Alcohol

aleznoff

To save money, my caterer is allowing me to purchase my own alcohol and they will serve it at my wedding for a small fee.  I am thinking about serving wine and beer only.  I will also have a champaign toast.  I am on a limited budget for my wedding.  Can you recommend one good red and white wine?
What beer should I serve? 
Should I have a couple of options for beer?
What champaign should I get?
Can you recommend a place where I can buy alcohol in bulk for a good price?

Thanks! Amy

JustKate

What does your menu look like?

For wines, I would choose a Merlot and a Chardonnay.  A good, inexpensive brand, is Robert Mondavi.  I believe they sell it at Sam's, Costco, BJ's.  I personally like Yellow Tail's Merlot/Shiroz for my cheap wine fix but I think that is an acquired taste and not for everyone. 

For beer, I would choose a couple domestic selections and a couple of imported selections.  Those are hard to narrow down since people have so many different preferences.  I would stay away from anything from a micro-brewery however since that is also an acquired taste and not preferred by most.  I would say make sure you have a light beer somewhere on the menu as more and more people are turning to those now. 

kaesha

I bought all my stuff at Costco which seemed insanely cheap to me (but, I`m Canadian, and our alcohol prices are through the roof). I`d choose wines based on what you`re serving. I think the best wine matches really depend on what you`re serving to eat. So, for example, we had a hoisin beef that we paired with a Shiraz and a fish that we paired with a Sauv Blanc.

MommyMarta08

I really really hate Chardonnay- I suggest a Sauvignon Blanc for your white. It's cleaner and crisper. I'd go with a Pinot Noir for red. As for beer, I''d pick two of your favorites. 

tldh

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_alcohol-4?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:c131906e-bda2-40b9-9dfa-51a7b352973cPost:fb669360-1987-44b4-9b80-21cea3555c24">Re: Alcohol</a>:
[QUOTE]Honestly, if you're on a budget, I'd skip the champagne.  Most people don't care for it, especially if it isn't the good stuff.  It won't be missed. As for wines, I'd do a Merlot (red) and a Pinot Grigio (white) since they are the most versatile when it comes to food pairings.  If you have the budget, you might throw in a <strong>blush like a White Zin, because those tend to be more popular with non-wine drinkers</strong>, but it's not necessary. I'd also offer a couple different types of beers.  Probably some sort of lighter beer like Fat Tire or Blue Moon and something more stout such as Guiness?  Not that it need be those brands by any means.  Just trying to give examples for comparison.
Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

White Zin however tastes indescribably horrible to most wine drinker though.

kaesha

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_alcohol-4?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:c131906e-bda2-40b9-9dfa-51a7b352973cPost:bef187bb-566a-4026-9d99-afc075d6ef04">Re: Alcohol</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Alcohol : White Zin however tastes indescribably horrible to most wine drinker though.
Posted by tldh[/QUOTE]

Amen to that.

alehayes

Are there any wineries near where you live?  Shockingly, there are a good number of wineries in Indiana, and many of them produce awesome wines at low prices.  You can even pick some of them up at Walmart.  As for actual suggestions, I can't really be that helpful.  I'm not a big wine drinker, and the only wines I tend to like are the really fruity ones (I did have a really good wine from Wisconsin a few months ago though...I think it was some sort of white cranberry thing.

Ashes_3

I agree with skipping the champagne. We are buying cases and variety of beer. We have parties often and no one likes the same beer. White wine that my friends and family love (Especially me) is called Costelle Dei Paggio Moscato (Don't hold me to the spelling). My friends who aren't wine drinkers like it. Some places you can buy it and return it if not open. We bought some wine from wine shops and from Sams Club. If you buy by the cases - a lot of people give you 10% off. We are buying beer from a drive thru and they may give you a discount!!

frogurt814

I personally do not like Pinot Grigio because I think it's too dry.  If the wine options you offered were only merlot and pinot, I wouldn't drink either.  Maybe you could offer a semi-sweet white wine?  Maybe that would appeal to the sweet and the dry crowd? I don't really know.

As for beer, it really depends on your guests.  Most of our guests prefer Bud Light or Miller Lite over something like Blue Moon.  So if that's how your guests are, then buy more of the domestic beer but still provide other beer choices.

ekilzer1

For the beer you need to take in your guests tastes.....

