5 Tasteful Dinner Reception Alternatives

So, you don’t have a budget for a big sit-down dinner reception for your wedding. Don’t despair. You still plenty of options where you can keep your event formal and filling. You might also do a lot of things yourself further cutting your expenses all the while making sure you serve your guests delicious food.

Wedding Reception Alternatives

Also, these reception alternatives are great for those who don’t drink much or at all. You can keep it as dry as you want and instead treat your guests with tasty non-alcoholic beverages.

Brunch Reception

We love an idea of a brunch reception. What a great way to cut out expensive dinner meals in favor of all favorite waffles, bacon, and eggs, rolls, and sandwiches. You can also keep your alcohol menu limited and instead go with refreshing lemonade, toast champagne, and ice tea. Another great thing is that you won’t be expected to dance, so you can also skip the band, the DJ, and the whole of expenditures related to it. Or you can invite a solo artist to perform while your guests mingle and snack on appetizers.

Punch & Cake

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Punch and cake is a sweet way to celebrate your wedding without too much alcohol and expensive catering. If you’re big on sweets, you’ll love that your reception is only cake and candy. Instead of actual punch you can serve champagne, signature drinks, or some light cocktails of choice. You should also note this in the invitations so that your guests could grab a bite beforehand. Do not overextend the ceremony or road to reception or your guests will get hungry and not everyone likes eating a dessert before a regular meal.

Wine Tasting

Wine tasting is a beautiful way to marry hors d’oeuvre and open bar. Only you won’t have to have an open bar if your guests are all big the wine or they do not particularly care what to drink. Cheeses, crackers, and fruit will be a great filling snack during a day time reception while wine can help you move the whole thing a bit towards evening hours. 

Cocktail Hour

If you want an open bar but your budget is limited, you can host a cocktail where you won’t have to roll out a three-course meat, instead serve bite-sized appetizers and foods. You can host it in the evening and finish off by treating guests with a wedding cake.

Hors d’oeuvre

Hors d’oeuvre is another great reception idea for those on a budget. You can serve them with a signature drink or just champagne and wine and add desserts instead of a cake if you want to.

There are a lot of different combinations of these you can come up with, depending on your budget, time, and DIY skills. Just don’t forget to have fun and celebrate your love that isn’t just for this one day.