Wedding Reception Suggestions/Ideas

BrideToBeKB

In looking for a Venue for our reception, the cheapest place I found was going to cost us a total of $9,000. This included catering, alcohol, tables/chairs, linens, the venue price and tax and gratuity. 


Trying to be creative and cut cost, I came up with the idea to have our reception in a restaurant. I found a really fancy restaurant that is decorated elaborately and willing to rent the entire place out to us for the day/night. This was only going to cost us $6,000 and that is rounding up quite a bit. So overall we were saving at least $3,000 by having it in a restaurant. 


My Dilemma- This particular restaurant, although decorated beautifully, uses the colors red, gold and burnt orange as their color scheme. Their chairs are very nice, but they are a bronzed looking wooden finish with red cushions. and The main focus of attention is on three booths that are red with a red wall background and sheilded with golden curtains.

The middle booth is removed serving as an entrance to a second room where there is a bar area and more tables. We are having somewhere between 100-150 guests and the one room is not large enough to accomodate them all. This is all fine, however our colors are white, navy blue and yellow and I am worried that the decoration may take away from our color scheme and I am not sure what to do about the red booths. Also, the restaurant only has whit and black linens.
Originally I planned on having navy blue table covers, white chair covers, of course white china with a navy blue napkin. I am pulling the yellow out in my centerpieces with vases filled with lemons and spring of forsythia. Now, I may end up having to do white linens and buying or renting a navy blue overlay, which I guess is fine and also renting navy blue napkins or just going with the white ones and providing a navy blue menu instead to pull out the blue.

Also, I'm not sure what to do about the guest/seating. I was thinking of putting the older guest and guest who I know will leave early in the room that is more secluded and further away from the band and then having our table in the room with the band and dancing, etc. However, I don't want anyone to feel left out and I also don't know how that would work for the cake cutting and all of the other little rituals that you do at a reception because I don't think they will be able to see us.
The napkins, overlays and chair covers will probably cost an extra $900 at most and I guess is still better than the extra $3,000 we would pay at the other venue but I am just so unsure about the other stuff. What do you all think, I need opinions

butterflyroy78

Well, my wedding is in 2 rooms, also. It is more difficult, but sometime necessary. My DJ recomended that we do everything at the begining, while you have the guests standing and not at their tables (Intros, first dance and speeches) then have dinner. Once everyone is done with dinner, we can cut the cake, which, I mean, not EVERYONE watches anyway. As far as who sits where, maybe just visit the outer roome first when going table to table to thanks your guests and greet them!  

Maggie0829

I understand bugets are important but it sounds like you are sacrificing A LOT for this location and that you really aren't happy with it.  You need to ask yourself are you going to be happy with this decision?  Saving $3000 is wonderful but only if you aren't completely miserable about your choice.

On a side note, I would have loved to have found a reception place that would provide food, alcohol, the actual space, tables, chairs, linens, and tax/fees all for $9000...that to me sounds like the deal of the century!

AbbeyS2011

Have you looked at other venues?  From your post, it sounds like you only looked at those 2.  There are so many options out there, just takes a bit of creativity. 

I am not sure what your timeline is, but if you are really unhappy about the decor, it may pay to keep looking.  One thing about renting the linens is you will have to enlist someone to bring them to the restaurant, set them up, tear them down, and account for them at the end of the party to make sure you have all of them.  Since the restaurant already have the white linens, and you are using yellow in the centerpieces, how about just renting navy blue table runners and napkins?  No one is going to pay much attention to the chairs they are sitting on, as long as there is one for each body. 

Not sure about the seating arrangement problem.  Mine will be in one big open room, so I do not have that issue. 

Have you looked at a museum, an aquarium, a historical house/mansion, or something like that?  Have you looked a bit out of your area, say 30 minutes away or less? 

Just throwing a few suggestions out there.  Happy Planning!

ashleytarnow

Yea where are these places?  Those are great prices!  I'm looking for a venue for next year.  Can you please share these locations because these are great rates.  

BrideToBeKB

They are in Chattanooga, TN and there are really not a lot of venues that I am all that thrilled about but don't want to travel.  I have actually looked at a ton of places and did a walk through with a hand full of them.  These are the best prices I have found and it to a LOT of searching.  I do love the restaurant and look of it all and may be able to make it work.  Saving $3,000 is a lot to me and is worth finding creative ideas for, however I am concerned about the red booths.  I think I am going to go there a couple more times before I make a decision so that I can try and imagine how it will all pan out.  

sklink0486

Ok, so I had almost the exact same problem. My colors are navy blue, blush pink, ivory, and champagne. I originally planned on having blue tablecloths, etc. but my reception will also be held in a restaurant (Tuscan restaurant) that also happens to have almost exactly the same decor and colors as yours, and a huge mural of a Tuscan landscape on one wall. So, what I decided was to have champagne tablecloths, ivory, blush, and maybe some green in the floral centerpieces to still carry part of my color scheme, but also match the reception hall- which I always think looks really nice. The girls' dresses will be navy blue still and my invitations, and maybe a few other things, but the reception will omit that color. It's ok with me because one of my bridesmaids made a statement that kind of stuck out when talking about wedding colors/dresses- she said "as long as I don't match the tablecloths exactly" lol. Ours is actually at a restaurant in a hotel though- so we still get to choose linen colors, specialize the cake, choose floral centerpieces, open bar, buffet. 

Your colors do sound a bit hard to match with the restaurant- especially with the red booths, etc. you were talking about. Honestly, I'm not sure if all this stress is worth the extra money you'd be saving. $9,000 is a really great price for all that's included!!! Not to mention- all these problems solved it sounds like? Is there some other place in the budget that you could cut costs?? 

BrideToBeKB

I am just looking to cut costs in every way as my family did not pitch in like I thought they would and It is all coming out of our pocket.  However, the venue for $9,000 is very nice, but the food is catered and less fancy.  It would be a buffet dinner vs a sit down at the restaurant.  Also people would not be waited on/served, they would have to get there own so it would be a more relaxed feel.  I really would love to have a sit down dinner vs buffet and it is cheaper but I hate to give up my colors too.  I had a good idea the other day. I could use the white linens and then have round place mats under each plate that is navy so it would pull out the navy without clashing with everything too much.  What do you think about that idea?  

sklink0486

I think that's a good idea! What are you doing for your centerpieces?

BrideToBeKB

Half of the tables will have tall vases filled with lemons and forsythia and half will have shorter vases with some sort of white sprigs and forsythia and maybe cut lemons in side the vase

sklink0486

Sounds very pretty!