On that special day, the wedding day, brides may be consumed with a lot of things, including the ceremony, flowers, DJ and the reception. It is a difficult task, especially when there is a need to make everyone else happy, while trying to stick to a wedding budget. There is one area of a wedding where costs can be cut, reducing the bill, without letting guests feel like corners have been cut.
One-Bottle Rule to Reduce Wedding Costs
Speak with the bartender or catering company prior to the wedding date and request that they open only one bottle at a time and only when it has been requested. This way if no one wants to drink White Zinfandel it will not have to be paid for.
When a wedding has been catered, most companies will charge based on bottles opened, whether they were served or not. This will definitely cut down on the wine expense without the guests ever knowing what is going on behind the bar.
Skip Name Brands When Serving Alcoholic Drinks
Avoid having name brands served at the wedding reception and only have house wines or non-brand names liquor available. If it is not available guests will not have the option to raise the bar bill by continually drinking top of the line drinks throughout the night. When mixed with other liquids, like orange juice, coke or soda water, your guests will be perfectly fine without the name brands.
Off-Nite Weddings Cheaper
If most of the guests are from the area, select an off-nite, or not so popular Saturday, wedding. Weddings on Friday or Sunday will be cheaper than one of Saturday. By the reception costing less, it may be possible to cut down on the wedding bill even more or add the savings to the bar budget.
Skip the Full Bar
Do not offer guests a full bar when at the reception. Make a list of drinks which can be made in advance and saved behind the bar in pitchers or a select number of mixed drinks. This way the guests can not determine the final bar bill, since it was already pre-determined by the bride.
Supply Drinks for Wedding Guests
Find a reception hall where drinks can be brought in from the outside and do not have to be ordered through the catering company. If the wine and liquor is purchased by the case, most stores will offer a significant discount. Plus, the liquor store will be a lot cheaper than if being served through a catering company. Drinks can be served by a trusted friend or family member or local liquor stores know trained and certified bartenders who will work for a decent price.
Tray Service
Do some research and see which drinks will be the cheapest to serve at the wedding reception. Select two or three and have the wait staff serve those drinks to guests on trays. With the drinks already made and being served guests will not see that a cheap drink or brand liquor was selected.
Heather Landon - Heather Leigh is a freelance writer with a wide variety of knowledge and writing topics. She started out as a Sports Writer for a local ...
