Your Wedding Reception Ideas Guide To Saving Big Bucks

Wedding reception ideas are plenty. Mainly the wedding reception is the party, a time for all to celebrate your new life together.

The party should reflect the style and spirit of the wedding.

Don't forget wedding songs reflect that spirit as well.

There are a lot of creative solutions to saving money at your wedding reception. The most obvious is to limit the number of guests you invite. Hindsight is 20/20 and at my own wedding I could have shaved at least ten people off my guest list. Every little bit helps.

Consider having your wedding reception at someone's home, your home, a club, park or museum or even a fire hall.

If you book your reception at a hall, hotel ballroom or restaurant, the catering manager can act as a wedding coordinate, saving you big money and time. They can provide services such as cakes, a d.j. and florists at reasonable prices. It's like one-stop shopping. My wedding reception took place at a beautiful restaurant and the catering manager was happy to help me with all kinds of things. It was a big help!

Consider a buffet or do-it-yourself, with help of course. See other money saving tips at Wedding Reception Ideas for Food.

A great way to be thrifty is to make your own favors.

My personal favorite is to get M&Ms in your wedding colors, put them in clear bags and tie a ribbon on them. Everyone loves these and you can find you own special colors at colorworks.com.

When comparing the cost of different locations remember rental fee, food, beverages, parking, gratuity, set-up fees and the cost of rentals like tables, chairs, canopies,etc.

Don't forget if your reception is outside have a back-up plan. Get everything in writing.

A huge expense at the wedding reception can be alcohol. But there are lots of ways to save on cocktails without compromising fun. If you're supplying the alcohol yourself, shop around at shopping clubs like Costco. A lot of online retailers have great prices and selections.

Making your own reception decorations is easier than you think. Get creative with wedding decorations.

You may even want to try your hand at elegant ice sculptures. We'll show you the secrets to money-saving wedding reception ideas and really impressing your guests.