I seem to have
done more of these over the last couple of years than anything else. People are constantly
complaining to me about the high cost of fancy halls, and stuffy hotel venues.
"Hidden" extras, mediocre bland food, and the sometimes "assembly
line" way they are led through the system.
If you already have a venue for the reception such as a church hall, elks or moose lodge
or such, or your own house, here's a few examples of some receptions I've done over the
last 6-9 months or so with details and pricing. All three examples are different, and all
are in a different price range and setting. I'll start with the least expensive and finish
with the most expensive. Before each I'll try to give a little insight into the particular
job and costs. Hope this helps you with your reception planning!
This
particular reception I did was called a "tea" reception. It took place shortly
after the ceremony at the chapel itself. It was scheduled for two hours and 150 people. I
was able to do this for $13.50 per head. They had 5 6 foot tables set up when we got there
which we proceeded to cover with floor length tablecloths (rented by me) at $18 apiece. We
also rented a 3 gallon punch fountain for $39. After the cloths were on the tables the
mother of the groom provided candles and glitter to dress up the tables.
Here's what they got:
Punch (non-alcoholic home-made), spring water, and regular and decaf
coffees. Includes all sugar, cream, ice, cups, stirrers, etc.
Food was served on a mix of decorative plastics, a stainless steel 4-tiered stand I rented
for $35 for a fruit presentation, and decorative glass trays. (All
rentals were included in the $11.50 per head cost)
Food:
Ham
Biscuits (mustard on the side)
Turkey & provolone sandwich's w/ green leaf lettuce on a Virginia-herb bread from the
fresh bread store (mayo on the side)
Mini shrimp sandwich's on pumpernickel with sprouts and tarragon butter.
Vegetable Trays with a fresh Dill Dip
Cheese Trays with Swiss, Cheddar, and a Monterrey Jack w/ Tomato Basil, and crackers.
Also, Smoked Summer Sausage, olives, and Danish Blue Cheese chunks pressed with Walnuts.
Fruit Display (on above mentioned 4-tiered stand) with fresh
pineapple chunks skewered with a cherry, melon balls (cantaloupe
and honeydew), frosted grapes, bing cherries, and chocolate dipped strawberries.
Homemade choc. chip and peanut butter cookies, brownies, and lemon squares for dessert.
We provided all paper plates, napkins, drinking cups, etc. We were able to use the church
kitchen for 2 hours prior to start to prep the food, get the punch and coffee made, etc.
We left the kitchen cleaner than we found it and removed all trash at the end of the
reception.
Summary:
You could
expect to pay about this same price for the same type of affair. Bear in mind this is for
a fairly large amount of people, if you were doing less people, say 50 or so, your price
would tend to be higher per person. This would be simply because some costs are fixed,
such as my planning and shopping, and the costs of any rentals (fountain,
tablecloths, and such).
This
reception also took place in the church of the customer. They were on a tight budget and
could only spend about $14 per head. This was a reception for 45 people to last 2 hours.
They set up and decorated the tables, and supplied the wedding cake (we
served it). With basic beverage service, and all, I
was able to provide what they wanted for $14 per person +
$150 additional for labor.
Here's what they got:
Ham
Biscuits
Potato and Macaroni Salads
Deviled Eggs and Pickles
Veggie Tray w/ Dip
Chicken Drummettes
Meatballs
Cocktail Franks
Bambini
Miniature Reubens
Cheese Tray (cubed cheese's and a spread)
Mexican Layered Dip w/ Chips
Fruit Stand
Beverage Service (water, coffee, iced tea)
We supplied all paper ware, cups, serving utensils, etc. Food was
displayed on a mix of decorative plastics, cut glass, and fine silver. Hot food were
served in aluminum steam table stands. No desserts other than the cake they had were
required. We also cleaned up after.
Summary:
There's no reason to pay exorbitant amounts for a garish display (unless you enjoy spending money, or really appreciate it!). I
provide REAL! food, attractively presented, at a reasonable price. This couple, even
though on a tight budget, was so happy with our service that my assistant and I each
received a $25 tip!! They would also be pleased to provide a reference so you can ask them
for your self!!
Okay, now we get into the heavier stuff! This reception was done
at the Contemporary Arts Center of Va. Beach. They do lease space for this, and of course
it is a very attractive venue for a wedding reception! I'm not
sure exactly what this couple paid to rent here, but I believe it was around $1500-$2000.
Almost every major service came into play here. The reception was for 100 people.
The service was scheduled to be outside at the center but ended up being inside because of
the weather. About the only thing the arts center had for us to use was tables and chairs.
We had to rent everything else. Linens, silverware, glassware, plates, etc. This added $9 alone to the price per
head. They had 1 hour of hors d'oeuvres served butler style after the service, as well as
an open bar. The couple provided all alcoholic beverages, we provided everything to mix
and serve them with as well as a bartender.
Dinner was served in
elegant buffet style and consisted of:
Mesclun Salad w/ an orange-poppy seed vinaigrette
Chicken in a Mushroom-white wine sauce
Beef Stroganoff w/ noodles
Lasagna Roll-ups
Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Potato's
Stir-Fry Zucchini w/ Cashews
Italian Bread brushed w/ olive oil, rosemary, and Parmigiana.
The entire
service/reception lasted about 4 -5 hours. The bar was open for all this time as well. We
also assisted in the serving of the cake as well as the pouring of champagne for the
toast. The cost per head was $31.50 for this event
($3,150 total).
Summary:
The buffet style of service is an excellent way to feed a
lot of people quickly and efficiently. There's usually a wide enough choice that even more
finicky eaters will have no trouble finding something they like. See some more examples of
buffet service here.
You could also do something like this at your house if you
have a decent size yard. Rent a tent, tables, and chairs and go from there! You could use
linen tablecloths or paper. Fine China, or decorative plastic/paper plates. Silver chafing
dishes or aluminum steam pans in wire racks. The bottom line is that you have fun, good
food, and fellowship at your reception, not necessarily to spend your salary for the next
2 years!!
Please feel free to call or e-mail me for a free
consultation. I enjoy talking to people and helping them with their plans, it's fun for
me! I hope I've been able to help with these examples.
Thanks for visiting!
Leon Eggers, Proprietor
340-6401 leonegg@cox.net