Wedding reception at home?

There are some logistical issues with having a reception at home - tables, chairs, bathrooms all need rented. You probably need a tent as well. Parking can be a nightmare for your guests. There are probably noise ordinances that will determine how late you can have music or whatever. Additionally, you'll want to inform your neighbors because of noise/parking/etc.

As far as putting it on invitations, if you decide to go this route, you'll do just as you would if you were going with a traditional venue:

Wedding at: (chapel)

Reception to follow at: (address)

Becky,

I thought of the exact same things. This idea came about due to us trying to figure out how to have a reception but not spend $$$$ at a venue, any other ideas would be appreciated. I also thought of maybe having snacks/ drinks at the chapel for after the ceremony but didn't know if that was a thing.

That would be a "Cake and Punch" Reception. Still perfectly fine if that's the kind of wedding you want. It's best is to have it at a non meal time that way a full meal isn't expected. As long as there's room for people to sit and mingle it's an old school traditional wedding.

The logistics and feasibility are going to really depend on how many people you're planning on having and how big of a celebration you have in mind. If it's around 10 or so people and/ or more of a low-key BBQ type of event, you could probably manage a reception at your house. If it's more people than you'd have over for any other gathering and you wanted more of a traditional reception, having it at home will be a much bigger lift.

I'd reach out to the chapel and see if they allow post-ceremony snacks and drinks. Other ideas would be to reserve a party room at a restaurant or reserve space through your local parks department.

Exactly as Janet said, have your wedding at a non-meal time (2:00ish maybe) and serve cake and punch - some people do nuts or something, but it's not necessary - and have it immediately following the wedding at the chapel. It's really much more recent that people have had huge parties and fed people for their weddings. Other than eloping, this is probably the least expensive way to have a wedding.

Often the costs and logistics for a reception at a home start adding up faster than you would expect. You need people to set up and take down tables and chairs. You need the restrooms. You may have to set up and take down a canopy. If you don't have friends who enjoy and volunteer for the task, you have to cover some labor expenses.

It really depends on your budget and how many guests you're inviting.

The cake and punch reception is perfectly fine. I'd check at the chapel about whether they have a space to gather.

Most churches have some type of gathering room/kitchen area. If you want a bit more than "cake and punch" you could always check with the church rectory for any women's group that would be willing/able/available to help set up a little luncheon. Just attended a small luncheon reception that was just lovely - Publix sandwich trays, potato salad, macaroni salad, 3 bean salad, chips, pretzels and .... I'm not too sure but I think maybe 2 other kinds of picnic lunch foods. Oh, and fruit trays. The quilters group hosted it for the bride, for a nominal donation to their group. She paid for it all, the group got it all set up, and did the clean up after. Just another idea for a small, low budget reception.