Essential Wedding Reception Planning Tips
By Sara Doerrier
September 14, 2011
Before you start planning the wedding of your dreams you should be informed about some of the expected planning that goes along with in order to avoid shocks and surprises. When it comes to wedding reception planning, here is a list of tips and ideas to know beforehand.
- On average, your wedding reception will take up the largest portion of your wedding budget. It’s not difficult to see why either, most of the things you buy will be used at the wedding reception rather than the ceremony. Think: centerpieces, wedding favors, entertainment, food, cake, etc.
- Expect to spend 48-50% of your wedding budget on the reception. For example, a $20,000 wedding should have a budget of around $10,000 for the reception. In addition, if you plan to invite more guests, your reception budget will quickly increase.
- Reception venues greatly vary in cost in the US. The cost usually depends on location, type of venue and popularity. For instance, a venue in New York City will be more expensive due to its expensive rent and huge popularity, the rental fee of the venue may cost well over $10,000 for the venue alone. However, the average cost to rent a venue is around $1, 250, which doesn’t include catering.
- Catering fees are based on the type of food ordered, skills of the caterer, and the number of guests you will need to feed. Hiring the hottest caterer in town to feed 300 guests will be costly. You can cut down on costs by ordering some of the more inexpensive items on the menu. On average, catering fees come to $50-$80 per person.
- You want to have a delicious, crowd-pleasing cake on your wedding day, so make sure the money you spend on it is worth it. Some bakers charge per slice, while others have a flat fee. Think about $500+, when it comes to your cake budget. Ask the caterer whether they will charge you to slice and plate the cake. If you want to cut down on your dessert costs choose a dessert other than cake, like pie, cookies or ice cream.
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