Planning A Wedding Reception

Planning a wedding reception involves making decisions based on your budget. While some guidebooks put the cost of the average American wedding at around $25,000, recent surveys suggest that that price estimate may be too low. The biggest contributor to "wedding budget bloat" is the reception. At a per person cost of $125, a 200 person reception alone will set you back $24,000.

There are a number of ways to get wedding reception costs down. First, if you're working from a prefix menu at your reception hall, choose the lower-priced options. For instance, if you can choose between a steak dinner at nine dollars a person and a chicken dinner at eight dollars a plate, go with the cheaper option. Similarly, eschew elaborate coffee and dessert services.

Planning the Perfect Reception
Ideally, you want to keep an open bar for your reception because you don't want to make your wedding guests pay for their drinks. Yet alcohol can be expensive, particularly if your reception hall tacks on corking fees. A nice solution might be to offer an open bar for the first few hours of the evening and then to host a pay bar.

All that said, the single smartest way to cut down reception costs is to hire a DJ instead of a band to MC your festivities. We at California DJs have helped hundreds of couples turn their special days into evenings to remember. We can work with your wedding coordinator, videographer, and photographer to make sure we get the particulars of your ceremony right. We're incredibly flexible and professional, and our price tag is very cheap considering the quality of services. To learn more about how we can make your wedding picture perfect, browse the rest of our site or contact us directly.