My whole family is from Colorado... My FI's family is from St. Louis. So we will be getting a keg of bud light (cheaper than buying a bunch of cases).... and then we will buying several cases of Fat Tire and several cases of Blue Moon. All of this will be served by a professional bartender- there will be no keg stands or anything 

The wine depends on your menu.... I suggest Sams Club or Costco for the wine. That is what we did for my brother's wedding and what we will undoubtedly do for my wedding as well. I am not a huge wine drinker, but my Dad is a collector- so I just leave those decisions up to him. If there is a winery or a wine bar nearby I suggest popping in and talking to them. 

melissamc2

I also agree with skipping the champagne if budget is an issue at all.  No one will mind doing the toasts with wine and, truth be told, not everyone is going to literally raise their glass and drink at the toasts, anyway.

We served Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.  Both went over very well with the guests (an average of a litre per guest well, in fact!) and it satisfied everyone's taste.  We consulted with a winery and vintners, had tastings, and chose based on their suggestions and what we liked best.

We don't do beer - so I'm no help in that department.

We had alcoholic (and NA) punches going all night, too, and people were going through it very quickly.  Our venue made it at $100 per bowl (for the alcoholic ones containing either gin or vodka), but it could be done for much less if you are providing your own.

kaesha

If you want to serve something sweeter, why not do a sangria in addition to a red and a white?

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

For beer, I would do a selection, for sure. Especially since beers vary wildly. I went to a wedding where the only free beer they had was Bud Light - I didn't drink it. Since there won't be options aside from what you bring in, you'll need a few.

I think Bud Light or Miller Light for one selection is fine.

I'd also do a wheat beer/hefeweizen for another, like Blue Moon or Pyramid.

Then do something darker and maltier, like Newcastle or Fat Tire.

Some people love stouts, some people love IPAs (hoppy IPAs are really big on the west coast), but most people will likely drink at least one of the above. If you really want to add a fourth one, then go either really dark or really hoppy.

I'm not as experienced with wine, but I will say that the same wedding mentioned above had white zin for their "white" wine. It was awful. i'm not an oaky chardonnay fan. I like dry reislings. As for red, I'd go for something sweeter, rather than bolder.

I Want Cake

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_alcohol-4?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:c131906e-bda2-40b9-9dfa-51a7b352973cPost:be3b22a7-f678-40fb-9c1a-cec400528b1b">Re: Alcohol</a>:
[QUOTE]I really really hate Chardonnay- I suggest a Sauvignon Blanc for your white. It's cleaner and crisper. I'd go with a Pinot Noir for red. As for beer, I''d pick two of your favorites. 
Posted by MommyMarta08[/QUOTE]

I also hate chardonnay.  It's too dry for a white and can put a lot of people off.  Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio are crisp without being dry.  For reds, stay light-medium bodied.  I like merlot and pinot noir.  Really heavy reds like burgundy can be hard to drink for anyone but a conisseur.

For beers, I'd choose one cheap light beer like Bud or Miller, and one premium beer, like Sam Adams.  They're familiar to everyone and can be relatively inexpensive.

Costco is a great place to buy your liquor, and you might even be able to return unopened bottles or cases of beer as long as they haven't been chilled.

janicejab

Trader Joe's has decent wine for a good price. I would do a Cabernet and a Pinot Grigio, but that's what my friends and I like and you'd know your guests better than anyone else. For beer, I'd get a domestic light beer (Miller Lite, Bud, Coors), a dark beer (Guinness, Boddington's, Newcastle), a wheat beer (Oberon, Blue Moon, Sam Adam's Summer wheat) and an ale (Bass, Founder's Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale). I would choose more types of beer because half the people I know drink different beers. I would just buy more of the light beer, because that's probably the most popular.

sarahgibso2

Verdi is insanely cheap for champagne.  Its pretty sweet and most people like it because its not dry at all.

As far as wines, get them by the case because its usually cheaper that way.  Keep in mind that you usually get 4-5 glasses out of each bottle.

aleznoff

Thank you for all your feedback! Now how do I keep my guests from getting loaded and acting stupid from all this alcohol?