With the recent news of Style Me Pretty closing it had us thinking a lot about where couples find inspiration for planning their wedding. If you are engaged and starting to dive into the rentals, decor and design aspects of your wedding you might feel unsure of pricing or how to even go about putting together the overall look. We're going to break down the budget of a wedding reception and talk real numbers!
Let's take two side by side wedding tables for example and see if anything jumps out. At first glance, they are both round guest tables with white linens. But the full drop linen on the left is double the price of the linen on the right.
Will your reception chairs be pre-set at the tables or are you using the same set of chairs for ceremony and moving them to reception? Consider the cost of doubling the set of chairs vs upgrading to full drop linens and see which is a priority to you. In some cases couples choose to use standard linens on the tables and only have one set of chairs so just make sure you have a plan for getting chairs moved over.
Now, let's move on to your place settings and visualize what you would like to have on your tables. The first question we would have is if your caterer will be providing china and flatware or if they use heavy chinette disposables. If the caterer gives you the option or you are considering renting dishes just make sure to work out the numbers for rentals, and labor for bussing the dishes.
Image: Matthew Lim Photography
So let's ball park the numbers for a wedding reception of 150 guests assuming we are using round guest tables that seat 8 guests and basic polyester linens. *Keep in mind the pricing is based on average rental pricing in Northern California and it can vary quite a bit depending on the company*
148 guests + the couple
1 48 inch round wood table (sweetheart table) 8.00 ea
1 108 inch round full drop polyester linen (sweetheart table) 10.95 ea
19 60 inch round wood tables 8.95 ea
19 120 inch full drop polyester linen 12.95 ea
150 White resin padded folding chairs 2.50 ea
150 China package (dinner plate, flatware, water goblet, wine glass and champagne glass) 2.60 ea
This would bring us to $27 per person and a subtotal of $3,996 for the guest tables and then $4,014.25 including the sweetheart table + linen before tax, delivery and maintenance/wear & tear fees (typically 10%) We would also want to add a welcome table, buffet tables, bar tables, dessert tables etc along with linens for all of your service tables.
Depending on if you are renting through a full service rental company or your caterer, you will also want to factor in set-up and breakdown fees for ceremony and reception items.
Image: Bloom Portraiture
Choosing a caterer is a big decision not only because it is such a large portion of your wedding budget but because choosing the package can determine the service level for the event. If you envision passed appetizers, staff going around to keep the beverage glasses full, having champagne poured at the tables and staff to handle cake cutting then you will want to look into a full service caterer. {For more tips on choosing a caterer check out our recent blog post.}
If you are choosing a buffet and would like to keep costs down, consider using heavy chinette disposables to reduce the rental costs and labor for bussing tables. You can also have stationary appetizers instead of passed as it will be less labor intensive.
Hopefully this was helpful to see some line items but if you need some assistance with getting your overall budget together, feel free to reach out and we would be happy to chat!
~ Happy Planning ~