8 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Alcohol at Your Wedding

Jul 16

Picture this: you and your honey are on your way to a friend’s wedding, ready to celebrate (like really celebrate) and walk into the reception stone-cold sober. You’re too classy to sneak nips in your socks or have a huge pre-game. Besides you probably thought, “it’s a wedding, there’s always free booze.” You push through crowds of guests to locate the bar. There it is – a beacon of hope. You make best friends with the bartender while ordering your Tito’s and pineapple juice when out of NO WHERE they slap the bill on the bar. You panic. Don’t tell me it’s a… it’s a…a CASH bar? How dare they.

After one or two experiences like that, you probably looked at each other and said, “when we get married, we have to have an open bar.” Fast forward to the first time you opened your catering quote and audibly gasped at the bottom line. Hosting an open bar for 5 hours for over 100 people, well… it ain’t cheap.

Fear not, friends! There are many ways to reduce the cost of alcohol at your wedding, without having to rely on a cash bar. Here are some bar hacks to keep the party lively, the guests happy and the spirits flowing, without having to promise your first child to the beverage sales manager.

1. Provide Your Own Alcohol

Ask your caterer or venue if it is permissible to provide your own alcohol. Compare the cost of purchasing on your own to the catering invoice. This will allow you to have control over brands and varieties which will help you keep costs lower. Some liquor stores will allow you to return un-chilled and unopened bottles after the event.

Work with your caterer or wedding planner on the optimal alcohol quantities based on your guest list so you don’t run out. After that, take a closer look at your guest list – did you invite a bunch of craft beer connoisseurs, or are we working with more of a margarita crowd? Whatever you think will be popular for your group, stock up on extra.

2. Choose a Consumption Package

Some venues and caterers may allow you to host a bar based on consumption. This means instead of being charged an upfront and fixed price per head (an “open bar”), you are only charged for the actual beverages consumed. BE CAREFUL WITH THIS. If you’ve invited a lot of heavy drinkers, you may get slapped across the face with a very painful bill at the end of the weekend.

To decide which option is best for you, compare the fixed Open Bar cost per head to the Consumption Bar drink prices. For example:

If the Open Bar cost for 5 hours = $30 per person
And the Consumption Bar price for 1 glass of wine = $10
Then each guest would have to drink more than 3 glasses of wine over 5 hours to exceed the fixed Open Bar rate.

If you think it’s safe to say your guests will not drink 3 glasses of wine each, consider selecting the Consumption package. If you expect them to blow past 3 glasses in the first two hours, the Open Bar will be worth the investment. Do this exercise with your guests’ behaviors in mind.

3. Only Count 21+ Drinkers

A common mistake couples make when gathering catering quotes is including the entire guest count in their bar package. Are you inviting kids or non-drinkers? Identify them upfront and exclude them from the bar package count. Confirm if your venue or caterer has a non-alcoholic beverage package for these guests (typically it will be less than half the cost).

4. Consider a Beer and Wine Only Package

If your crowd is predominantly into beer and wine and less interested in hard liquor, ask your venue or caterer if there is a beer and wine only package. These packages are typically way less expensive! With some venues and caterers, you can still offer mixed drinks at the bar for guests to purchase on their own. Offering a couple signature cocktails with liquor in addition to the Beer and Wine Bar is also a nice touch that won’t break the bank.

5. Downgrade Your Bar Package

Ask if your caterer or venue has a cheaper package. Often times you’ll be quoted for a superior package that includes top shelf liquors and premium wines. If neither of these are a priority, make sure you find out what is included in their lowest tier package. You can reduce the cost of alcohol at your wedding just by downgrading.

6. Partial Open Bar

Ask if you are able to provide an Open Bar for a limited amount of time. See if it fits in your budget to host the bar for 1 – 2 hours, then switch to a Cash Bar or a Consumption Package thereafter. The per head cost for an Open Bar increases by the hour, so eliminating time can help save you money.

7. Shorten the Reception or Close the Bar Early

In the same vein, cutting your reception down an hour or closing the bar an hour before the event ends may also help your budget. In some states, it’s required by law for the catering bar to close a half hour before the end of the event anyway.

8. Cut Wine Service at the Table

If you planned on offering wine options to guests at their tables, this is an easy cut. Guests who prefer wine likely grabbed the wine they wanted from the bar before sitting down anyway. I’m sad to say it, but most of my time clearing tables as a cater waiter back in the day was spent pouring out full glasses of unwanted table wine. A damn shame.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to factor in the cost of bar set-up fees, liquor licenses, gratuities or fees for additional bartenders when budgeting (these may all still apply even with a cash bar). You should also be aware of any food and beverage minimums set by caterers that you may need to meet. It’s also important to remember cash bars slow down the line, so keep that in mind when your food and beverage provider is staffing your event.

If you need to reduce the cost of alcohol at your wedding, try using one or more of these hacks! At the end of the day, if hosting the entire bar is a priority to you and your fiancé, build around it in your budget by sacrificing elsewhere. Besides, if your guests are rosy-cheeked, they probably won’t notice the perfect shade of dusty blue in the rental napkins you splurged on. Cheers!