We had a fairly simpel wedding ( reg office ) and the reception at a big pub that had a separate to the main bar with its own entrance / bar / loos etc so no gate crashers . And a couple of rooms to hire .
I am very luck to know wonderful group that play classical music and when I told gueat we were haveing them at the start of the evening a few gave us some odd looks as that was not their kind of thing , however my friends also played loads of hits and the DJ has a great voice so sang the with them , think Aerosmith been played on cello and kettle drum ! they went down a blast .
After about a hour the DJ took over for a bit singing request and playing music then turned the karaoke on .
We kept the food simple, 2 huge hotpot pies and some chicken drumsticks / sausage - cheese rolls crisps and dips
We didnt have a free bar as such but as everyone came in we handed them a token ( like a casino chip ) and told them they could use it at the bar to buy what ever they wanted , later in the night we handed out more that way so it did not cost us a bomb but everyone got a few free drinks that they were not expecting .
But the best thing ,
At the end of the night when all the guest had gone we went to the main part of the pub , kicked our shoes off and had a pint with the landlord and a few of the bar staff , then staggered upstairs to bed.
As PP have said make sure that once the party is in full swing and everybody is happy that you and DH bugger off for a bit and take a bit of time to soak it all in .