Budget reception help!

Hi,

Can i be cheeky and ask your budget? We have a small budget but have managed to get a brilliant deal with a Hotel which we never thought we would be able to have. We told them our budget and the kind of thing we wanted and we managed to come up with a brilliant package.

Have you tried you local rugby or working mens club, often they have function rooms you can use and its what we are doing, hired the room for £40, having a sit down meal of Fish and chips for 120 guests costing top price of £4.90 each but other options of sausage or half chicken are cheaper again (i have given guests the 3 options) followed by cheesecakes and scones with cream and jam also victoria sponges all homemade for a quintessential english feel, we have 180 guests in the eve and our caterer is charging £4.50 per head for the buffet, have asked my butcher to make me a massive pork pie and extra mature chedder for on top as an edible centrepeice for the eve buffet costing £40, using ivy from the garden to go on top of the table runners to add something extra and bought loads of bits off eb.y, 40 bottles of wine 15 bottles of asti, 8 jugs of pimms for welcome drinks, orange juice and squash costing me a grand total of £480 as i had to buy it from them, the bar is cheap so guests dont pay over the top and its the type of wedding we wanted, still have the full morning suits, dress and all the accessories plus 2 bms and 8 mini bm/groomsmen but without the whole thing costing a fortune, it can def be done, also for decoration i am making my own garland and adding summer flowers went on ehow and it showed step by step and will look amazing good luck xx

It's not cheeky at all but I'm hoping to get something nearer £200 than £600. Probably far too optamistic I know but we're really trying to bring it all in under 2k. With 2 children and 1 income and morgage things are very tight lol.

I'm really not against self catering and don't really want a sit down meal anyway (the thought is cringing actually) Afternoon tea would be my choice. no that'sa lie I'd rather no reception at all lol x

We have a huge abundance of sprots clubs nearby but they are all "members only hire" I hadn't thought of working mans culbs I've have an investigate.

I'll be making almost eveything lol. I'm very crafty so hoping to save a lot there too x

I wasnt a member of our working mens club either but i enquired and had to pay £3.50 to join then £36.50 for the hire so total £40 its worth a try, good luck x

Hi

We're in a similar position ourselves and really would rather have complete control over bits so we can keep it within budget. The thing we worry about is that we don't want to be running around or to have family doing it. What are you doing in terms of serving drinks and food etc? I love the idea of doing it ourselves but want to be able to relax completely on the day.

Thanks

Personally with 30 guests you may feel a bit 'lost' in a conventional venue so if it was me (this might not be your kind of thing) but i would go and get married (where ever your venue is) then go to a nearby restaurant, preferably one with a small private area, ask them to put together some kind of set menu for you and then pay for a few bottles of wine or a welcome drink for each guest then organise a couple of mini buses back to one of the gardens mentioned with the gazebo...£200 is a pretty limited budget with 30 guests so i would look at asking the restaurant for a set menu for say £10-£12 including a glass of wine per person and see what they come up with...

alternatively i don't think it would be a bad idea to just have the whole thing at home but if you are planning on eating you will need to get hold of tables and chairs for everyone which could end up more in hire costs...

x

Then don't have one Maybe just have a few drinks in a pub after?

I am in a similar situation 1 wage and 5 kids. We are hiring a bowling club (£25) and they are doing the catering for 50 people. As we are having an evening wedding the reception will not start until 7pm so I am serving a one course hot meal of stovies or chilli £2,50 pp and buying cheesecakes from Iceland and then tea or coffee. Total price under £200.

Try asking around you will be suprised who knows someone who can help.

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My sister was very canny when planning her wedding.

About 40 people were invited to the ceremony, and on the invitation it clearly stated that the wedding party had all been booked to eat at a local restaurant after the ceremony, but that anyone who wanted to come and join them would need to confirm their place and pay for their own meal.

They paid for a glass of wine for the toasts, then had a disco and a buffet in the evening.

So, basically - book a restaurant and any of your guests who truely want to spend the day with you will not begrudge paying for a meal.

Also, there is the benefit of not having to fuss about table plans, menu's etc... everyone picks what they want off the menu and can decide how much or how little to spend.

I have spent six months looking for a venue as we are also on a tiny budget! Finally we discovered a local school with a stunning hall.

I think afternoon tea is a great idea if you don't want a big deal. To save even more money (and help your guests feel really included in your day) you could ask people to bring a cake... and have a huge cake table!

Most importantly... do whatever makes you happy! We're having pizza delivered because it's our 'date' food and we can't afford catering. Everytime someone makes a face at me, I firmly insist (with a raised eyebrow) that it makes us happy and it is OUR wedding.

I'm currently looking at sports clubs and they're coming back to me with quotes around the £75 region (plus damage deposit), and the ones with catering are eminently reasonable in price. I may have to spend a bit extra gussying them up though.