To book a venue or restaurant for reception?

It depends on the type of reception you want. I'd say if you want a party with a DJ and dancing to book a venue. If you want a relaxed dinner with your guests, find a restaurant that can accommodate 50+ people.

I would say a venue, honestly. You can find plenty of venues for a smaller amount of people. I feel like it would be difficult to find a restaurant that would be able to accommodate 50+ people. I am also biased, though, as I've worked in restaurants for years and have served or know a lot of people who have served wedding parties (maybe 25 people). I just feel like 50+ people is just a lot for a restaurant.

Venue would be better organize with drinking and dancing. Also the price might be even cheaper. I wouldn't count this route out with 50+ guest list.

Great news is you will have a lot more choices of venue.

I say that because it's sometimes a challenge for restaurants to accommodate even 25 people. Of course, certain restaurants specialize in wedding parties and you can rent private dining rooms and things of that nature. A lot of it is fine dining, obviously. But it's like LindseyO said, it also depends on the kind of reception you would like.

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I am having around 50 guests and I choose a venue. However, if I could go back, I would select a restaurant with a private dining area. Based in my research, a restaurant will be cheaper and allow you more flexibility.

Thank you for all the input!

My top choice venue had a max of 60 guests. So 50 definitely isn't too small for a regular venue.

If you want a reception where people dance, you probably still want to book a traditional venue.

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I'm having around 60-75 guests at a restaurant that has a private banquet hall they use for weddings. It all depends on what kind of reception you want, but definitely look around at all the options you have locally!

We're only having 50 and we booked a venue. I had so much trouble finding any restaurant that could give us what we wanted (DJ, open bar, cocktail hour, full dinner, etc) so we decided it may be more expensive but it's definitely worth it to us to have the venue. Plus, with the wedding package there are perks and additions (cake included, champagne at entrance for guests, hotel room included for us, etc) that will make the experience even better