Ways to cut costs on wedding receptions

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Experts say the average price of a wedding is now more than $20,000.

All this month on Wake Up, News 4's Melissa Holmes, a new bride herself, is getting tips from the experts on ways to cut costs.

She begins with the reception, usually 50% of the wedding budget.

"The reception is very expensive," said Kim Czekalski, who is having a destination wedding.

So how can brides save money, but make it look like they splurged? At a recent bridal show, local reception sites revealed their secrets. The biggest piece of advice? Avoid Saturday summer weddings.

Jim Sanchioni of Rich Atrium said, "We do have the 10% off on Friday weddings, and we don't have any minimums on Sundays, and off season we're willing to work with anybody."

Mother of the Bride, Sarah Gonzalez said, "It's on a Sunday which is good, so we're going to get deals anyway, but we'll negotiate."

Negotiate everything. It can't hurt to ask your reception site to drop the ridiculous cake cutting fee, or add a champagne toast or their own centerpieces for free.

Chair covers may look beautiful, but they're $3.50 to $5.00 per chair. That is a lot of money. If you go online though, you can buy a bow for $0.75 a piece. News 4's Melissa Holmes asked for the chair covers for free, and she got them. It saved her about $1,000.

You can also save big by not having the premium liquor, your guests won't notice. And make sure you only pay for alcohol for those who are drinking, especially if you're adding the bar for an extra hour.

"We actually take a headcount for that last hour so you're not paying everybody that was at the reception to start out with," said Christine Casucci, of Millennium Hotel.

As for the food, News 4's Melissa spoke with one bride and she said unless it's really bad, food is forgettable.

Lesson there, you don't need to splurge on the filet mignon and a raw bar.

Another bride Melissa spoke with is simply renting a hall and her family and friends are doing the cooking.

Melissa will have more wedding savings tips, all month long.