12 Great Tips When Planning Your Wedding Reception Beverage Plan
Your beverage tab is another big portion of your reception expenses, and it is also a place where you can find great savings with the right decisions and right resources. Many established reception sites and hotels do offer an open bar with your choice of premium liquors or a more limited selection of drinks, and they remain in control of the price per bottle. At your reception site, ask about the types of liquors available, the vintages chosen, even the number of bottles opened. One of the most colossal wastes of money at any reception is when the bar staff opens too many bottles of wine or other liquors, and at the end of the night, even though they weren't used, you still have to pay for them. On your dime, the wait staff might be sipping your Chardonnay and gulping down the cheese platter after the party ends.
Clearly, you can save a bundle by talking with the reception manager, caterer, or bartender to establish clear guidelines on the liquors you'll stock at your bar. Take a look at their itemized order list, ask them to explain their estimates of how much each guest is likely to drink, and state your preferences for the uncorking of bottles of wine. Most couples request that bottles be opened on a need-only basis and that they not be charged for all unopened bottles. This keeps the "corkage fees" to a minimum.
Your first concern might be which kinds of drinks to offer. Many open bar arrangements do allow for unlimited use of premium or top-shelf liquors, several different kinds of wines, soft drinks and fruit drinks for mixes, and bottled water. Do not just accept a site's stated list of liquor in supply; ask to have some say in what's offered and what's not. One couple saved a fortune and prevented misbehavior by their younger guests by instructing their bartenders not to serve shots of hard liquor. Mixed drinks were fine, but no shots. Their theory was to stop their younger guests downing shot after shot of vodka or tequila and get them to slow down their pace with larger, mixed drinks. Their strategy worked and earned them a lower bar tab and more in-control guests.
One of the smartest things you can do before you sit down with the bartender or reception hall manager is to learn a bit about the price ranges of liquors, wines, and champagnes. You don't need to take an expensive wine-tasting course to find out the real price range for a good Chablis or a good Riesling. You may go online and view some reviews and price ranges; and even receive updated lists of the best-rated vintages around.
Once you have your lists in hand, see if the reception hall manager can order some of your chosen vintages as replacements for his list. In some cases, the site may allow you to bring in your own supply of liquor rather than use their stock. This can add up to some great savings if you go about it the right way.
Ask your bartender for an outline of how much liquor you'll need for your guest list and then seek out great choices and great prices at a discount liquor store or wholesale liquor supplier. Buying in bulk may net you even greater savings. This is a great job for the bridal party to help out with, as you'll certainly need the extra bodies to carry those cases of wine and liquor into your reception site.
The following are recommendations from wine merchants and liquor suppliers for their top tips on choosing more economical, but still pleasing, beverage options for weddings on a budget.
1. Serve top-shelf liquors at the beginning of the evening and then serve call bar, or less prestigious, liquors the rest of the night. "Your guests won't be able to taste the difference once they have a few good drinks in them."
2. Limit the menu of drinks, offering only a few top-shelf liquors such as vodka, gin, and rum, and only a few selections of white and red wines.
3. Put a restriction on the types of mixed drinks your bartender will prepare. Drinks such as Long Island Iced Teas and Cosmopolitans use more liquor than most choices, so leave them off the drink menu. Print up a list of drinks the bartender will make, such as martinis, gin and tonics, and the like.
4. Find great-tasting yet inexpensive wine vintages during a thorough search at your liquor store. A well-trained wine expert can help you find the best choices at a discount.
5. Offer micro-brew beers instead of big-name imports and watery domestics.
6. Serve after-dinner drinks by way of a strolling waiter in tuxedo, who pours the cognac right from the bottle with a white-gloved hand.
7. Limit your international coffee bar to include only espresso, cappuccino, and standard coffee. Eliminating the more exotic Chai teas and Jamaican and Irish coffees will cut down on your supply expenses.
8. Offer a wide supply of nonalcoholic drinks for your teetotaler friends, underage guests, and children.
9. Close the bar during dinner, and close it for good an hour or two before the end of the reception, while the coffee is served.
10. Be sure your site has a liquor license before you stock up on wines, beers, and champagnes! Double-check so your purchases don't go to waste.
11. Have a nonalcoholic reception. Some couples choose a liquor-free reception if they have major budget concerns, religious beliefs, or they're supporting a relative who has stopped drinking. In place of liquor, provide pretty punches and soft drinks.
12. Skip the champagne. Guests can toast you with whatever drink they have in their hands.
