How to Have a Restaurant Wedding Reception

If you and your partner are foodies and you're looking for a wedding venue with a little more personality than your typical ballroom, look no further than your favorite local restaurant. Celebrating with your guests at a spot known for its cuisine is a guaranteed way to make sure they leave happy—and full! Of course, there are a few things you’ll need to know if you’re going the restaurant-wedding-reception route.

Keep reading for our expert tips if you're planning to have your wedding or reception (or both) at a restaurant.

Talk About Price

While a restaurant wedding can be more affordable, don’t go into it expecting a deal. The cost will depend largely on how much of the space you’ll be using. Most restaurants turn over their tables two to three times in an evening (meaning two to three groups dine at each table over the course of the night), so your fee will have to cover the business the restaurant owner is giving up by not making those tables available—especially if you’re doing a full buyout and getting exclusive use of the space. If you’re having a smaller wedding and the venue has a private dining room or more than one dining area, you may be able to do a partial buyout, which will allow the restaurant to operate as usual in one room while hosting your group in the other.

Consider the Menu

One of the main deciding factors in choosing a restaurant as your wedding venue? The food, of course! It’s a chance to serve a step up from your standard wedding fare, as well as to share a place you love with your family and friends. Don’t be afraid of getting creative here. If you had your first date at a fabulous sushi restaurant, serve those killer rolls as hors d’oeuvres or sashimi spread as the first course, and then follow up with the restaurant’s cooked specialties as the main course. Or, if Italian is your fave, family-style platters of pasta are a great way to get guests talking!

Plan Ahead for Dessert

One important thing to keep in mind? Dessert. If the restaurant has an in-house pastry chef, you might not be able to bring in a traditional wedding cake from an outside baker (or you might get caught paying a hefty slicing fee). Discuss this early on and see if the restaurant’s chefs can create a small cake for you—or just serve their famous tiramisu or house-made ice cream instead.

Think About Drinks

Whether you choose the buyout route, or you have a dedicated server for your party, you’ll want to be sure you have a clear understanding of beverages for the evening ahead of time. The last thing you want to be doing at the end of the night is divvying up an unexpected drink bill. Often, an open bar is an option with a buyout, but it may be a bit more complicated if you’re just renting a banquet space. Discuss options with your coordinator, including popping bottles of house champagne or a house red, having guests do an individual bar tab, or opening the bar up for the evening. 

Plan Out Size and Space

There are a few key questions you’ll want to go over with your venue before you sign a contract. First, how many people can it realistically accommodate? Since the restaurant will be serving dinner for everyone at once, make sure you know what the kitchen’s capacity is, as well as how many seats the space has.

Next, discuss dancing. If you want space for people to get grooving after dinner, that will take away from space for tables and chairs—meaning you can’t fit quite as many guests. A good rule of thumb is to allow a 10-by-10-foot space for dancing with 50 guests, 12 by 12 for 100 guests, and 15 by 15 for 150 guests. Ask your venue if it can accommodate moving some of the tables once dinner is over to allow for more dancing room.

Determine Your Décor

One of the places you’ll definitely save? The décor! Restaurants already have a distinctive style and their own furniture, meaning you won’t have to shell out for hefty rentals. But that doesn’t mean you can’t put your own touch on the space. Talk to the proprietor about what you can bring in, whether it’s renting chair covers in a different color or accenting the tables with centerpieces. Does your venue have an eye-catching detail, like an interior courtyard with ivy-covered brick or a cozy stone fireplace? Accentuate what makes the space unique by hosting cocktail hour as the sun sets or pouring coffee while the fire roars.

Ask About a Point Person

Chances are, the person you set the reservation and go over event details with won’t be your actual server throughout the evening. Or, the restaurant may decide to designate multiple employees to your party to best serve you. Ask who will be your day-of point person ahead of time in case any questions or changes arise. If you need to do a quick menu adjustment for one guest, or if you think you need to up your wine count, you’ll want to make sure you know exactly who to ask when it gets busy. 

Don’t Forget Parking and Bathrooms

Be sure to find out the venue’s parking situation ahead of time to avoid day-of surprises. If you’re getting married in a big city, chances are most guests will opt against driving themselves anyway, but it’s important to know what the closest parking options are. If the restaurant is more remote and has its own lot, double-check whether using its parking is included in your fee.

Last but not least, check on bathrooms. This isn’t something you can easily fix, but it’s important to know how many restrooms are available to your guests before finalizing a location. A safe count is to have a stall for every 25 guests if possible, though that number can comfortably go up to a stall for every 50 guests. Just make sure you’re not hosting 100 people in a restaurant with a single bathroom or you’ll end up with guests in line while you’re cutting your cake.