One of the most beautiful receptions I have been to was on a chilly Sunday evening in December. The reception was at the Daniel Webster Inn in Cape Cod which was lavishly decorated for the holidays. This was not like a hotel lobby with tile floors, bright lights, high ceilings, yet tastefully decorated. Rather, it was held in a cozy colonial style bed and breakfast with charm. As soon as I walked in, I immediately reminisced about family Christmastime at home – being all comfy with music going in the background and a wood fire crackling.
The entire entrance and reception room was decorated with garland, plush green and red decor, and smelled like fresh cut balsam throughout. The “Conservatory” function room was solarium like with surrounding glass walls and roof. It overlooked the gardens and courtyard which were also beautifully decorated with warm white lighting.
Tables had holly greenery and berry centerpieces. In the corner was a tall Christmas tree adorned with a white star and tiny twinkling lights. The bride wore a stunning simple, heavy satin gown with a fur trimmed cape and donned a white fur hand muffler in place of carrying a bouquet. Two words to sum it all up: elegant and timeless.
Budget wise, this is the way to go in order to save a ton of money on decor. Like ALL decor. No florist bill. That is huge since flowers are a large chunk of the wedding budget pie. Many brides can’t get past not having fresh flowers. I get that. The lushness and fragrance is hard to forgo with artificial, more cost effective alternatives.
However, you can get that lush, fragrant affect without footing the bill. That savings is HUGE – but, you have to work this with the wedding sales staff. That is your negotiating piece. You will book your wedding at their Inn, if they provide the holiday decor (which is mostly already there) including the centerpieces. If they do it for business meetings, there is no reason why they cannot do it for your reception. Negotiate.
Also note that this wedding I attended had a very smart bride – hosting her wedding on a Sunday evening. The majority of the guests took the following day off and stayed at the Inn. Sunday night prices vs. Fri/Sat night prices are by far more cost effective and allows you to have the elegant wedding and reception of your dreams for significantly less. December is also off-season.
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