How to Save Money on Your Wedding Venue

This is part one of my six-part series on how to save money while planning a wedding.

The venue for a wedding reception is the single largest line item on most couples' budgets, accounting for 45% of the total bill in 2018. This can be a misleading figure because some venues simply include their usage fees in the onsite catering total. Regardless, $120 per plate (plus 18% mandatory gratuity) locales abound and that will not do for a couple looking to economize. If you think outside the traditional wedding mega-halls, you can save some serious dough. Some ideas for unusual and frugal wedding reception locations:

  • Houses of worship
    • Your church, temple, mosque, or other house of worship may have a hall or other attached community center. When you speak to your officiant regarding the ceremony services, you can ask about these potential reception venues. The cost for members to rent such a room or hall would be pennies compared to the cost of traditional wedding venues.
  • Cultural centers
    • Think “Sons of Italy” or other nationality-specific organizations. Ask your friends and family members if they belong to such an organization and you may be able to network your way into such a venue and make new connections, to boot.
    • Libraries may have a room for events that is available for residents to rent. To my surprise, I discovered that my town library system has reserved the oldest library building in town as a dedicated event venue and it is quite popular for weddings!
    • Local museums often host weddings and other formal events. I am biased because I chose to get married at a science museum! My guests enjoyed the unique venue that provided plenty of entertainment (perfect for the non-dancers among your guests!) in the form of exhibits and several art installations.
    • Art galleries – built-in décor and entertainment!
    • Historic homes can provide a stately setting for your ceremony as well as your reception in some cases.
  • Bed and Breakfasts
    • Some inns and B&Bs are available to rent in their entirety for your wedding party, both independently and through websites such as AirBnB.
  • Parks and natural areas
    • State and local parks are popular wedding venues for lovers of the great outdoors. Local parks often have extremely low rental fees for residents (for instance, my town charges $75 to rent a park for the day). Larger parks may have dedicated event venues that are as elegant as any traditional large wedding halls at a fraction of the price. Even if you need to rent large tents and sound equipment, the cost of renting an outdoor space will generally pale in comparison to renting part of a larger building.
  • Restaurants
    • Choosing a local restaurant as your reception venue can be as convenient as choosing a larger wedding hall; you likely won't need to set up or take down anything and you'll have a menu to choose from. Costs may be lower but the capacity might be commensurately lower, which will limit your guest list. Then again, if you are looking to have a wedding on a budget, you are likely already limiting your guest list.

One of the tables at my own wedding, which was held
at a science museum.
Photo Credit: Simply Sweet Snapshots











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