Budget Wedding: Tips for a Cocktail Reception

Do you want to save money on your wedding reception, but you don’t want to sacrifice elegance? A classy but inexpensive reception can be in your reach simply by opting to have a cocktail reception rather than a sit down dinner or buffet.

If you plan to have your wedding in the evening, and your reception falls in between the hours of 5 PM to 7 PM, then a cocktail reception is probably an excellent choice for you, especially if you would like to think of your reception as a “party.”

Cocktail receptions are an excellent way to create a relaxing social atmosphere for your guests. Rather than having assigned seating and a sit down dinner, cocktail receptions place a few tables throughout the reception location and offer a variety of both passed and stationery hors d’oeuvres. Also, cocktail receptions encourage more dancing and mingling, and may give you more time to spend with your guests, rather than a sit down dinner which may only allow time for a receiving line and the typical schedule of events featured at a reception (bouquet toss, cake pulls, etc.)

Having a cocktail reception can shave a lot of cost from your catering budget because there is less food prepared, less wait staff is required, and there is typically little cleanup and preparation involved. You also save on rentals for tables, centerpieces, china, placecards, and other items required for a sit down dinner. Furthermore, you will save on hourly rates for your reception location because there is less time required for a cocktail reception.

Having a cocktail reception can make it possible to have your reception in an uncommon location. Instead of having the reception at a hall or restaurant, your reception could be held in a beautiful garden, a nearby park, next to the pool, or even in your backyard. If you do choose to have your reception somewhere out of the ordinary, be sure to have ample space for sitting as well as traffic flow and also enough space for dancing and mingling.

Here are a few tips for having an excellent, elegant, cocktail reception:

~ When it comes to the menu, choose a variety of different hors d’oeuvres. Not only choose items that are different in taste, but also in appearance. Furthermore, be sure to choose enough variety for the length of your reception. For a three hour reception, serve at least eight different hors d’oeuvres. Add three more hors d’oeuvres for each hour over the average three hour reception.

~ Be sure to choose finger foods, like sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and others. You may choose to have several stationery hors d’oeuvres on tables that can require plates and little forks, but for the most part, try to keep the food easily eaten with a toothpick or hands.

~ Be aware that you may save on your food bill, but may pay a little more for liquor, since after all, it is a “cocktail” reception.

~ Lastly, be sure to schedule times for all of the typical wedding traditions like your receiving line, first dance, bouquet toss, cake cutting, etc. Don’t get too involved in your “party” to remember the traditional reception activities.