Finding Inexpensive Wedding Venues
If you are looking for cheap wedding reception venues, then you have a number of options. Cheap wedding venues will typically have more limitations than other wedding venues. Some more affordable wedding venues may not be as nicely decorated, have attractive locations, handle as many guests or offer the best catering selections. So, you should weigh the costs of these venues against those of more expensive wedding venues to get the event you want and can afford.
For a small romantic wedding, consider renting out a bed and breakfast for a night or two You and your guests will be able to stay overnight and you can have a courtyard ceremony & reception right there!
However, for any size wedding, an alternative to what may be considered a “cheap wedding venue” is making an “expensive wedding venue” more affordable by booking your event when their business is slower.
Affordable Wedding Venues – Flexing the Day of Week, Time of Day and Time of Year
You can usually usually make any wedding venue more affordable by shifting the day of the week, time of day or even the time of year. Scheduling the date, hour, season of your wedding to an “off” time will help your budget a lot.
Wedding venue costs vary based on the date of the event and time of day. For example, Saturdays are the most booked and most expensive day of the week across the board. A wedding during the week or on a Sunday or Friday will be at a discount compared to a Saturday affair. Likewise, a morning, or afternoon wedding is less costly and easily works with a catered brunch at the reception (which is typically far less expensive than catering from a dinner menu). And, winter weddings are typically less expensive than summer weddings if you avoid the winter holidays.
Typically, a venue will have a lower package price for a time frame of around 4 hours + setup and charge more for additional hours, so keeping the event shorter will save you money.
Save money too by limiting the number of hours that your professionals are offering their service at the venue. For example, your photographer may offer less expensive packages for fewer hours on-site. Likewise, having your bar open for fewer hours and then offering soft drinks and coffee will lower your costs.
Inexpensive Wedding Venues – Limiting the Number of Guests
Fees for weddings also depend on the number of guests. Many venues will have a set price for 100 guests, 250 guests etc. For each additional guest exceeding the set amount, a fee is added to the cost. So, if you can pare down your guest list, you will save a lot.
Have a Simple Wedding Ceremony and a More Affordable Reception
Having a simple outdoor ceremony will save you on costs. If you were to exchange vows in a National Park or other public park for instance, the site may only cost you 50-200 dollars. However, for this sort of location, you are typically limited to having fewer than 50 guests and you will not be able to have a “proper” reception with food, alcohol and dancing.
Them follow your simple ceremony with a casual reception. Having a reception at a restaurant instead of at a formal wedding venue will cost less. Of course, a morning or afternoon wedding will save on cost with both the venue and on the catering. A reception brunch or lunch service is much more cost effective than the typical food costs, music, alcohol, etc of an evening banquet.
You may also be interested in reading our article on Wedding Venue Costs and Fees.
