Wedding Reception RECEPTION There are two types of reception sites. The first type charges a person fee which includes the facility, food, tables, silverwares and plates. Examples are hotels, restuarant and catered yachts. The advantage of this is that they will do everything for you but the disadvantage is that choices of food, china and linen are limited. Usually you are not permitted to bring in an outside food/beverages and must choose from their own menu. In either case, if they allow you, be prepared to pay a corkage fee. Beware because some the hotels are known for double booking. Also be careful of hotels that book events too close together. You don't want to your guest to wait outside while the room is being set-up for the reception. Get your rental hours and the name of the room in writing. The second type charges a room or rental fee and you are responsible for providing the food, beverages, linen and possibly tables and chairs. Examples of this are clubs, halls, parks, museums and private homes. The site should complement the formality of your ceremony. The selection of the site depends on it's availability, price, proximity to the ceremony site and the number of people it will accomodate. When comparing the cost of the different locations, consider the rental fee, food, beverages, parking, gratuity, set-up charges and the cost of the rental equipment such as the tables, chairs and canopies. If you're planning an outdoor reception be sure to have a backup site in the case of rain. Approximately 35% of the total cost of your wedding is the reception. You can save money by limiting the number of your guest list. You can give 85 to 95% of you final guest count your caterer or faciliy manager, depending on how certain you are that all of your guests who have responded will come. Chances are that several, or not many of your guest will not show up but if they do be sure that your caterer should have enough food for all of them. This is especially true with a buffet style receptions, in which case the caterer will charge extra for each additional guest. However if you have a complete count of your guests to your caterer and some of them don't show up you still have to pay for their plate. In offering a buffet meal have the catering staffs serve the food onto guests plate rather than allowing guest to serve themselves. This will help regulate the food consumption. Wedding Reception Ideas - The best money saving ideas.