How to Have an Inexpensive Sit Down Dinner for Your Wedding

A sit-down dinner can quickly become one of the most expensive events at your wedding. However, by scaling back and even adding in some DIY decorations, you can easily save yourself thousands of dollars. While some people might have the means to go all-out and spend $20,000 on an extravagant gala after the wedding, most of us just aren't that fortunate. Read through the following tips on budgeting for your dinner and decide on the areas where it's advantageous for you to cut costs.

To further trim costs, you can reduce the number of guests that you invite to attend the dinner. A smaller sit-down dinner would not only be less costly but also more intimate. You also need to decide what type of service the waitstaff will offer. A plated service means the full meal is placed on a plate and served individually to each guest. A Russian service means the plates are already on the table and the server serves the course from a platter. A French service is similar but uses two servers, one to hold the platter and one to serve the food.

Compile the guest list, which will help you calculate how much the meal will cost you in total. Generally, a sit-down dinner costs approximately $100 per person. The price will also depend on what type of food you serve. Decide on the entrée next. You can save money by serving something less expensive like pasta or chicken instead of steak or lobster. For more ideas on economical wedding menus, visit the Weddings Affordable website (see Resources).

Decide on a location. Make a list of possible locations and call around to get prices and check availability. You will need your guest list for this to determine the size of the space to reserve. A good idea would be to check with local hotels to see if they have banquet rooms available. You can also rent out a restaurant and if reserved far enough in advance, use its waitstaff. Another option would be to reserve a room at a country club or at your church. This decision is largely based on size of the room you need and availability.

Determine the length of the dinner. How many courses will you be serving? A longer meal means a higher cost. The longer people are there, the longer the servers will have to remain. You also need to decide if you will be serving wine or not. If so, you should leave it on the table because people tend to drink less when they serve themselves. For help on choosing an affordable wine, read suggestions at the Wedding Board (see Resources). You can also save money by skipping appetizers and moving straight to the salad.

Rent the tables and chairs. Chairs can cost anywhere from $0.70 to $3.00 each, and tables can range from $6.00 to $10.00. The price will be determined by the style of chair. Some rental services offer linens to cover the chairs; these can be made even more attractive when adorned with a sash or ribbon. Check with the rental services to see if they offer chair covers, which might be available for an extra fee. To save money, you may also be able to borrow chairs and tables from your church.

Calculate the cost of table decor. This includes flower arrangements, candles, tablecloths, napkins, flatware and place cards. For flower arrangements, you can use flowers from the wedding to save money. Candles can be purchased for cheap from places like Oriental Trading. Oriental Trading has a large variety of candles, including an elegant white rose votive candle designed especially for elegant dinners (see Resources). You can also save money by printing the place cards yourself.

Reference

• Wedding Budget Planning Advice

Resource

• Weddings Affordable
• The Weddings Board
• Oriental Trading - Wedding Supplies