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Venue costs are a significant part of any wedding budget, usually because food and drinks are provided to all of your guests for a significant amount of time.  The equivalent cost at a restaurant or using external caterers would be substantial.

Nevertheless, here are six ways you can spend prudently.

1. Use your wedding cake as dessert.  It can still be served individually, but the cost charged  by the venue should be less.  Just make sure you supply a large enough cake to ensure everyone receives an adequate portion.
2. Pay for drinks on consumption.  If you do not believe your guests are likely to drink much alcohol you should arrange with your venue to remove the costs of alcohol from the package and reduce the price accordingly, but then provide a tab so alcohol can still be made available and paid on consumption.  Non-alcoholic drinks should still be provided, including tea and coffee.
3. Only provide two courses.  Most people only eat a main course and dessert every day of the week for their evening meal.  Removing an entree or soup course should save some money without risking your guests going home hungry.
4. Choose a date in the off-season. The prices charged by most venues will differ sometimes significantly between peak and off-peak months, while there is no difference in what they provide.
5. Weekday weddings are also now considered to be much less unusual than years ago. They are usually priced much lower than weekends.  For this reason Thursday nights are increasingly popular, as many guests will take the Friday off work and effectively enjoy a long weekend.
6. You some venues you will also find different packages and styles of receptions are priced quite differently. For instance, cocktail events will typically be cheaper than those involving full sit down meals.

These options will not be suitable for everyone, but may prompt some thinking.