9 days out and I need some help please!

AprilH81

My venue  contacted me yesterday to let me know that their full liquor license did not come through as expected and they doubt they will have it by our wedding next Saturday.  This is not a disaster and opens up the door to save some money, but it does cause us more work.

Option 1:  We allow the venue to furnish our liquor, we tell them what we want and how much and they buy it, serve it and we get to keep the anything left.  We will pay a convenience fee to have them buy it for us.

Option 2: We buy everything ourselves (hopefully from a place that will buy back unopened bottles), haul it to the venue, they still serve it and we still get to keep what is left.  We will have a  corkage fee if we bring it in but we will have a wider selection, especially with wine.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the venue about exactly what percentages the fees are along with a price list so we can better compare options.   Even though it is more "work" I would rather option 2 if I can find a place that will buy back unopened bottles.  That way we can buy much more than we think we so I don't worry about running out and we still don't have to spend a lot of unnecessary money.

So here is where I need your help.

What would you do in this situation?

What liquor stores will buy back unopened bottles in the Columbus area?

What wines should I get ($10-15 bottle range)?  Entree choices are chicken, meatloaf and pork chops.  I only drink sweet white wines like Moscato or Reisling, so I don't know what I should do for the red choices.

Thanks!

April

 

saacjw

I'd do option 2, personally, because I like control over things. 

For red wines, I'd go with a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot because most people will drink them (I just saw an article proclaiming them the most popular wines bought in the US). They should work fine with your food. Straight up, I feel like you can get any 10-15 dollar bottle and be fine, but I will say that when I shop for wine, I buy things from Chile or Argentina at that price range because they tend to have a lot of bang for your buck. I'd also know a lot of people like white wine, so I'd get a couple of options there, maybe a Reisling and something a bit dryer, like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. 

If you have a smart phone or tablet, check out the app Hello Vino (it's free). It recommends a few brands, so you can actually put in the food you're having and it pairs it with wine ideas. So you can say, I'm having chicken in a lemon/herb marinade and it will give you some ideas of what goes best with it. 

AprilH81

Thank you @saacjw !  

Do you happen to know if Ohio allows liquor stores to return unopened bottles?  I'm more concerned about over-buying than anything else.

photokitty

Most store will not accept returns on alcohol. It is up to each store, so I would be CERTAIN they will take it back or buy stuff you will use. I have not encountered any that will buy it back.

We have done option 2 and ALWAYS ended up with WAY too much and not been able to return it.

I would argue with them over the fees since they are not holding up their end of the deal. DId they tell you they didn't have a license and might not in time?

How can they even offer option 1 if they don't have a license or will they go buy it retail? I'm not sure they aren't in violation if they do this. What are they doing about mixers and garnishes? Do you have to supply any of them?

My go to cheap wine is Mezza Corna Pinot Noir at World Market. It is $9 and you get 10% if you buy a case. Buy a white you like so you don't have to worry about returns. Don't forget about champagne if you want it…I like Cook's for the cheaper options.

I would go with whatever option is cheaper and try to get them down even further on the fees. I'd be hella mad.

AprilH81

photokitty said:

Most store will not accept returns on alcohol. It is up to each store, so I would be CERTAIN they will take it back or buy stuff you will use. I have not encountered any that will buy it back.

We have done option 2 and ALWAYS ended up with WAY too much and not been able to return it.

I would argue with them over the fees since they are not holding up their end of the deal. DId they tell you they didn't have a license and might not in time?

How can they even offer option 1 if they don't have a license or will they go buy it retail? I'm not sure they aren't in violation if they do this. What are they doing about mixers and garnishes? Do you have to supply any of them?

My go to cheap wine is Mezza Corna Pinot Noir at World Market. It is $9 and you get 10% if you buy a case. Buy a white you like so you don't have to worry about returns. Don't forget about champagne if you want it…I like Cook's for the cheaper options.

I would go with whatever option is cheaper and try to get them down even further on the fees. I'd be hella mad.

When we signed the contract they gave me every indication that it would be done by the first of the year because I was asking about bringing in some wine that I liked that they didn't offer.  They said they would have to do any special orders by the case because they would have their full liquor license by then.  

I think they have a limited license now, because they can bring it in and serve it, but you have to buy it by the bottle not the drink.

They will still provide the set-up (ice, mixers, soft drinks, etc.) and the bartender.  I'm going to ask them to waive any additional corkage/convenience fees and see if I can get them down on the per person set-up fee since none of this would be being charged if they had their license.

I don't even have a lot of time to do our research because our final payment to the venue is due tomorrow (which I may ask for an extension so we can make a decision).

Thanks for the reminder about World Market, I don't think about them when it comes to wine.

photokitty

OK, I looked at your venue's website. For me - I would not pay an 18% handling fee AND then the 21% service fee and sales tax (probably on top of the sales tax they pay at the point of purchase) just to save myself the trip.

I would only do option 1 if they only charge you for what was opened. As in they keep the leftovers that are unopened. So if you open 8 bottles of wine you don't take any home. You take home any opened bottles of liquor. This is good bc you only pay per bottle you use and in theory they have stock in the back that won't run out.

If you tell them how much to buy and pay for it regardless then go buy it yourself and pay the corking fee - that can't be more than the 18%, 21% and 7%.

When transporting open bottles, put tape over the cap and neck and keep them in the trunk to be safe. Or ask if the venue has the transporting sealed bags some restaurants have so you don't get an open container violation - better safe than sorry.

Good luck girlfriend!!

AprilH81

Thanks @photokitty!

AprilH81

Update:  All fixed now.  

The venue and our coordinator are awesome.  They didn't even blink when I asked them to waive the 18% fee for them to go get our liquor for us.  Since it was last minute they completely understood!

We just need to tell them what we want and how much and they will have it there the morning of the wedding.  They will still provide the bartender and the mixers and we still bring home everything we don't drink, so we will just go heavy on the stuff we (or more likely FI) likes.

HUGE relief! 

photokitty

Glad it worked out

Senecaf

I'm glad to see it has been worked out. Not that this matters anymore but I thought I heard Trader Joes will take back unopened wine.