You can use inexpensive wedding reception ideas to achieve an exceptional event, even if you are working on a tight budget. You can do this by thinking carefully about the location that you’re using, cutting out some of the normal wedding traditions or getting your guests to help out.
If you keep the focus on the celebration of your love and future, your guests will go away with memories of the sentiments of the day, rather than the price and quality of the decorations.
Cheap Locations
The best way to plan inexpensive weddings is to be creative with your location. Hiring out a hall or church for the reception can run into the hundreds of dollars, and that’s before you’ve started to think about the decorations.
Some inexpensive wedding reception ideas for locations include:
Your backyard – Inexpensive reception ideas do not come much cheaper than having the reception on your own property. You’ll only be constricted by the amount of land you own so do some careful math before putting together the guest list. If you can’t cut down the numbers, try asking around your close friends and family to see if someone would let you borrow their yard.
A restaurant –You will often pay extra to have a private room, but most restaurants can accommodate a small wedding party with guests in public seating. Try to choose somewhere that either has significance for you and your fiancé or that serves your favorite dishes. You will save money on catering and serving, and you will retain a small and cozy atmosphere.
Public land - The best inexpensive wedding reception ideas for locations involve going outside onto public land such as beaches, forests and meadows. You’ll need to get clearance from the local town hall before setting everything up, but you’ll be assured of a unique outdoor wedding venue and a stunning backdrop to your reception for free. Be warned: If no cover is available, tent rental can be very expensive.
More below...
The Ultimate Budget Bride: Lisa Spooner saved almost 90% on her wedding, now she helps others save big money.
Planning wedding ideas on a budget means you either have to accept a drop in quality or a drop in quantity. A drop in quantity could mean inviting fewer guests to the reception or skipping over some of the more expensive wedding traditions.
You could leave out the following and your guests will not notice the difference:
Formality - The more formal a wedding reception, the more expensive it will be. A casual venue will trickle down to more casual attire which may mean a more comfortable and enjoyable time for you and your guests
Centerpieces – It is possible to spend a fortune on centerpieces, but you can leave your tables empty and your guests will still talk, eat and drink the night away.
Traditional wedding cake – One of the best inexpensive wedding reception ideas is to scrap the expensive wedding cake and ask each member of your bridal party to make you their favorite cake. These can then be displayed on different levels, and allows you a greater variety of flavors as well as meeting dietary needs like gluten free diets.
Wine on the table – While free wine definitely goes down well at the reception, it can become very expensive to fund a couple of bottles per table. Better to have guests walk to the bar for drinks, or have the free beer and wine up to a certain dollar amount, then have a cash bar.
Asking for Help
Your wedding is as much about getting your friends and family together to celebrate your love as it is about having a perfectly planned day.
Explain your wedding on a budget ideas to your friends and you will be amazed at what other ideas they come up with.
For example, you could ask each person to bring a dish, potluck style, to the celebration.
You’ll need to make sure that you get a mixture of sweet and savory dishes or you’ll end up with a bizarre selection.
Other inexpensive wedding reception ideas where your guests can help are collecting flowers from their own gardens for the bouquets and centerpieces or bring along a photo of their own wedding day for the cake table as a decoration.
