Restaurant Wedding Reception: For an Affordable Wedding Venue

With traditional wedding reception venues, there’s a lot to think about - and a lot to pay for. If you’ve got a smaller budget, you might be getting discouraged by all the rental fees, catering minimums and expensive meal packages.

And once you’ve covered the food, you’ve still got a bunch of other stuff to pay for. You still need a dance floor, a DJ, a bartender, decorations and more. If you’d like an easier wedding experience, a restaurant wedding reception might be perfect for you.

By booking a restaurant instead of a traditional wedding venue, you can save a lot of money. And a lot of headaches. You can invite less people, hire less vendors and pay for less extras. You won’t need to book rentals or worry about decorating.

You’ll be able to welcome your guests, host a beautiful meal and enjoy their company. Then at the end of the night, say thank you, pay the bill and head out. Easiest wedding planning ever.

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Restaurant Wedding Venues Pros and Cons

This shouldn’t really be called pros and cons, because every feature of this wedding could be a plus or a minus - depending on your personality.

For example, you won’t have space for a dance floor. If you’re a low key couple, this might be a pro for you. But if you want a long night with a dance party this is a definite con.

Here’s some more features of restaurant weddings:

It’s a lot easier to plan. Unlike traditional venues, you don’t need an appointment to go look. You could plan a date night and go have dinner there. While you’re eating, decide if you like the look, the service and the food.
There’s no set up and no clean up to worry about at a restaurant venue. Most ballrooms and hotels will do the set up and clean up for weddings. But if you’re looking at less expensive reception venues, like community centers, you’ll be responsible for setting up and the cleaning afterwards. This can add hours of extra chores to your wedding day. At a restaurant, you’ll walk in, enjoy your dinner and walk out with no worries.
You can skip most of the wedding traditions, like tossing the bouquet or garter.
It’s perfectly acceptable to make a toast in a restaurant, but you probably won’t want to schedule any 10 minute speeches.
If you want to serve wedding cake, most restaurant venues have a pastry chef who’ll bake one for you. If they don’t, most will be happy to serve one delivered by a baker.

Avoid Room Rental Fees and Required Minimum Pricing

With a restaurant for your wedding venue, you’ll start saving money right off the bat. At a restaurant you usually don’t pay a room rental fee. Most restaurants will let you use their private room as long as you’re paying for food and drinks.
You’ll save a lot more by avoiding minimum spending requirements. Most traditional wedding venues and caterers ask you to guarantee a minimum number of guests. The venues minimums usually start at 100 to 125 people.
If you’re thinking about how to save money, the most common advice is to cut your guest list. But with traditional catering, that’s not really possible. You’ll save money if you cut your list from 200 to 125. But if you are inviting less than 100, you’ll still be stuck paying for that minimum.
Some restaurant wedding venues might ask you to spend a minimum amount of money, but it’s usually the cost of meals and drinks for a smaller number of people. You won’t have to pay for 100 meals if you’re only inviting 50 guests.
If you can’t get Friday or Saturday night receptions to fit your wedding budget, at a restaurant, you can book a Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday wedding instead.

Save Money on Vendors and Decor

For a wedding at a restaurant, you won’t need a dance floor or a DJ. The drinks will be taken care of by the staff, so you won’t need to hire a bartender. To save on your wedding photographer, you can book a short photography package. Arrange to have all your pictures and portraits done before and during the wedding ceremony. Once your photos are done, you can relax with your guests and enjoy your dinner.

You won’t need to decorate, either. Restaurant venues are already set up with tablecloths, napkins and decor so you won’t need to add anything. If you want to personalize your reception, you can always add favors, menus or other wedding decorations. But if you skip the extra decorations - no one will notice.

How Many People Can You Invite?

Most restaurants can accommodate weddings of any size, from an intimate group of 10 guests all the way up to a big party of 100. The number of guests you can invite to your restaurant wedding depends on the restaurant size and the type of reception you plan. If you’re serving dinner, you’ll want to offer banquet seating. If you’d like to invite more guests to your wedding, you can offer a standing cocktail reception instead.

Are Restaurant Weddings Cheaper?

Hosting your wedding at a restaurant instead of a traditional venue can be a lot cheaper. The total costs will depend on the choices you make when you’re planning your reception.

If you choose a luxury restaurant, with higher pricing, and book a Saturday night buyout, it could end up costing more than a ballroom wedding. But if you choose a medium, or lower priced restaurant with a private room, you can easily stick to a smaller wedding budget.

How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Restaurant For a Wedding?

If you want to rent an entire restaurant for your wedding, it’s called a buyout. The entire restaurant will be reserved for your wedding. It can get expensive, though. A restaurant typically serves 2 or 3 meals a night for every table. For your wedding, you’ll only be serving one meal. The restaurant will need to charge you enough to make up for the difference.

The actual price depends on the restaurants available where you live. You can Google or call a few and request their buyout prices. It’s typically in the range of $15,000 to $25,000.

A buyout is best if you’ve got a big guest list and a bigger budget. If you’ve got a smaller guest list, you can make a group booking for a table or a private room. You’ll pay for individual food and drinks instead of the entire restaurant, so it’s a lot less expensive.

How Much Should You Spend On a Restaurant Wedding Venue?

How much you spend depends on the restaurant you choose and the size of your guest list. You could decide to invite 10 guests and splurge on $100 meals. Or you could decide to invite 50 guests and stick to $50 meals. You can find a restaurant wedding venue in any price range, so the best thing to do is decide on your budget, then look for restaurants in that range.

