The location of your wedding and wedding reception is a crucial part in laying the foundation of the mood for your wedding: the decor, the dress attire, and the overall ambiance. Because of this, it isn’t surprising that a majority of your budget will go to your wedding reception: location, decor, catering, cake, and so on. Your first step at saving is to pick a location that fits into your budget. There are many beautiful places you could choose that are on the low-end in price, and still give an exceptional setting for your special day. Here are three low-cost locations to consider when planning your wedding.
College or University – Most college or universities have beautifully maintained grounds that are a perfect location for an outdoor wedding. They provide plenty of space and a location that will be beautiful during the actual wedding and in your photos for the years to follow. Most may even have an event hall that could serve as a reception area if you wish to not have an outdoor reception. Below are images from the University of Nevada, Reno and their grounds that have been used for ceremonies.
Town Halls – Town halls are made specially for events put on by the local town or city, so they are equipped to hold parties for various locations. They are made available for rental to the citizens of the town or city, and can house a good size of people comfortably. They also usually provide tables, chairs, a dance floor, and so on. It is possible to find a nearby park or chapel to have the ceremony and then have the reception at the town hall if you didn’t want to have both at the same location. Below are images of the local town hall in Minden, Nevada.
Town/County/City Owned Parks – Much like a College or University, a park offers a lot of natural scenery for a beautiful wedding. However, many parks also have a gazebo or building on site that would be perfect for a wedding reception. Their prices run fairly low, and are unique to what they can offer. For example, the Old Galena Fish Hatchery in Reno, NV has various venues to offer for wedding ceremonies and receptions. One of the places is Marilyn’s Pond. They have a ceremony site in front of the pond, and they’ve turned the old fish hatchery building into an event venue, furnished with tables and chairs to place in your liking. I went to a wedding there that rented the venue for 8 hours and it only cost $300 for all 8 hours. What a steal! Pictures of the venue are below!
These are just three options you have in choosing your location, but there are many more for you to explore in your own town or city. Each location is unique, and with a little investigation of extraordinary places, you’ll find the perfect one for you and your budget!
Kim, your post reminded me of the best bargain going for a small, personal wedding: San Francisco City Hall. Now, if you want to reserve the whole gorgeous rotunda for dining and dancing, that will set you back a chunk of change. But if you just want a simple civil ceremony in a GORGEOUS setting, City Hall can’t be beat. Our wedding in 2007 cost $91, including officiant.
City Hall was built as a “palace of the people,” and it lives up to that billing:
http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&biw=1651&bih=882&tbs=isch:1&aq=f&aqi=&oq=&gs_rfai=&q=%22san%20francisco%20city%20hall%22%20rotunda
The only catch is you’re not guaranteed the rotunda. If there’s an emergency, or some big govt. announcement, they marry you in a conference room with a fake tree. So that is a risk. We purposely chose to get married on a Thursday because a) we knew Friday was the busiest day for weddings and b) Supervisors’ meetings are on Tuesday.
More info: http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=16
Kate-
. Thanks again.
Thanks so much for reading my blog. San Francisco City Hall is absolutely breathtaking! How do they work if you have people there to view your ceremony? They should just reserve it for wedding purposes and move their government mumbo jumbo to the conference room with the tree
Kim
Ha! You’re right about the room with the tree. Weddings first and foremost! That was the downside — my then-future-husband and I had to worry about whether we would get the rotunda until the very last minute. (Well, I think I did most of the worrying for him.)
They have some rule about the maximum number of guests/observers. But we saw people breaking the rule on our preview visits, and we broke it ourselves. I think we had about 15 people for our wedding. We always figured we could say “These people? They’re just random strangers watching our wedding.”
If you’re ever in the city, they have free daily tours of City Hall. Definitely worth checking out.
Great idea about having the wedding at UNR. I never would have thought of that, but seeing the pictures enables me to invision a beautiful event!
Thanks, Megan! I walk by it every day on the way to class and it is such a beautiful spot! I think some of the most beautiful locations are those we are in every day! Thanks for reading!