How to do a Catholic Church reception in church basement?

shanell411

Hello all! We are planning an appetizer only reception follwing our cereomony. We will be getting married in my small Catholic church. It is not such a grand beautiful church but it means so much to me! The church basement/hall is drab it isn't much to look at but we will be having the reception there following the cereomny. Our wedding will be small around 50 people. Because of budget and also because I have never wanted a big, huge wedding we will be having it there. Any ideas on appetizers to serve? How would you suggest moderately decorating but not costing to much money? I have already decided to get nice table cloths I got for a bragin and maybe some chair covers. How would people get their appetizers served? Also we were thinking of playing a low jazz music in the background during the recpetion what do you think? Haven't asked the priest that yet. Anybody know? Also what about a bottle of wine during the reception at church is that allowed? Also I am interested in finding out how the reception cereomomy should go? Have the priest bless the food first, do a cake cutting, have mingling while we are eating at how long should the reception be? I went to a reception only affair before but it was not in a church so things were done differently. Anybody with any experience with this please let me know thanks!

Calypso1977

some of these questions are definitely for your priest.  i cant see how the wine would not be allowed, since wine is kept and used on the premises already.  however, local ordinance may require you to have a one day liquor license if you will be serving to a large crowd. 

if it were me, i'd do a buffet.  you'll probably spend just as much on appetizers, and as you said, there wouldnt be anyone to pass them out.  platters of meats, cheeses, breads and spreads should all be somewhat affordable, or you could do pasta trays.  and this would give a nice meal to folks.

if the priest will be there, you should definitely have him do the blessing before folks eat.

if you are not having dancing, your reception will probably be about 3, maybe 4 hours.  essentially, long enough for folks to eat and for you to visit.  we didnt have dancing, and ours ran from 12:30-4, and some folks who had to drive home left as early as 3 to get home by dark or to their children so tehy could see tehm before bed.

GulfCoaster

We had our reception in the church hall, too.  It turned out just fine.   
We served a full meal, though, a buffet.  As Calypso said, you can probably spend nearly the same amount of money on some sandwich and fruit and veggie trays to provide folks with a bit more substantial meal.  I'd definitely recommending pricing out the options before you rule out a buffet meal. 
I don't see anything wrong with light music, though of course you'd have to check with the priest.

Theresa626

Definitely ask your church what is allowed as far as food and alcohol.  I would recommend either hiring a day of coordinator to set up all the decor or having a good couple of friends do it for you.  They'll also need to take it all down afterwards.  As far as food goes, that totally depends on your budget.  Easiest would be a caterer because they ahve their own serving dishes, plates, cups, heating trays, etc and can set everything up for you.  But, you could also go with a local grocery store. If publix is there, they have some great cold hors d'oevres you could do.  Or you could call a local chain restaurant to see if they cater and that might be easier as well.  I suggest a meat and cheese platter with some rolls cut in half and some mustard  and mayo in a dish so people can make their own mini sandwhiches.  Meatballs in a crockpot would also work and a shrimp platter.  Some sort of potato salad or pasta salad might be nice.  You could do deviled eggs, bruschetta or mini crostinis with cheese.   A vegetable platter with ranch dressing or dip.  If you 've got a little extra to spend, get some fancy cheeses and arrange them on a plate pre sliced with some fancy crackers. 

While you're taking pictures, people can go into the reception hall and start eating and getting punch or something to drink.  Have a relative reserve a small plate for you.  When you come out, you can have the plate and then someone can do a toast to you with either punch or wine.  Then you could even do a first dance if you wanted to even if no one else is dancing and then finally a recieving line so everyone could line up and greet you.  After the recieving line, cut the cake and then walk around and mingle till the reception is over. 

How long the reception should be depends on what time it starts, how long you plan to be in pictures and how much food you want to buy.  If you run out of food, people will leave. 

Theresa626

Suggestions for moderately decorating:  Use non floral centerpieces or centerpieces with fruit.  You should ask this question on the budget board as well.  Some people take a low vase  and cut up limes for example and then put them around the vase and fill it with river rocks and a candle. Or you could buy tall vases and fill them with water and put a floating candle at the top.  You could also buy a pretty lantern as a centerpiece or you could use fake flowers or dried stems of lavender.  Lighting really makes a difference in how the room feels.  If it has flourescent lighting, you could create a homier feel by bringing in a ton of lamps from around your home and creating coordinating lamp shades with some printer paper and a template.  Line the lamps up around the room to create a softer warmer glow and don't use the flourescent lights.  If they allow it, you could also use candles on each table (just make sure you have a hurricane lamp or glass around it and above the flame).  Ask a local college if they have a jazz trio or some similar student group who could play at the wedding for a  low cost.