Casual Reception - Need Advice

jessicaanderik

I have been reading these boards for awhile and people seem to give really honest and helpful advice so that is what I am hoping for.  My finance and I got engaged in November and initially thought we would plan a formal but fun wedding with the ceremony at the Botanic Gardens and then the reception at a trendy boutique hotel downtown Denver.  We have the wedding budget to cover this fortunately and were pretty much ready to sign contracts but then we got an offer from my parents that I don't think we can pass up.  We have been told that whatever we don't spend on the wedding we can have towards a house!  Pretty awesome deal.

 We are now thinking of scrapping the formal reception at the boutique hotel and doing a much more casual reception at Lucky Strike bowling lanes (http://www.bowlluckystrike.com/about/photos/).  It is a really nice bowling alley with a full bar and lounge and right in the middle of downtown Denver. Both my FI and I think it would be a blast and actually my FI likes this idea better than the formal reception. 

From a guest standpoint do you think this would be fun or do you think our guests will want something more traditional?  Most of our guests are in-state and those from out of state are all family and our guest list is about 100 people. 

dmoney79

i would enjoy it, that's for sure
but, we had my bach party at one by us, and....well....hopefully its just that one
the light fixture had fallen when one of my bms walked by, and the manager accused my bm of knocking it off, and was going to charge us an extra $300 for it, some paper lantern type thing, really?
and then, my sister had faxed over the reservation and her hard number stating that we would have 8 not 9 people, and they still charged her for the 9 people.....so that night, after sorting out the business of the light fixture, she had to go thru the whole thing with how many people were there....so she thought she had it settled, until last month, they called her saying they overcharged her....
i dunno, hopefully it was just the lucky strike we went to and not all of them are poorly managed.....

but, it was fun besides that, and the food was really good.....

danieliza1127

I know it's something that me and my friends would really like, but I can't imagine it being something that older family members would enjoy.  Can it even hold 100 people? 

What about having a dinner reception somewhere less expensive, like a private room at a restaurant or something, and then have this bowling alley as an after-party thing.  That way everyone is invited to both, but if the older people or people who don't like the atmosphere don't want to go, they still get to have dinner with you and see you toast and cut the cake in a more traditional way.

chosen175

While I love bowling just as much as the next person, I wouldn't care for it as a wedding/reception venue.  To me, a place that smells like smelly feet and sells beef jerkey just doesn't scream Wedding. 

What about doing a more traditional wedding with a cake/punch reception and then using the bowling alley as sort of an after party sort of thing?  That way the more traditional/older guests will be pleased and so will the younger party crowd.

aerinpegadrak

I love bowling weddings!  I've seen some really awesome ones.  Just make sure your guests know what to expect, so they can dress accordingly.

Also, favor suggestion?  Bowling socks.  It would be really adorable, and very useful, since every time I go bowling with my friends, someone forgets to bring socks.

aerinpegadrak

Oh, price out the reception before you commit, though.  Lucky Strike is a very upscale chain of bowling alleys; I've heard they're nice (we have several in the area), but we can't afford to go there.  If cost is an issue, this may not be a viable option.

baby green bird

your guests will be just fine with your new plans. just treat them well, feed them plenty and don't ask them to pay for thier own drinks, and they will be fine.

it's smart to look towards home ownership rather than spending everything on a one day party.

shauni27

lucky strike bowling is chic and would be great!  it is a beautiful space already, well decorated, and it has a full bar!  hello heaven!  my friends and family, who are particular and picky would love it.  just because it is in a bowling alley doesn't mean it is not traditional or pretty or whatever.  like i said before, this is a great well designed space that totally reads upscale event.  good luck and best of luck with your house as well!

jessicaanderik

Thank you everyone!  Your feedback has been very helpful.  I will take your suggestions with me and talk to my FI tonight so we can make a plan