the wedding they desire. The best advice I can give is don't worry too much about tradition and etiquette; rather, spend the time planning the wedding of your dreams and maybe make some traditions of your own along the way.
copyright 2003 Tamara Baker and Celebrate Our Lives Wedding Websites
Wedding Planning 101: Create a Wedding Planner
Did your wonderful husband-to-be recently "pop the question" and now you are wondering what on earth you have gotten yourself into with trying to plan a wedding? Don't panic! I was there once and I remember the first few weeks of having no idea what to do or where to start. Our wedding date was only five months away and I was completely clueless as to what type of ceremony I wanted, what colors I liked, who would officiate, where the wedding would take place, and on and on the endless unknowns went. There seemed to be an enormous amount of details to figure out, and time was running out.
Unique Wedding Reception Entertainment
The typical wedding reception entertainment scheme of pretty flowers and background music is fine for some people, but all kinds of options exist to spice it up a bit and provide a celebration that everyone is sure to remember for years to come.
Budget Tips For Your Wedding Reception
Wedding receptions are expensive affairs and can set you back a pretty penny. However, most brides have their heart set on an all out wedding reception. Here are some ways to cut back the costs, without compromising on the quality of the wedding reception.
Alcohol is probably the largest expense at any wedding reception. There are several ways you can cut short the liquor budget at your wedding reception.
Offer punch ? virgin and spiked - instead of having a bar. This works really well if you are having a summer luncheon wedding reception.
Offer only wine and beer along with soft drinks, coffee and tea at the bar. Ask the staff to pass around glasses of champagne especially for the wedding toast.
Close the bar an hour before the wedding reception ends. Serve only cold drinks, tea and coffee afterwards.
If possible, choose a venue that allows you to bring your own liquor. Once you are bringing your own liquor the rates go down considerably and you can consider having an open bar at the wedding reception.
The venue is another large expense for the wedding reception. Think about having your wedding during off-season. Most wedding venues will be available for discounted prices during the off-season.
Butterfly Releases
Butterfly Releases offer the viewer the chance to see beauty in flight. The viewers have the opportunity to experience the beauty of one of nature's most symbolic and beautiful creations.
|
