While it may not sound terribly romantic to exchange vows in a reception hall, doing so does have many advantages. For example:



1. You'll only pay one rental fee for both your reception and your ceremony.



2. You and your guests won't have the hassle of having to move to a different venue. If you are providing transportation or your guests, this can be a substantial savings.



3. You are in control of the ceremony. Unlike at some churches, you'll be able to choose your officiant and will have the ability to personalize your ceremony as much as you'd like to.



4. Your decoration costs will be significantly reduced as you won't have to decorate multiple venues.



Unfortunately, there are downsides to getting married in a reception hall. For example:



1. You may not be able to bring in your own caterer or have the ability to bring in your own alcohol.



2. You may find the "room turning" - changing the room over from your ceremony to the reception - to be a hassle for both yourself and your guests.



3. Deposits for reception halls are normally non refundable - or at the very least, you won't see most of your funds returned to you in the case of a need to change your date.



4. It may end up that you pay the same or close to the same amount in mandatory gratuities and other extra charges that you would have incurred had you rented a church.



In the end, you'll have to weigh the pluses and minuses in holding your wedding ceremony in a reception hall. If you have it in your budget to do so, you may find that you'll want to have it in a traditional church or other location. However, you may find the money you may save, along with the convenience big enough pluses to hold your entire wedding event at the reception facility.