Chapel Dulcinea brides... Cheap Reception ideas??

Did you look at the wildflower barn? I'm not sure you'd find something under 500 that has room to dance. You get 4 hours for that price. They didn't have it under the venues last time I looked. I might have reconsidered if I wasn't so far into my planning. http://www.thewildflowerbarn.com/chapeldulcinea.php

Actually, I did.... what they don't tell you is that the special is only available M-Th. I was rather ticked because I contacted them off of the link from the Dulcinea page, inquiring about more information. It had my date, and where I heard of them. Chris responded, and never mentioned a word. He was actually pretty nice. Then when it came down to ok, what is the deposit to hold our date and the deposit due, his wife answers and is like "oh it's $1800", WHAT?! So I responded back explaining about the special for Dulcinea brides, and get this trite answer back about how that is only available M-Th.... -.- I was NOT happy!! I did contact the Chapel to see if they knew and ask why any disclaimers or blackouts dates had not been mentioned. It was then that I was told they PAY to be on their page.... sooooooo, yeah.

Anyway, I did send you an invite to connect. I know it was a bit a late, but I got super swamped last week with the kids and stuff.

I'm not familiar with the area myself, but I do have a last resort suggestion if it was to come to it.

have you considered having a family brunch the next day? if it turns out for whatever reason you don't get to do things like the first dance and a cake cutting for whatever reason could you have that moment with family the next day?

I know it's not what you would probably want to plan for, but I thought it might be a option in case you just aren't able to work things out otherwise. keeps your from totally missing out.

would olive garden let you cut a cake there? won't hurt to ask. you could share a piece of their cake and take pictures as well.

that's how I tend to plan things myself. I make up a few plans of attack for how I want things to go, then come up with a 'plan z' on what to do in case murphy's law kicks in and things just can't go as originally planned, and I can't get in all that I want.

where there's a will there's a way

It's a good way to go through life, Aronna. I've talked to my local OG about the food I want, but not about having it there or the cake option... I guess I could. It wouldn't hurt to ask. FH is already taking a week off. The Saturday before if we were to do the barn option, otherwise he can work during the day and then start his vacation with Saturday night and his night out with the boys. Then Sunday is the wedding, and we're supposed to be at the B&B late Sunday night, checking out Thursday morning, so he can be back to work that Friday.

Another option is a gazebo in the park. I don't remember what month you were looking at but It might not be too bad. I live in Georgetown, north of Austin but we have San Gabriel Park and they have a big gazebo for $30-40. With some draping, white chairs and flowers it could turn out really pretty.

It was an option we considered but Steven was too worried about the weather so we went back to the community center. It could seat 30--50 I think. Or you could use it as a stage. I was going to seat people in the gazebo in case of drizzle or something.

There was also some other community center type places if you're interested I could try to look them up again.

I also had forgotten about this site. It gives you some of the free/affordable spots around the Austin area.

http://www.elegantexpress.com/Locations.html

I'm also at Chapel Dulcinea! I loooove the scenery and rustic vibe, but you're right. A reception there was just out of the question for us. With a guests list of 90, we've opted to have our reception at Max's Wine Dive in downtown Austin. Max's is a restaurant that has a private banquet space in their basement.....I know that sounds crazy, but it's absolutely gorgeous. They don't charge a rental fee, only a minimum purchase. So essentially we're only paying for food, drinks and gratuity.

If Max's is too out-of-the-way for you still try to look for restaurants that offer private dining options with a min purchase amount. Since you mentioned Olive Garden may I suggest Trattoria Lisina. It's maybe a 5 to 10 min drive from the chapel. Or if you're in the mood for BB-Q there's always SaltLicks which is also in close proximity to the chapel. They even have a BYOB option. We're having the rehearsal dinner there and plan to take full advantage. Hope this helps!

Stephanie, you gave information that I was going to google, and since you're also a Chapel Dulcinea bride, your post is probably far more relevant than anything I could post. You gave great suggestions -- there has to be something in there that could work for the OP.

Stephanie- Max's WIne Dive looks pretty cool! I've never heard of it but I looked around their site. Their rooms are pretty and their menus sound delish! Austin has so many places. lol

They're known for their chicken and waffles and lots of other comfort foods (mac & cheese, collard greens, shrimp and grits, fried egg sandwiches, etc.), but with a more gourmet touch. I'm a southern girl so this is right up my alley!