Great deals can be obtained when you know how much money you are working with. It really doesn’t matter how small your budget is for the reception because all budgets can be catered for.

Your reception budget should be approximately 30% of your wedding budget. Most wedding receptions are so expensive due to the fact of providing meals, decorations, hall rentals etc.

If you prefer to rent a hall or space for your reception, you must consider many things before making this decision. You will have to think of the prices for the hall rental, the cost of using their servers (most halls include servers in price and they are not negotiable), flowers, decorations, drinks, meals etc.

When you want to rent a hall for your reception there are some things that the hall will include in your rental that you can’t avoid paying for such as: servers, decorations, and wine. But, some halls will give you the option to pick and choose the extras that you want.

Depending on the type of hall that you choose to rent, the costs can vary greatly. For example, if you rent a large hall, you could pay more than if you hired a legion hall.

You might also want to consider that if you are starting with a small budget, that hiring a hall might not be worth the effort and money, or it may leave you with fewer options.

There are a few tips when hiring a hall that could keep a great deal of your costs down. Let’s take a look at them.
1. You should only consider hiring a hall if you have invited 50 or more people to your reception.
2. When hiring a hall, you have to determine if you are opting for a cash bar or an open bar. A good compromise is to purchase a few cases of beer on your own and host a cash bar for those who want mixed drinks if you are trying to keep costs down.
3. Rent a hall that you can decorate yourself
4. If you must have servers, rent a hall that includes servers in the price of the rental or go with a hall that lets you bring your own.
5. Opt for a hall that will cater to whatever your needs or budget is.
6. When it comes to the food, you should go with a hall that will let you bring your own food if you would don’t want to pay extra for catering.
7. Serving vegetable and fruit trays, as well as finger foods such as sandwiches will be of great value in accommodating vegetarians
8. Selecting a casual reception will let you serve your food buffet style which will be considerably cheaper.
9. Opt for non-weekend dates because these are not peak hours for the hall and the costs may be less
10. You should choose to host your event during the winter for the best rates
11. Negotiate a special discount by paying cash instead of credit card. The majority of reception halls will do this
12. Opt to go with a non-dinner reception offering snack foods and munchables

Hosting wedding festivities at a hall does not have to cost too muchif you know how to get around the basics.

Most couples would like to host their reception at a reception hall because they feel that it is more elegant than hosting it outdoors. But, this is not always the case. Sometimes, hosting your event outdoors is more fun and it is also much cheaper.

And remember you can ask a family member or friend to be your wedding MC. Just make sure you pick the right person. Learn more:
Wedding mc tips
Checklist for mc at wedding
Wedding mc duties