Budget Receptions

Hi All

We are getting married abroad and planning a party on our return. Can anyone tell me if they've had a 'budget' e.g. £1000 or less (less ideally!) reception and how you went about it? I am struggling so far with the catering. Venue not so much of a prob as my friend does amazing venue dressing and has offered to do for free as a wedding present (what a best friend I love her!).

We don't drink and although don't expect everyone else not too I don't really want to pay for other people's booze habits! What else do you think should be essentially part of the party - that we can be inventive about?! !

Any help welcomed xx

probably about 120 but we don't want it to feel cheap! venue dressing is not an issue neither is the cake really just food and music!

It can be very hard, but for our wedding evening reception we had: Function room hire for the day £160, Disco/DJ £130, food was done by inhouse caterer for £8.25 per head (included all sandwiches, savoury items, oriental/indian dishes, salads & puddings!), we invited 200, were expected 160, catered for 120, probably had 140/145 come on the night and had a little bit of food left. Decor was on top and probably cost about £100 max, and then our 3 tiered cake, that was free made by my mum. The function room had a staffed cash bar, so we weren't paying out for drinks on top of that.

A few years ago, i hired a village hall and had a 30th party with a ceilidh band. Could've booked a bar, but it would've meant applying for a licence for the evening so instead i invited people to bring a bottle/their own alcohol. Food was a buffet bought and prepared for myself. It was considerably cheaper than our evening reception, but then there were less guests & we didn't go overboard with all the decor, etc.

I went to a wedding last year in St Helens that was held in a social club.  Couple had gone away and were married abroad and their party/reception was very basic.  There was a buffet and a cake, a band and a dj, chocolate fountain and a bar where we bought our own drinks.

I wasn't engaged by this point and had never really paid any attention to the details.  I didn't even notice (until just reading your thread) that they didn't have decorations (there were big letter helium balloons spelling their names as the focal point but that was it), there wasn't table cloths, centre pieces, scatter gems, favours, bubbles or anything like that.   It was a really great, relaxed, fun "all about the marraige" reception and discounting the band, they did that for about £1200.

thanks all - I don't really want to go down the social club route.....not being snobby but it's not really us? has anyone done their own food??? whats the score about taking own booze?? I used to be a cocktail bartender so i know i could knock up some nice drinks and get someone to serve them for not much? didn't think would be allowed that though?

LLB x

lucieloulabelle:

Hi All

 

We are getting married abroad and planning a party on our return. Can anyone tell me if they've had a 'budget' e.g. £1000 or less (less ideally!) reception and how you went about it? I am struggling so far with the catering. Venue not so much of a prob as my friend does amazing venue dressing and has offered to do for free as a wedding present (what a best friend I love her!).

We don't drink and although don't expect everyone else not too I don't really want to pay for other people's booze habits! What else do you think should be essentially part of the party - that we can be inventive about?! !

Any help welcomed xx

 

Oh oh oh, sooo glad you asked this.  I had a super idea that OH hated, so we didn't.  Hire a village hall, get it decorated (thanks to your fab best friend) and then arrange cheap vistaprint invites to make it clear you are having a sharing reception.  Everyone brings one plate of something/few bottles of something, and then everyone shares.

I love the simplicity, and it would be very budget friendly, but most people think I'm mad when I suggest it.

There are a few ways you can ensure you cut costs. 

I am having a paid bar and I am a drinker.  I have just bought a few bottles of sparkling wine for the toast, and setting jugs of water and cordial on tables for the meal and they can buy as much drink as they please.  Paid bars and my family and friends would mean i would be bankrupt as they would take the proverbial p*** if getting drink for free.

DIY - there are so many things you can make yourself such as homemade favours - little jam pots, or cookies with name of guests iced on them as nameplaces

Dessert table - instead of ordering a sweet, ask people to bring their favourite cake and then that can act as the dessert or instead serve the cake with ice cream if you are having a cake.  Alternatively have a retro sweetie table as dessert.  If you don't want to do this, just even buying desserts from somewhere like waitrose, they are high quality and a fraction of price or the best ever wedding dessert i had - those chocolate gateaus from iceland lol

There are so many little personal touches you can do and noone willknow at all what your budget was.  Try ebay for decor, i got table runners etc there for 8pounds for 10. 

What about a restuarant? If you know of a good one in your area, that would sit about 120, some will give you a good deal on exclusive use.

A picnic/summery theme can be inexpensive. Sandwiches, tea cakes, jugs of pimms etc. Even cheaper is you could use a public park or know someone with a large garden. If its not public property, you can buy wine/spirits yourself from a supermarket, & have someone act as barman.

Know anyone with a barn or large garden shed? They can be decorated in so many ways & can look fabulous.

Having a winter wedding or having a weekday or Sunday wedding can also cut costs.

Ebay & charity shops are great for centrepiece vases, tea lights & holders & jars for favours.  Any home-made favours can save costs. Chocolates, infused oils like rosemary, garlic or chilli, home-made sweets like mashmallows, shortbread, fudge are always appreciated.

If I were doing a DIY reception and food this is what I'd try to do for under £1000 -- I'd try to do a picnic theme:

Meal - have classic picnic foods, such as sandwiches, cold fried chicken, pasta salad, potato salad, cheese, fruit, and make it into a buffet -- these items hold up really well, and you can buy them or their ingredients en masse 

Drinks - pitchers of sangria and/or spiked punch

Dessert - bake several smaller cakes in different flavors and ice them in festive colors with fruit and/or chocolate shavings on top, or make your own cupcakes, or better yet, have a stacked donut tower with donuts from Krispy Kreme or M&S (you can decorate the donut tower with flowers!)

My evening room hire is £200 for a bar in central Liverpool and includes table cloths, candles, DJ and i'm allowed to do my own catering.  My aunty is doing the catering (a buffet) for me and she's going to cook it all in the day, go to the ceremony at 3.30pm and then head to the evening venue with the food.  WE're going to pop to the pub for a drink or two before we go to the evening venue so she can get it ready.  

I'm going to go to Costco and buy the food a day or two before the wedding - planning to get finger foods the most expensive part will be a couple of salmon.  I'm using wedding cake as dessert (getting cupcakes).  The food will cost us about £250 and the cake is £100 (from m&s).

So doing it all for about £650 including balloons and some table decorations i've bought from ebay (big martini glasses with water beads and flowers)

Edited to add - i'm planning for 100 people and can't afford drinks so guests will have to buy their own

whenskiesaregrey:

My evening room hire is £200 for a bar in central Liverpool

thanks so much for this post - can I ask where? we are looking for central liverpool as well! xx

Yeah of course, it's OSQA which is by the bombed out church, top of bold st.  They were very helpful when I went and have said I can go up and look at the room as many times as i want before the night.  They do do their own catering if you were after that too.  Good luck

thanks skies! i'll check that out! xx