Cutting Reception Costs

May 24th, 2009

The wedding reception generally eats up at least half of your total wedding budget. Being the most costly part of your wedding also means that it is the reception that gives you the most opportunities to cut costs. These are some great tips that will help you save money without sacrificing on style.

1. Decorate with food. You are going to be serving food anyway; why not let it do double duty and help to beautify your tables as well? If you choose family style service over individually served plates, you will actually save in a few areas. You may be able to reduce the number of servers needed, and it can also be less expensive to serve large platters of passed favorites, rather than single plates of more expensive dishes. The best part is that if you choose pretty decorative platters, they will take up a lot of space on the tables, reducing the need for a lot of costly flowers.

2. Speaking of flowers, they don’t have to cost a fortune. One thing that you might not have considered is that by selecting vases with smaller openings, it will take fewer blooms to make them appear full and lush. Isn’t it funny to think that such a small change could make such a big difference? Another cost cutting measure is to use masses of inexpensive flowers over a just a few stems of very pricey ones. You will get a lot more impact for your budget, and the look is very chic and modern.

3. Speaking of the newlyweds’ grand entrance, don’t feel like you have to follow the hot trend of changing into a second bridal gown and party jewelry. The band or d.j. can make a big fuss over your entrance to the reception, and it really isn’t necessary to do anything more to make a big splash. If you want to make a subtle change to signal the transition from ceremony to reception, an easy thing to do is to choose a hairstyle that is designed to be worn up for the ceremony and down for the party. Switch out your studs for more festive bridal jewelry like chandelier earrings, and you will be ready to dance the night away.

4. Make your placecards do double duty as favors. The most popular favors are edible, and they can be very inexpensive. For instance, place one beautiful ripe pear at each guest’s seat. Tie a paper “leaf” to the stem with the name of the guest written in calligraphy. It will look pretty at the table, let each guest know where to sit, and serve as a favor all at the same time.

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Romantic Reception Ideas

June 25th, 2008

Your wedding is the most romantic time of your life. Nothing else is quite like the bliss of the day you marry your true love. Why not make some extra special memories by surprising your new spouse with a romantic gesture at the reception?

One of the sweetest moments I ever witnessed was a bride who serenaded her new husband with a touching song that she had written just for him. It turned out that the bride had been practicing for months in preparation to surprise the groom with a very special declaration of her love for him. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

If you cannot sing, there are still romantic things that you can do for your new spouse. Surprise your bride with a special gift, like custom bridal jewelry. Another idea is to set up a video feed with a close family member who could not attend the wedding. It is a wonderful way to show your bride or groom that you care about their family. A simple, but much appreciated gesture, would be to take ballroom dancing lessons with your fiancee so that you can do a romantic tango as your first dance.

The gesture can be large or small, public or private, as long as it is something sweet that will make your beloved smile. Your wedding day is the perfect time to show your spouse that you will always go that extra mile to make him happy.

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