Sacrifice a reception for a honeymoon?

Nat123110 · April 2011

My fiance and I are planning on paying for most of if not all of the wedding ourselves as we're not exactly sure how to approach asking our families for help. With this in mind we kind of have given up the idea on a very formal wedding, however we don't completely want to miss out on a reception because we'd like to go to Italy for our honeymoon

How do we still have a ceremony/ reception without having a full on dinner? We do still want a first dance and I don't want to miss out any of the great photos from the big day..what reception ideas are good for this? I'm not sure sacrificing a reception for a honeymoon is the right way to go...any ideas?

sklink0486 · April 2011

You have many options. You could have a cake and punch reception which is really the cheapest way to go for a reception, but it should be during a non-meal time (like 3 pm or something). You could have a late morning reception with breakfast/lunch foods which is usually cheaper. You could do a cocktail reception in which you serve hourdearves, but this should also be at a non-meal time. In general, cutting alcohol either a little or completely out definitely cuts costs and/or cutting the amount of food. But, like I said, you would have to be considerate of the time of day.

Your other option, which is what my fiance and I are doing, is we are having a nice reception because we want people who are traveling far to come to our wedding to have a great time and have good food and drinks, and we are going on a nice "honeymoon" a few months later or at our 1-year anniversary after we've had more time to save money.

unplainjane · April 2011

I would say do a cocktail reception with just finger foods. The food can even be diy. and try to find a venue where you can serve your own alcohol. This will save you a lot. As well cut your guest list as much as possible.

Calypso1977 · April 2011

we had a simple reception and a simple honeymoon (3 nghts away at a local beach resort). we then took a much more extravagant trip about 1.5 years later when we were in a better financial situation.

jemmini6 · April 2011

Cutting your guest list is the fastest way to cut expenses, no matter what type of reception you are having. As far as I know, a simple cake and punch reception is really the cheapest route to go, but as PP's have mentioned, this must be done during a non mealtime. It will also likely be much shorter, maybe only 2-3 hours. You can still do your traditional dances, but it's unlikely that you'll get the full dancing like a typical dinner reception. If you really want that part, you could do your ceremony at like 1PM, cake & punch immediately following for about 2 or 3 hours. Then maybe go out to a realy nice dinner with just you and your brand new husband. Then you could get meet up with and of your friends & family who want to keep the party going and go out to a few bars or clubs to dance.

mattycam · April 2011

You don't have to have your honeymoon right away. You can have a mini-moon (ex.a weekend getaway) and have your honeymoon later when you can afford it. If you prefer to have your honeymoon right away, I definately agree with Jemmini to cut your guest list.

GJones27 · April 2011

I can't imagine the cost of a honeymoon to Italy equaling the cost of a full sit-down dinner reception (at least not in San Francisco where I live). Have you thought about cutting down on the expenses for a trip to Italy? Like traveling offseason?

Milsey32 · April 2011

PPs have made great suggestions... mid-day weddings do require a meal or alcohol, which is a big money saver. What about outdoors at a nearby park? (or even a backyard wedding if anyone has enough room...) Check out the budget board for more tips...

- fake flowers (often less expensive AND you can try to sell them to other brides to get money)

- figure out what is the 'top priority' and what you don't have to spend as much money on (i.e. a cake from Walmart instead of $4 per serving elsewhere)

- DIY ... which is not always cheaper but still something to look into

best of luck! Italy is a great HM destination [:

Nat123110 · May 2011

Thanks girls! I'll definitely look into all the suggestions

I haven't booked my venue yet but they do allow your own carterinf vendors and also your own alcohol.. I may also look into maybe doing my wedding on a Friday since I hears it's cheaper

novaofsweden · May 2011

I didn't want to miss out on having a nice reception with family and friends so we decided to go budget on the honeymoon. I figured we'd have plenty of chances to travel and spend time together but only one wedding. But if you're dead set on saving on the reception having fewer guests will definitely bring costs down.

Lisa50 · May 2011

You can definitely have an early wedding and lite fare (cake and punch or light appetizers) reception to save on money.

My fiance and I have decided to sacrifice the honeymoon in order to have the kind of wedding and reception (with close family and friends in attendance) we want. As our parents, aunts and uncles age, this is really important to us.

Sacrifice a reception for a honeymoon?

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