Wedding Notes | How Much to Drink?

For many couples on a budget, figuring out the beverage tab can be a daunting task.
What do we serve or not serve?  Cash bar or hosted bar?  Beer, Wine, both or none?
Here are some facts to help with your decisions.

To serve alcohol or not, is quite a question!  A dry wedding reception does tend to get over a bit quicker than one that serves some alcohol.  It seems that some guests tend to equate alcohol with dancing, music and fun.  [I am not here to debate the right or the wrong of this, just to be an information source!]  If you do decide that not serving alcohol is in the budget or for other reasons, make sure that you serve something fun and delicious for your guests to enjoy.  A Wedding is a celebration after all and people like to celebrate with food and drink.  Serving a non-alcoholic signature drink is a fun way of introducing your style to a wedding.  Three different flavored teas, lemonades or punches is another fun concept.  Make sure to serve them in a quirky, labeled container.   Being creative and injecting your personal style in your beverage choices is always a good way to keep your guest's attention. 

If you do decide to serve alcohol, how much do you budget for?  When do you serve it, for how long and what?  Here are some good guides to help you plan accordingly:

• Plan on 2 drinks per person for the first hour of your reception, then one drink person every hour until your event is over.  Don't forget to count the tea tottlers into the total count as the drinkers will out number the non drinkers.  You will need to remember that people love to celebrate, so even if your Aunt Martha is a tea drinker, she may decide that your wedding is a perfect place for one glass of wine.
• For a champagne toast, plan on 18 bottles per 100 guests [half a glass per person].  Don't care for champagne?  No worries, many people don't.  Your guests will toast you with whatever they have in their glasses.
• Domestic kegs serve approximately 165 - 12 oz glasses; imported beer kegs serve 140 - 12 oz glasses.  Make sure to have your keg beer served in glass containers vs. plastic.  You will have less waste and more responsive guests. 
• Only host beverages that you can afford.  An average wedding guest spends upwards of $350.00 to attend your wedding.  Making them pay for their drinks when you are the hosts is just in bad taste. 
• Signature drinks are a fun way to show off your personal style, but they can often times be a bit pricey to serve to everyone.  Instead of having them available all evening, try limiting your signature drink to just the cocktail hour or maybe bringing it out after 10 pm as a surprise feature.  You will be able to control your costs better and still have a fun option to serve to your guests.   Don't forget to offer a non-alcholic version as well.

Images courtesy of Details Planning Company

Need more ideas?

Stirrings is a great

web site filled with

beverage and

signature cocktail ideas.