Small Wedding Reception: Restaurant or Private Chef at a Vacation House?

8/15/2023

Many of our small wedding couples still want an intimate dinner celebration - that’s an important part of the overall experience! And though there are tons of different things you can do to make it unique, like speeches, food trucks, creating a DIY photo booth, hand crafted favors, the most common question we get asked: what is more cost effective? Going to a restaurant or having a private chef cook a dinner at our vacation house? The answer is a little more complicated than the simple “option A”. Here are factors to compare when making the choice whether to dine in a private room or open up the house.

Inclusions: at a restaurant, you’d have to order all your food and beverages through them. With a chef, you can supply your own wine, beers and spirits. Colorado has many fun micro breweries and distilleries, so if you are a foodie, that can be a fun experience. So, the markup at restaurants on food and beverage items that you would normally purchase could be a cost savings if you hire a chef. However, there is a little more effort you have to put into running to the store to stock the house - make sure to give yourself plenty of time and arrive a day earlier than you normally would.
Menu: obviously, the food selections you make have an impact on the price of the meals, no matter if at a restaurant or with a private chef. Your filet and scallops are going to be more expensive than a taco or chili bar.
Type of food service: a reception or open-house type of casual offering may mean that the chef doesn’t have to bring extra staff to serve the food. If having a sit-down dinner type of service, private chefs will often bring servers to assist them, just like a restaurant. In both situations, you’ll likely pay a gratuity or service fee. Make sure to factor this into your budget regardless if you are dining in or cozying up at the house.
Rentals: if you are staying in a house that sleeps only #16 but are having a sit-down dinner, you’ll likely want to rent additional tables, chairs, flatware, china and glassware. This is an area in which you could incur extra costs that you normally wouldn’t at a restaurant.
Lodging: here is the kicker - if you were planning on renting a vacation house, then the lodging would not be a factor. And, vacation houses are fun if you have family and guests members who all get along staying with you. However, if you are renting a vacation house for the sole purpose of having a private chef dinner there, the lodging will be expensive as many vacation homes will require minimum night stays, cleaning fees and possibly event fees - this is in addition to the regular nightly fees. So, if you are planning to be as most financially sensitive, it is best to stay in a hotel, have your guests arrange their own lodging, and then treat everyone to a dinner at a restaurant (which can range from $ to $$$$).

In the end, it can be a total wash.... if you take out the lodging. So, be clear on your priorities and choose the option that fits best with your personalities, the overall experience you want to provide, your guests relationships among each other, and the comfort level of your guests.

Colorado Vacaiton Home Wedding Guide

If having a celebation dinner, or even your entire small intimate wedding or elopement at a vaction house, we've got a guide for you! This resource not only has listing of vacation-home type of properties that allow events, but it also has 20+ planning pages of my best tips & advice for planning micro-weddings. Save hours of research and avoid overwhelm..... Get started today! ~ Wendee

Vacation House Property Sites - Download Now

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Example Vaction Home Weddings

Click on thei rimage to be directed to an article and photos about how they approached their vacation house wedding & celebrations.

Thank you Jeanine Thurston for the images of our vacation home with private chef intimate wedding in Breckenridge. Florist: Pink Posey Designs. Baker: Blue Moon. Chef: Ian Buchanan.

6 Comments

Wendee Vezzetti

Mother, teacher, planner, gardener, mountain biker, entrepreneur, librarian, hiker, snowboarder, reader, chocoholic, trail runner, officiant and creative. Wendee has been planning weddings in Colorado since 1995. In 2012, she decided to "go small" and now only plans micro-weddings & elopements with 35 or fewer guests. She is also available to officiate your wedding. You won't find a more knowledgable, reliable, friendly, experienced micro-wedding planner or officiant. Contact Wendee to get started planning your intimate small Colorado wedding. 🫶🏻

Your Micro-Wedding Planner

I've been planning weddings since 1995 when I moved to Colorado from Iowa. I cut my teeth at Keystone Resort in their weddings department, then then ventured on to planning corporate meetings. But, I kept helping friends and their friends with weddings starting my first full-service company in 2002. In 2012, I decided to "go small" with elopements & micro-weddings. Please connect with me to make your dreamy, simple mountain wedding come true!

Behind the Scenes of a Micro-Wedding

Ever wonder what goes on behind-the-scenes of a micro-wedding day? Jaime L. Barba, one of our talented photographers, captured me at work ⬇️ from one of our May 2023 weddings in Boulder, Colorado. Enjoy! .... and yes, she does wedding day content creation (a great alternative if you cannot afford videography) for couples as well as photography.

Colorado Wedding Officiant

Wendee is Colorado’s trusted officiant specializing in heartfelt, personalized ceremonies. With over three decades of experience, and from the unique perspective & talents of being a high school teacher, Wendee brings warmth, professionalism, and a calming presence to your big day. Ready to create a ceremony that feels like you? Let Wendee make your wedding day truly magical!

Eve Mitchell link

7/21/2022 11:54:49 am

Thanks for mentioning that with a chef, you can bring your own drinks. I'm getting married next month in an intimate setting. I'd really like to hire a private chef to help us with the dinner.

Millie Hue link

9/27/2022 03:32:41 am

It's great to know that private chef meal experience would also have servers when hiring their services to assist them. I am excited because I plan to hire this kind of service for my birthday this coming October. Aside from expective great food to eat together with my family, we can definitely expect to have people serving the dishes to us while we wait and have conversations on our dinner table.

olliescharles link

1/4/2023 12:28:46 am

Nice article! Thanks for sharing informative post Keep posting

6/1/2023 02:08:49 am

Thanks for pointing out that the menu or meals to be created will be more expensive with private chef services or at restaurants compared to just a bar. I hope my budget is enough to get private chef services for my birthday, because I want to experience that when I turn 30 this year. And I will invite some friends and family to celebrate it with me and eat at my place for dinner.

Mia Evans link

6/1/2023 02:11:09 am

Thanks for pointing out that we might need to rent some tables, chairs, flatware, china, and glassware if we will have the dinner in our home. It will be for the celebration of my 30th birthday, and I would probably have around 20 people to come over to celebrate with me. So I would definitely rent those things to ensure that every one will have a comfortable place to eat while private chef services cook great-tasting food for the night.

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11/5/2024 03:35:45 pm

Lovely post