This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine. When I got married, my single mother could not afford to help with the wedding costs. My husband and I ended up taking out a loan to give me the wedding of my dreams. In retrospect, starting our new life together in debt was not the smartest move. When my daughter told us she was getting married, I could not wait to help her plan her magical wedding. Because we are a one income family, we are working on a pretty tight budget.
Planning The Perfect Wedding Reception On A Budget
To plan the perfect wedding on a budget, there are many things to take into consideration. You can read my tips in my recent post, 7 Ways To Plan A Magical Wedding On A Budget. We researched where we can save money and came up with a list of what we would need to cut costs on your wedding reception. Many of the ideas we found were quite budget-friendly. Here are my top five:
Budget Friendly Ideas For Your Reception
- Catering: We have friends and family helping with the food, so that will save us a ton. We are opting for appetizers and finger foods instead of a sit down dinner. Another saving is by not hiring servers or bartenders. Just keep your food table stocked and let your guests serve themselves. We are going to have stainless buckets of ice with bottled beer, water and soft drinks. We will have just two signature alcoholic drinks, which we will take turns making in batches.
- Cake:Chelsea does not like cake! I am not sure who’s daughter she is, but OK! Her best friend owns a cupcake business and has offered to make cupcakes for the reception. We are buying the ingredients and she is making the cupcakes as her gift to the bride and groom. Yay!!
- Music: Instead of hiring a DJ, we had a community playlist everyone could add songs to. At the reception, we will have one of my older kids to be in charge of the music. Total cost? ZERO!!
- Seating, Etc.: Because we aren’t having a sit down dinner, we don’t need as many tables. We have a handful of tables offered by the venue. These will be enough to display the cupcakes, set up the bar and to hold the food. The venue also has some beautiful outdoor seating, including an old wooden swing and chairs. Also, we got lucky and found a party rental store just a block from the venue. They offer a huge discount for weddings booked at our venue. We are able to get all the plates, glasses, serving trays, etc. for a fraction of the cost of a typical party rental. Score!!
- Lighting: We are going the rustic and DIY route for the wedding and reception. This means the lighting provided is minimal. Although we were offered a discount on lighting from the party rental place, the cost was more than we wanted to pay. We decided to find lighting we could use for the wedding and the reception. I was thrilled to discover the perfect option for us; Enbrighten Café Lights by Jasco!
I must say, when we took our Enbrighten Café String Lights by Jasco out of the box, we were pleasantly surprised. They are so well made! You know how most sting lights are flimsy and the bulbs are small and so thin, you expect them to break easily? Not so with the Enbrighten Café Lights. They are nice and sturdy and the bulbs are nice and thick.
Another pet peeve I have with sting lights is how fake the lighting seems. Again…Not so with the Enbrighten Café Lights! When you have an evening wedding and reception, you want lighting that will offer enough light without being overly bright. You don’t want your guests to feel they are in the spotlight, but you also need to offer enough light so they can move around safely.
The bulbs have a lovely glow that makes any space, indoor or out, very complimentary. No need to wear your sunglasses at night with the Enbrighten Café Lights! These lights are perfect to ‘enlighten your life’, whether it be for your wedding, fall party, tailgate or to light and dress up your own back yard. The LED lights come in a variety of sizes, are energy efficient, and you never have to replace them!
Honestly, my husband and I are in LOVE with these lights! I love how our deck looks with the 24 ft strand of the Enbrighten Café Lights The entrance to our house is around back, and it is pretty dark back there. The Enbrighten Café Lights give off the perfect level of lighting to illuminate our path from the car to the back door. Also, my bedroom is off the deck, and the lights do not bother me when I sleep, which I appreciate. These lights are built to last all year round, are impact resistance, and are weather proof.
Because we are on a tight budget, we are always on the look-out for ways to save money. If we are going to have our Enbrighten Café Lights on the deck, I don’t want them on all night. With the the TouchSmart Timer for our Enbrighten Café Lights, we control when the lights come on. The timer, which is super easy to use, allows us to just plug it and forget it! Now we don’t come home to a dark house!
This video truly illustrates how perfect the Enbrighten Café Lights are. Rain or shine, spring, summer, fall or winter, these lights are just a smart choice! The strands come in 12′, 18′, 24′, 36′ and 48′, with prices ranging from $39.99 to $99.99. Because you can connect the strands, you can almost customize the size you need for your wedding, home, office, dorm, club or school. Be sure to follow Jasco Products on Facebook and Twitter.
I am super excited to announce the folks at Jasco are offering a giveaway for one $250 Amazon gift card!! Enter below for your chance to win and good luck!
Do you have any tips to cut costs on a wedding reception? I would love to hear them!
