I think a ****tail reception is fine after a church wedding. It is also a more cost effective option compared to a sit down 3 course meal.

We had both at our wedding. Our ceremony was held at sunset and was held on a terrace of a hotel which had amazing views. We didn't want to rush our guests off to the restaurant and miss the sunset so after the ceremony we held a ****tail reception.

The reception included live music, canapes (finger food - lots of it) and plenty of champage. It's a great way for guests to mingle as they will be standing for the majority of it (I would include some seating for those who get sore feet from dancing!). So that it stays formal after the church service, I would write on the invitations "Formal ****tail Reception". This will indicate to guests that the need to wear dresses and suits.

The cost will vary depending on your venue and your caterers. You will probably pay anywhere from $15-$40 per head for the finger food depending on how many guests you have and your chosen selections. Also depending on how many guests you have, your alcohol costs will vary. At functions that I organise for work I usually allow $1000 per 50 people for a 4 hour event so if you use that as a rough guide then you should be ok. That is for beer and wine only. Allow about 10% on top of that just in case you go over.

Happy to help in whatever way I can - this is what I do every day at work as I organise all of the meetings, functions and events!! Plus I'm fresh out of just pulling off my own wedding!