Weddings are about love, hope-and toasts! As such, most brides and grooms provide guests with lots of champagne, wine, beer and spirits throughout the night. What do you expect to serve? Here's how to stock up according to your guests' tastes-and your budget.
The Basics
Many couples opt for an open bar, where guests have access to unlimited drinks throughout the entire reception. While this is certainly the most gracious approach, it's also the most expensive and could end up costing as much as 10 to 20% of your total budget. An alternative is the 'limited,' or 'soft,' bar, where you offer a careful selection of drinks (say, wine, beer and vodka cocktails) at the bar during specific times (throughout the cocktail hour and right after dinner), then have waiters serve wine or beer during the meal.
On a tight budget? Don't even think about having a cash bar. Guests should never be expected to pay for their own drinks. Instead, consider skipping the hard stuff, which is pricey, and serve less-costly wine and beer only. Or, opt to offer your site's 'well' brands of liquor, which are less expensive than premium brands; the same goes for 'house' wines and champagne. Also, discourage the wait staff from refilling wine glasses at dinner without first asking guests if they want more.
Who Supplies the Alcohol?
If you're hosting your wedding in a hotel or banquet hall, liquor is usually provided; in your contract, expect to be quoted a per-person fee or a 'total' price f
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