All About Your Reception

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!

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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.

Planning the Menu for Your Wedding Reception

When you are planning a budgeted menu, you must first know what your exact budget is when it comes to the food and drink specifically. Some people keep the food and drinks separate, but on average, the food and drink are a part of the same bill.

If you can afford the more expensive catering services, then by all means enjoy. However, if you are like most of us, you will likely need a little bit of help in creating a menu that is fitting to your budget.

If you are hosting an indoor reception in a hall and plan to have a dinner option, you have to make sure that you accommodate the needs of all of your guests which include vegetarians. You should request that the guests RSVP beforehand so that you can get the right amount of vegetarian plates.

The way that you choose to serve the dinners can vary. Here are some tips on how you can choose to serve the guests to make it a bit cheaper for you.

You can serve the meals buffet style, with this option you have people forego wedding gifts in favor of bringing a dish
You can offer vegetable, fruit an meat platters with dips and crackers instead of foods
You can ask each guest to contribute a small amount of money to the reception or to make donations toward the reception rather than buying a gift.
You can offer a soup and salad menu rather than a full blown entrée ? Offer a limited bar which means that you offer an open bar only at certain times such as after dinner and during toasting etc. that way your guests aren't paying and you won't go broke, the rest of the time offer a cash bar
Offer around the world appetizers instead of a meal. This will give you the opportunity to offer fill ups such as crab, shrimp. Etc. as well as casual appetizers like cheese sticks, chicken wings, and mushroom caps etc. the around the world motif will also provide your party with a variety of different tastes.
Request that each immediate family member create a dish instead of a present
Do not pay for extras like servers, bartenders etc. asking a friend or family member to do it instead as a wedding gift to you

Outdoor receptions give you much freedom when choosing your menu because you can serve anything that you want including barbecue, long group submarine sandwiches or pizza.

As long as you offer foods that will accommodate both carnivores and vegetarians, you will be fine. You can always find items to suit all of your needs and every budget as long as your budget is reasonable for the amount of people that you are planning to serve. If it doesn't fit, you may have to trim the invite list.

Mia LaCron is the founder of Cut-Wedding-Costs.info - http://www.cut-wedding-costs.info - devoted to helping individuals live out the wedding of their dreams on a realistic budget they can afford.

Wedding Reception Made for You

No matter how well you plan all the aspects of the wedding, one deciding factor on how well it goes is based upon the wedding reception-site. All kidding aside, having it "rain on your special day" is certainly not the ideal wedding reception environment for most people. Taking the time with wedding planning in advance, and brainstorming location ideas will go a long way towards creating your perfect wedding location.

Wedding Environment and Weather

Weather, environment and setting are the three most important aspects when planning the wedding location. Consider the location and the elements in order to make the environment as comfortable as possible. Hiring a wedding planner will do wonders in taking the wedding ceremony and reception planning stress off your plate, but there are many elements of the planning you will want to choose yourself. Will the wedding be indoor ? perhaps a hotel, golf and country club, local community hall? These places are generally easier to plan weddings for because they are designed to accommodate larger groups of people, and often have easy access to washroom facilities and power requirements for the D.J. or band. Do you like the outdoors ? if so consider a large gazebo, garden setting, ballpark or other unique locations. Larger gazebos work very well in that you can have a fun time decorating, and spending less money on flowers if the space is smaller. Other examples of luxurious wedding locations are Ski lodge weddings, Boat and Cruise Ship ceremonies and camping ? cabin weddings. The choice you make is only limited by resources and your imagination.

Scoping and Planning

The real key is to not place all of your eggs in one basket. Plan to select at least 4-5 locations for review. Meet with the appropriate persons (owners, city trade or hall) in order to establish the bottom line of what you will need to run your event there. Don't be discouraged! All good wedding planning takes flexibility, perseverance and creative energy! If you have an outdoor venue booked for your wedding ceremony, always have a backup plan, preferably an indoor location in case of bad weather (unless you are lucky enough to live in a very sunny locale!) Draw out a setting map ? a way to keep track of arrangement, where everyone will be seated, where particular elements will be. Search online for some great wedding planning ideas, as there is a host of great wedding planning websites available to help you stimulate some great ideas.

Always Get Things in Writing

Write up a contract, or read thoroughly through the document provided for the venue you choose, if there is one. Look in particular at elements such as time allowed, start and end times, maximum occupants, and damage deposits. It is usually a good idea to have a personal friend or relative with you when signing any contractual agreement.

Make It Your Own

Great, personal wedding ceremonies don't necessarily come from great wedding planners. The idea wedding planner takes your idea of your perfect wedding, and translates it for you ? helps to make it happen and allows you to enjoy the event to its fullest. If you choose a wedding planner, find one who 'augments' your style, is flexible and willing to look 'beyond the box'. Some of the best wedding ceremonies were created by everyday people like you and I who were willing to chance to create their own unique wedding theme, and follow it through.

Wedding Reception Made for You By Jen Carter

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Wedding Reception Entertainment - Choose Wisely

When planning your wedding, what type of entertainment are you looking for "A comedian" A clown, A 3-ring circus, Of course not, you are looking for high quality entertainment that is tailored to your vision for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Your wedding reception entertainment should tie together all the things you have been dreaming of for many, many months.

When it is time to look for wedding reception entertainment, you need to consider many aspects. Cost may seem to be your highest priority at first, but as you weed through the list of considerations, you will need to find someone you trust to keep your special day flowing smoothly. Tacky rhetoric, shoddy equipment, or lack of music to please your guests should not ruin your picture-perfect day.

You will want a DJ with a high quality, and guaranteed, sound system. The entertainment must provide a wide range of music to offer all your guests music they are requesting. You want a DJ who will listen to your wishes and make suggestions, not mandates, as to how the reception should flow. You want experienced wedding entertainment ? people who know the pitfalls from years of past experience - and can handle little 'emergencies' as they arise with grace and professionalism.

Your DJ/MC will weave all the activities of your reception into a tapestry of memories to be remembered for a lifetime. From the moment you arrive at your reception, your DJ will orchestrate the perfect dance between music, generations, customs, and cultures. Your wedding entertainment is more that just 'entertainment'; it is the life-blood of your reception.

Planning your wedding entertainment carefully pays off more than you might expect. Your care when selecting the best wedding entertainment possible will ensure that in turn, your entertainment can attend to all the little details and make your day perfect in every way.

Louise Alberti - Wedding Officiant
After Hours DJ Service - MA/CT/RI
If you remember the music, you'll never forget the times...
http://www.afterhoursdj.net