Planning a wedding is a true art form these days. Most younger couples are faced with a tight budget, so making every penny count is critical to all having a good time. Regardless of the budget, though, there are lots of things a couple getting married can do to help make their wedding appear as if it cost a lot more than it actually did.
Before any planning or reservation are made, it is important to figure out how many guests are actually going to be able to attend the wedding. While it would be great to have everyone come, this is simply not in the budget of most couples. Get a realistic idea of who the "must have" people are and then make a secondary list of "on call" guests so to speak. You can always invite the second wave of attendees as people begin to decline.
When it comes time to book the hall, try to find an "off" time that will garner a lower rate. For most catering and wedding halls, this will be Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and some holidays. The prime spot is Saturday night and it comes with a high price tag. When the budget is small, get the Saturday night wedding out of your head right away.
Keeping the cocktail hour light will also lower the bill. In most cases, half the food that is paid for goes to waste. Even with that, people still eat too much going into dinner and even more food gets wasted. Keep the food to a minimum, literally just enough to give everyone something to hold them over till dinner. As long as something is coming out of the kitchen, most people could care less as long as they have a cold drink in their hand.
For the dinner menu, think just a bit out of the box. A formal sit down dinner will cost a lot more and will tie up the wedding for the bulk of the night. Instead, have what is called a "stations" dinner. The hotel or catering hall can set up food stations around the perimeter of the room and guests can eat whenever they want over the course of the evening. The band can play all night long, people can dance, and when they are ready to eat, they will eat.
Most people try to outdo each other when it comes to a wedding. However, it is amazing how popular the simpler weddings are when all is said and done. After all, the goal is to for everyone to have a good time. Guests will remember and talk about having a great time for much longer than they will a fancy steak dinner.
Before any planning or reservation are made, it is important to figure out how many guests are actually going to be able to attend the wedding. While it would be great to have everyone come, this is simply not in the budget of most couples. Get a realistic idea of who the "must have" people are and then make a secondary list of "on call" guests so to speak. You can always invite the second wave of attendees as people begin to decline.
When it comes time to book the hall, try to find an "off" time that will garner a lower rate. For most catering and wedding halls, this will be Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and some holidays. The prime spot is Saturday night and it comes with a high price tag. When the budget is small, get the Saturday night wedding out of your head right away.
Keeping the cocktail hour light will also lower the bill. In most cases, half the food that is paid for goes to waste. Even with that, people still eat too much going into dinner and even more food gets wasted. Keep the food to a minimum, literally just enough to give everyone something to hold them over till dinner. As long as something is coming out of the kitchen, most people could care less as long as they have a cold drink in their hand.
For the dinner menu, think just a bit out of the box. A formal sit down dinner will cost a lot more and will tie up the wedding for the bulk of the night. Instead, have what is called a "stations" dinner. The hotel or catering hall can set up food stations around the perimeter of the room and guests can eat whenever they want over the course of the evening. The band can play all night long, people can dance, and when they are ready to eat, they will eat.
Most people try to outdo each other when it comes to a wedding. However, it is amazing how popular the simpler weddings are when all is said and done. After all, the goal is to for everyone to have a good time. Guests will remember and talk about having a great time for much longer than they will a fancy steak dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment