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XP - Cocktail Style Wedding Reception

kimberlyr22kimberlyr22 member
100 Comments
in Plus-Sized
We've recently revamped our wedding due to my dad's insistance that we not spend the $15k we were originally planning, and make is closer to $7k. (We're paying, my parents are not, but my dad has always been a saver and a stickler for not "wasting" money).

We are now looking at renting out the Master Suite at one of the better hotels/conference centers in our area. The Suite is a two-story, 1700 sq foot space that offers two living/reception spaces and several bedrooms that can be turned into mingling rooms.

I know that typically if you're going to have a wedding around meal times, you should have a formal meal...however, we are planning a 5:30/6:00 ceremony with a cocktail style reception afterwards.

This reception would include several display hors d'ouerve options -- cheese/crackers, crab dips, veggies, fruits, etc (available entire party); five or six passed options (first hour); and then action stations including pasta, carving, mashed potato bar,and sushi bar (second-third hour). Followed by cake cutting and dessert selections as the night wound down.

I'm a big proponent of having more than enough food so everyone is happy and full when they leave a party of mine.  Even though we aren't having a full formal meal, would you have enough options and be satisfied without the formal dinner from the menu above?  We're also planning adequate seating (regular tables, cocktail tables, lounge furniture with end tables, etc) for guests so they're not standing up all night.

Thanks!
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Re: XP - Cocktail Style Wedding Reception

  • Kome2012Kome2012
    100 Comments
    You sound like you are doing similar to my style - have you checked the prices?  Adding lounge furniture and having extra staff for passed Hor dourves made this style more expensive than a sit down dinner for us.
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  • jmorfordjmorford
    500 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_xp-cocktain-style-wedding-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:7c42c477-dbe7-4ff5-9139-f20ca1a0990bPost:1996543c-6dc4-4c50-936d-618c19f3d4ef">Re: XP - Cocktain Style Wedding Reception</a>:
    [QUOTE]You sound like you are doing similar to my style - have you checked the prices?  Adding lounge furniture and having extra staff for passed Hor dourves made this style more expensive than a sit down dinner for us.
    Posted by Kome2012[/QUOTE]

    thats what i was thinking.
    it sounds fine, but make sure that it's actually saving you money. that still sounds like a lot to me.
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  • kimberlyr22kimberlyr22 member
    100 Comments

    It's cheaper because of the room selection. The master suite is a really big hotel room...so you can use it like you would use any hotel room, which means you can utilize your own alcohol, and cater yourself or choose from the hotel packages. Also, because it's a furnished hotel room and not an empty banquet room, it already has the furniture. Because we are utilizing the hotel for most of the food, they're providing the extra tables, chairs, and staff in the 20% service charge rate. This is also a huge change from our initial wedding, in which because we needed an outside catering, instead of a 20% charge, we were looking at $5-$6k for staffing and rentals.


    Our main cost cutting measure is trimming the guest list from 130 to 50. We had been looking at 130 guests at an ala carte charge of almost $145 pp between the venue, alcohol and outside catering.  With the venue switch, in house catering, and providing our own alcohol we're just under $70 pp. 

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  • sarahlee2012sarahlee2012
    10 Comments
    Ditto to all of the above.  I looked into cocktail vs. dinner options and and quickly realized that I could carefully plan a dinner that would be more affordable than the cocktail reception. 

    That said, if the pricing works out, I think your options sound like more than enough food for people!  Good luck!
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  • AmethystMSUAmethystMSU
    500 Comments
    That's definitely enough food and heavy enough food to pass for dinner. Make sure you have enough seating for everyone though. My aunt got married last year with a heavy hors d'oeuvres reception and there were like 30 chairs for 150 people. Not so good.
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  • kimberlyr22kimberlyr22 member
    100 Comments
    I should have mentioned the massive chop to the guest list in my original post :)
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  • AmethystMSUAmethystMSU
    500 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_xp-cocktain-style-wedding-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:7c42c477-dbe7-4ff5-9139-f20ca1a0990bPost:dec7fba8-2e2c-4565-b127-8827a0e594f9">Re: XP - Cocktain Style Wedding Reception</a>:
    [QUOTE]It's cheaper because of the room selection. The master suite is a really big hotel room...so you can use it like you would use any hotel room, which means you can utilize your own alcohol, and cater yourself or choose from the hotel packages. Also, because it's a furnished hotel room and not an empty banquet room, it already has the furniture. Because we are utilizing the hotel for most of the food, they're providing the extra tables, chairs, and staff in the 20% service charge rate. This is also a huge change from our initial wedding, in which because we needed an outside catering, instead of a 20% charge, we were looking at $5-$6k for staffing and rentals. Our main cost cutting measure is trimming the guest list from 130 to 50. We had been looking at 130 guests at an ala carte charge of almost $145 pp between the venue, alcohol and outside catering.  With the venue switch, in house catering, and providing our own alcohol we're just under $70 pp. 
    Posted by kimberlyr22[/QUOTE]
    Providing your own alcohol will save a TON. The markup they charge is just ridiculous.
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  • kimberlyr22kimberlyr22 member
    100 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_xp-cocktain-style-wedding-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:7c42c477-dbe7-4ff5-9139-f20ca1a0990bPost:d4933bcc-0990-4a7e-8f59-54aa43e97266">Re: XP - Cocktain Style Wedding Reception</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: XP - Cocktain Style Wedding Reception : Providing your own alcohol will save a TON. The markup they charge is just ridiculous.
    Posted by AmethystMSU[/QUOTE]


    We are very excited about providing our own alcohol. For Christmas, my parents are purchasing a white and a red wine making package for my fiance and I.  This package allows us to go to a local winery, make our own white and red wine (under instruction) in a three-session course, and come home in 3 months with 30 bottles of each with our customized logo. It's ~$325 for the course including the 60 bottles of wine. We're excited to be able to serve our guests wine that we made and we should have more than enough bottles to give each couple one to take home.
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  • becka717becka717 member
    100 Comments

    Sounds like you have it all thought out.  What you described should be enough options so that no body goes hungry.  Just make sure there is enough of each option available so people can eat their fill :)


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  • becka717becka717 member
    100 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_xp-cocktain-style-wedding-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:7c42c477-dbe7-4ff5-9139-f20ca1a0990bPost:cbf05da3-5b3b-40e0-9fa2-626f73ec27ae">Re: XP - Cocktain Style Wedding Reception</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: XP - Cocktain Style Wedding Reception : We are very excited about providing our own alcohol. For Christmas, my parents are purchasing a white and a red wine making package for my fiance and I.  This package allows us to go to a local winery, make our own white and red wine (under instruction) in a three-session course, and come home in 3 months with 30 bottles of each with our customized logo. It's ~$325 for the course including the 60 bottles of wine. We're excited to be able to serve our guests wine that we made and we should have more than enough bottles to give each couple one to take home.
    Posted by kimberlyr22[/QUOTE]

    That sounds like sooooo much fun!  There is a place near me that offers that as well.  I really want to try it.

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  • AmethystMSUAmethystMSU
    500 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_xp-cocktain-style-wedding-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:7c42c477-dbe7-4ff5-9139-f20ca1a0990bPost:cbf05da3-5b3b-40e0-9fa2-626f73ec27ae">Re: XP - Cocktain Style Wedding Reception</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: XP - Cocktain Style Wedding Reception : We are very excited about providing our own alcohol. For Christmas, my parents are purchasing a white and a red wine making package for my fiance and I.  This package allows us to go to a local winery, make our own white and red wine (under instruction) in a three-session course, and come home in 3 months with 30 bottles of each with our customized logo. It's ~$325 for the course including the 60 bottles of wine. We're excited to be able to serve our guests wine that we made and we should have more than enough bottles to give each couple one to take home.
    Posted by kimberlyr22[/QUOTE]
    That sounds awesome!!!!!! Yum!
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  • RaptorSLHRaptorSLH member
    500 Comments First Anniversary
    So long as the stations are big enough, it definitely works.  Sounds like my cousin's cocktail hour, and there was so much food there we all thought the programs were misprinted, and cocktail hour was the dinner. (And I came by my figure honest - if there was enough food for this hobbit, there was enough for anyone.)
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  • RNMOMTO3RNMOMTO3 member
    Ninth Anniversary 10 Comments
    We aren't really drinkers so we decided not to provide alcohol. Our venue requires you to pay for certified pourers but you bring your own alcohol. We also don't want to be responsible if someone drives drunk. My dad was wanting an open bar but I told him we didn't so it's out. This also saves us several hundred dollars as well. We are also catering our own food and this will allow us to feed 130 guests for less than a $1000.
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