Planning

Reception

Money-Saving Tips

A limited budget shouldn't shrink your expectations. Here's how to cut costs, but still have the wedding of your dreams.

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As far a budgeting goes, your wedding reception will be the big-ticket item of the day and where most of your costs will likely be allocated. When money is an issue, there are creative ways to save without scrimping or giving up on professional services you may desire, such as catering. Start the planning process with these money-saving tips in mind:

Timing

• Choose a less popular time to hold your wedding. Reception venues often offer a discount for an event held midday, on a weekday or in an off-peak month.
• Set a limit on the number of guests you will invite and stick to it.
• Limit the reception itself to three or four hours.

Food Selection

• Choose a menu with dishes featuring in-season or less costly ingredients (chicken costs less than veal, for instance). Also choose foods that are less labor-intensive, in terms of preparation and serving.
• Don't have an appetizer course if you are serving hors d'oeuvres before guests are seated for dinner.
• A dessert reception, held in the middle of the afternoon and featuring a sumptuous buffet of treats, is much less expensive than a dinner reception.
• It's not necessary to serve the band or DJ the same food and drink as your guests. Ask your caterer about providing them with an economical meal, served with nonalcoholic beverages, in a private area separate from your reception.

The Wedding Cake

• Compare prices carefully before deciding who will supply your wedding cake. A hotel catering manager will likely charge you a slicing or plating fee for any cake supplied by an outside baker, so you may find that a cake provided by the hotel's pastry chef will be much less expensive.
• Regardless of where you find your cake, it will be less expensive if you keep its decoration simple. The more elaborate the gum-paste flowers, the higher the final cost.
• If you're serving a full dessert course, it's unlikely all guests will want a serving of wedding cake too, so you can save money by ordering a cake smaller than one needed to serve every guest.

The Bar Tab

• If you know that a good number of your guests are not big drinkers, consider asking your caterer to charge you a consumption rate (based on total number of drinks served) rather than a per person rate, which is a set fee you're charged regardless of how much guests drink.
• Have plenty of nonalcoholic beverages available for thirsty dancers.
• Ask your catering manager about serving carafes of budget-conscious house wine.
• Close the bar an hour before the reception ends and serve nonalcoholic beverages, tea and coffee instead.

Planning Resources: Check out our online Budget Tool. It can help work through different cost scenarios until you come up with a plan you can live with.

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