How to Plan Your Wedding Reception

It is most common to have your wedding reception at a hotel banquet room. If you choose this option, your hotel will work with you and your budget to create a reception you can both live with and love. The advantage of this arrangement is that they have the expertise, and the facilities to meet your needs. You don’t have to worry about getting a liquor licence, or any other of a dozen small details because they look after it all. The down side is that this is a more costly option than, say, a home reception.

If you are looking at other options, there are different places to hold your wedding reception. One option would be to rent a local hall. These are often stand-alone buildings, or sometimes are part of a building complex. Renting a hall allows you to arrange for your own caterers, or to even provide the food through family members or a potluck style reception. This type of reception is more work, because you usually need to arrange for the liquor license yourself, as well as ensure the place is clean before you leave (or you lose your damage deposit). When renting a hall, it is important to find out what the rules are for decorating the room. Sometimes there are restrictions to using tape, for example, or the need to use only certain types of fasteners on the walls.

Another option would be a private room in a favourite restaurant. This is an inexpensive option because the cost of the meal and drinks are the cost of the reception (don’t forget the tip). This works well with a small wedding party. If your wedding party is larger, some restaurants have a “hall” that they rent out for large parties. They still provide food and drinks, but usually these rooms have a dance floor and you can bring in your own music or band. Often the use of this room is included in the pricing they give you when they quote you the cost per plate. Always ask if there are any addition (or hidden) costs (gratuities, corkage, etc).

At this point it would be prudent to talk about corkage fees, and gratuities. A corkage fee is the cost that a restaurant, hotel, or hall might charge if you bring your own liquor to the event. This practice varies in different parts of the country, so be sure to ask about their policies in this regard. In addition, some places do not allow you to bring liquor into their establishment at all. It is very important in your wedding planning to find out the corkage fee ahead of time. Often, for a few dollars extra, you can purchase a reputable “house wine” provided by the establishment, and avoid the hassle of bringing in your own alcohol.

Gratuities are expected, and are often automatically part of your catering/reception bill. The typical cost of gratuities (tips) range from 15% to 20% of the total bill, with many establishments setting the percentage at 18% and adding it to the bill automatically. Some hotels or high-end reception halls will charge more. Be sure to ask what the gratuity percentage is when planning your reception.

Another option for a reception would be a dinner in the family home. This option allows you to have catered food, a potluck dinner, a typical family dinner party, a BBQ, or a hors d’oeuvres reception. You can opt for a ‘pasta and salad’ buffet, or pretty well any other option you can think of. If the couple are from two different cultures, food from both traditions can be served.

A word of caution: when planning a wedding reception in a family home, it is easy to get carried away and spend money on table rentals, tablecloth rentals, rental for a tent for the backyard, and various other things. In the end, a “home reception” may turn out to be just as costly as a hotel reception. Cost things out, and compare.

The final option in being budget conscious in your wedding planning, is to consider a destination wedding. Destination weddings traditionally cost 50% less than a traditional wedding. Usually, the couple and a few family and friends go on a trip, have a wedding ceremony on the hotel property, and a reception in the hotel restaurant. When this type of wedding takes place in an all-inclusive resort, usually the ‘weddings costs’ are next to nothing—depending upon your choices.