Need advice on alcohol at wedding

jnc5000 · August 2009

Hello!We are not having a bar tender at our wedding - our families are not really big drinkers. We also don't want to have a completely dry wedding. We are getting a bottle of wine for each table. Should we do anything else? I don't drink at all, so I have no idea what is appropriate. I would appreciate any suggestions and ideas. Have a nice weekend!

~mRm~ · August 2009

You could do a champagne or spiked punch fountain. They can be set out with glasses nearby and guests can help themselves. If your venue doesn't offer one check local rental places, they usually have them to rent out. It can be as simple or elaborate as you want to be. HTH

Lasairiona · August 2009

What options do you have for people who don't like beer or wine? Contrary to popular belief, they do exist. Are they limited to only non-alcoholic choices? Drinks made with rum, vodka and tequila are popular. On the same token, if you choose to go with vodka, not everyone likes martinis. The best thing to do is ask your guests and go from there. If your families aren't big drinkers, they probably won't expect any alcohol. What about your friends who will be attending? Ask what they like and go from there. Also, make sure to ask the local authorities in your area if serving alcohol at a large party is even allowed with no bartender on site. Some places don't allow it at all.

mbcdefg · August 2009

I think a bottle of wine for each table, and different bottles of beer/malt liquor (like Smirnoff Ice or something) in a galvanized tub, would be plenty in terms of alcohol. People can help themselves in that case. Does your venue provide soft drinks? If not, get cans or bottles of soda and bottled water and put those in the galvanized tubs as well, with some cups nearby. You could also provide a bowl of punch (virgin or alcoholic) if you want. Maybe some assorted juices and some club soda, too.

kmmssg · August 2009

A regular size bottle of wine does not serve 8 people so keep that in mind. If you have 5 people at a table who decide they want a glass of wine, there wont' be enough. And - do the drinkers in your crowd drink wine? It is fine to limit alcohol, but you need to choose what people like.

RosyPosyBride · August 2009

Just do a full open bar with pricing based on consumption. This way, you ahve been a good hostess and offered your guests what ever they want and since they are not big drinkers it will not cost you much. Problem solved.

wdc*bride · August 2009

I like the idea of also having a self-serve area with beer and pitchers of sangria/bowls of spiked punch. I don't think you should have hard liquor and mixers. That is too much work for the guests and not as elegant IMO.

jnc5000 · August 2009

Thanks for all the advice. There is no option for an open bar or any type of bar where we are getting married. We are getting married at a B&B and having about 85 people. I like the idea of some type of spiked punch in addition to the wine.

ceililove · August 2009

i think that's a good idea too. a little wine and like mRm and catwoman said, some sort of pretty fruity drink or a little champagne fountain that you can rent would be nice too if you wanted another choice. agree also with the pp that did point out that 1 bottle of wine isnt really enough for a table if everyone does decide they want a glass, so maybe it would be better to set up glasses of wine on a table near the food for people to help themselves? you could probably use the same amt. we are just sticking to beer, wine, and prosecco champagne at our reception. we did decide to hire a bartender to pour it- we were going to just pour it ourselves but he's $14/hr, and our reception is only 3 hrs so i think it's worth it to have someone in charge of that for us because we think we'll be having close to 200 guests so for us, that makes sense.

dsouldiva · August 2009

How many people are sitting at each table? Is one bottle of wine going to be enough for everyone at the table to have a glass each? I like the idea of having punch available as well, or if you're getting married in winter mulled wine is a nice choice,

csingley · August 2009

I would recommend doing a bottle of white and a bottle of red at every table. Should give at least 1 glass to every person at the table that wants one and will cut down on other drinks you might put (I like the galvanized tub idea with some malt beverages, makes it easy b/c its self serve). Good luck!

razhel01 · August 2009

If you don't want to serve alcohol, don't! Your guests are coming to celebrate your marriage, regardless if they get to drink or not at your reception. Not sure where you're from, but the grocery store Meijer has a pretty large selection of carbonated ("sparkling") lemonades/juices that would make a pretty non-alcoholic toasting drink. Good luck!

sharonc0456 · August 2009

We are having an outdoor casual country ceremony at our barn. We are just getting big galvanized steel tubs filled with ice and 2 kinds of beer...Bass which is my fiance's fave and miller light, which almost everyone will drink. Also doing one with hard lemonade and stuff like that. Having old-fashioned sodas with paper straws in another one. We are not big drinkers either. i don't drink at all and my FI barely does. family doesn't either, but i think friends will appreciate some alcohol!

mandalay_415 · August 2009

FI's family are staunch non-drinkers and the only alcohol we'll be having is champagne for the toasts. You don't have to serve alcohol at YOUR wedding...do what you want. If people get upset that you're not serving alcohol for them, too bad. People shouldn't come to a wedding just for the alcohol. I got tired of people telling me to basically screw what my in-laws wanted and have an open bar. No, being respectful of them was more important than making sure everyone got drunk for free. The ideas of a champagne punch or even sparkling cider/wine were great ideas and are pretty tasty! Again, do what YOU want!

[Deleted User] · August 2009

I agree with people that setting up a self-serve table with the basics (vodka, tequila, gin, scotch, and rum) along with popular mixers (cranberry juice, orange juice, coke, tonic, etc) and beer and wine would be a good idea. I would suggest going to CostCo and buying it wholesale. You'll save money and last time I checked, they let you return unopened bottles. Better to have more than you think you need than too little. Worst case scenario? You end up returning it.

muellea4 · August 2009

do a cash bar, therefore if your guest want to drink they have to pay and its not out of your budget!

SarahCLeslie · August 2009

I think the best option in your case are a few buckets filled with ice and bottles of beer and champagne along with a white and red at each table. Some people do expect alcohol at a wedding and without will be disappointed.

Abrilita8587 · August 2009

We were in the same situation; we gave people the option of wine or sangria (& the sangria turned out to be a huge hit... people still mention it to me, haha). Since your families aren't big drinkers, I would suggest that you make sure there are a few alternative drinks for those who don't want alcohol at all-- lemonade, iced tea, sparkling apple cider, etc. (probably just one option would be fine). Sorry if you'd already thought of that...! Have fun!

Curucu · August 2009

You can do exactly as much or as little as you want. There's no appropriate amount. The spiked punch is a good idea, and you might want to consider that instead of everything else. Most people will at least try it, it gets your alcohol in without having to worry so much. Just try a few out beforehand and rent a punch fountain for the event. Then offer your non-alcoholic stuff. This might be your best bet if you are not drinkers.If you really want to serve wine, go with something that works with your meal or a red and a white (I suggest a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay) - two basic, generally good wines. Most are decent, and there are a lot of good less expensive brands out there.

anwallette · August 2009

Both of my parents are police officers and very worried about lawsuits and whatnot occurring from an open bar (new case law coming in) at an afternoon cocktail reception. We have given each guest two drink tickets and the bar has a full range of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Coffee/tea is served the whole time. This way it allows everyone to have some sort of beverage without being over the top and therefore not doing anything stupid - like drive drunk. Good luck! My fiance and I wrestled with this same question for a while.

kiyana corfield · August 2009

maybe one signature drink , wine and beer ( domestic cheaper brands)

ObLaDi · August 2009

If I went to a wedding and there was one bottle of wine for me to share with 5-7 other people, I would cry.Maybe you could have some extra bottles on hand for servers to replenish empty tables? I'd hate to be that person awkwardly scavenging other people's tables after I'd had my allotted half glass.

Need advice on alcohol at wedding

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