Remember to account for gratuity and sales tax. Gratuity is usually 20%. Sales tax depends on which state you live in and will add another 5 to 20% to your bill. If we do the math with 20% as a gratuity, plus 10% average sales tax, that means:

If you want to spend $100 per person, look for food and drinks that cost around $75. Once you add your tip and tax it’ll be close to $100.

Sample Wedding Budget for 25 Guests

Wedding Ceremony:

Church or Venue Rental $400
License & Officiant $300
Wedding Rings $300
Subtotal = $1000

Food & Drinks:

Meals (27 people x $100) $2,700
Drinks (27 people x $35) $945
Wedding Cake $355
Subtotal = $4,000

Everything Else:

Wedding Photographer $1500
Wedding Invitations $125
Favors or Centerpieces $100
Wedding Clothes $1000
Bouquet & Boutonnière $275
Subtotal = $3,000

Grand Total = $8,000

Ceremony Venues: Where to Tie the Knot?

If you’d like to have a traditional wedding ceremony, start by checking your church, temple or place of worship. If you don’t attend a service regularly, you can see if your town has a wedding chapel.

If your restaurant has space, you might be able to have your wedding ceremony on site. Look for a venue that has enough space in the private room. Or a separate area, like a roof top, terrace or patio that can be used for weddings.

If your restaurant doesn’t have space, consider a nearby venue:

Your place of worship
Local park
Local beach
Nature center
Wedding chapel

City Hall or Courthouse Wedding Venues

If you’re planning to get married at your city hall or local courthouse, a restaurant is the perfect spot for your reception. You’ll need to check what time weddings are usually performed. Some city halls might only offer weekday weddings, between certain hours.

Once you’ve decided when you’ll get married, you can start looking at restaurants. If you’re on a tight budget, a lunch time wedding is a great way to save money. You can book your ceremony for 10:00 am, then host your guests at a brunch or lunch reception.

Some courthouse weddings don’t allow groups to attend. If yours doesn’t, you can get married during the day, then meet your guests at the reception for a dinnertime celebration.

For more wedding favors, decor and invitation ideas, check out my favorites list on Etsy: Restaurant Wedding Reception Ideas

Best Restaurants For a Wedding Reception

There’s lots of spots that could be a great wedding venue for your reception. Before you start looking, think about how you’d like your wedding day to be.

First, consider your style. Do you want a casual, formal or semi formal reception? Do you like a rustic look or would you rather an elegant style for your reception?

Write down your guest list, so you can be sure the size of the restaurant is right. Then decide if you’d like a sit down dinner or cocktails and appetizers.

Once you start looking at restaurants, make note of the size and capacities, the layout, and if there’s ceremony space available.

Choosing Your Reception Venue

When you’re trying to choose a restaurant for your wedding, one important factor is how they handle your booking. If you’re planning a low key wedding, you probably don’t want to be princess for a day. But your wedding does deserve interest and respect. Look for a restaurant that’s happy to be hosting your wedding.

Special Requests

If you have any special requests, make sure to ask about it before you make the booking. If you’re signing a contract for minimums, make sure all your wedding requests are written in. The contract should also include any extras you’ll be charged, like gratuities, slicing fees or corkage fees if you bring your own wedding cake or wine.

Size and Capacity

Does the restaurant size and capacity match the guest list for your reception?
Do you want a private room or would you be happy with a banquet table in the main area?

Layout and Seating

Look for a restaurant with a layout that matches the type of reception you’d like and the size of your guest list. If you’ve got a bigger guest list, make sure there’s enough seating in the main room. You don’t want any of your guests sitting in distant corners or separate rooms.

If you’re hosting a dinner reception, is there enough seating for your guests to be together?
If you’re hosting a cocktail party reception, is the room the right size for mingling?

Ceremony Space

If you don’t have a venue for your ceremony, look for a restaurant with a courtyard, a patio or a rooftop spot where you could hold your wedding ceremony.

Are there any extra rental fees?
Are there rules for decorating the ceremony area?
Is there seating available for your guests?

Perfect Styles For Receptions at Restaurants

One of the great things about restaurant wedding venues is that you can choose any style and find a restaurant to match it. You can look for rustic, casual, elegant or sophisticated. Most cities will have a restaurant in every style and price range.

Daytime Elegance Brunch

If you want a lavish meal, but don’t have the budget for an upscale dinner, consider planning a brunch wedding. Brunch food is a lot less expensive than dinner. As well, most people won’t want a full bar at a daytime wedding. You can serve a deluxe brunch with signature drinks, champagne or mimosas and come in well under budget.

Sophisticated Dinner Party

If you’re planning a small wedding, consider booking an upscale restaurant. If you’ve got a small guest list, it’s easier to afford a sophisticated restaurant. Spending a hundred dollars per person could be out of budget if you’re inviting a hundred people to your reception. But if you only invite ten or twenty people, a hundred dollars per person could get you a wonderful meal and still come in under budget.

Casual Fun Party

If you want to invite a big crowd to your reception, but don’t have a big budget, think about a unique spot where your guests will have fun. Maybe your town has a fantastic taco restaurant, or a pizza place with a wood burning oven. If you can find a restaurant with a great experience, you can offer your guests delicious food and a fun atmosphere - without spending a bundle.

No matter what style you choose, take your time looking at all the options. Remember to do the math, and get creative if you need to. Before you know it, you’ll have a fantastic wedding that suits you - and your budget.