Open bar question

dovesweet07

So I know my family/friends will pretty much require an open bar (not that they everyone is a heavy drinker, but its kind of a cultural thing - we're russian, haha). I was wondering if would cost less to just do the regular open bar per person or pay based on consumption. Obviously this would depend on the amount consumed, but since we're having a Sunday wedding, i would think the consumption wouldnt be as high. Please share your opinions/experiences :-)

aerinpegadrak

Take a look at your guest list and try to estimate how much people will drink.  Then do the math.

Personally, I prefer a flat rate, unless it's a guest list full of light drinkers who would probably come in under that rate by consumption.  I like the fact that I won't have to keep an eye on the bar all night and be worried about how big the bill's going to be.  The peace of mind is well worth it.

SHELBZ5

We played with this idea too. 

At our reception venue, open bar was going to be $16/head for beer/wine/soda (we're not interested in serving mixed drinks). 
$16x200 guests = $3200, our goal budget max.  If we get close to our bar tab (ex $2500) the bar staff will come ask us how things are going and we'll have the decision then to let it go beyond (say it's only 8pm) or cut it off (11:30 pm). 

Odds are we'll never even come close says our coordinator.  Without mixed drinks he thinks a group of "drinkers" will spend is less than $2000. 

That's our scenario, hope it helps   I was hung up on having a set budget and wanted the per head cost too, but if you really think about it, it may be beneficial to go the other way...

tenofcups4me

It depends on your crowd. My sister was planning to do a consumption bar for her daughter's bat mitzvah and I talked her out of it. She had estimated the number of drinks she thought people would have and that number at the prices of the drinks meant a consumption bar would be cheaper.

But I thought she'd WAY underestimated how much people would drink. She thought about it some more, spoke with my parents and some friends, and decided the per-person price would probably end being the better deal. Plus she would know exactly what she was paying in advance.

I don't think there's a one-size answer for this -- depends on your crowd, the cost of the drinks, the cost of the per-person price, etc.

banana468

It really depends on the crowd and what the venue charges.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Like everyone said, it depends. I have a flat rate and I'm REALLY glad for it. I wanted a full bar and I only looked at places that would charge me a flat rate. My mom (who's not paying for my wedding) called me in a panic one day and said I should rethink a full bar because it would end up being expensive. I said, "Nope, it's $37 per person."

I think evite.com has a calculator where you can figure out how many drinks to budget for per person. It's something like 5 drinks per 4 hour reception - 5 on average for everyone, including kids and non-drinkers. Heavy drinkers will make up for non-drinkers.

~mRm~

We did the flat rate pp because we didn't want any shockers when it was all said and done. I also agree that it's going to depend upon your guests and what your venue will charge per drink. Plus don't forget a lot of people will upgrade their drink choices when it's on someone else's tab. 

Lasairiona

That is something you have to discuss with your caterer. Prices vary so much depending on where you live that it's impossible to even guess.

megk8oz

Ditto everybody else on figuring this out.

Personally, I'd prefer the flat rate, that way I'd know exactly what I'd be shelling out before the wedding, instead of getting a bill afterwards.

mlharbis

I would discuss options with the caterer.  My caterer does this thing where it is a per person cost to set up the bar.  Unlimited mixers cups napkins etc and a bartender and we give them the alcohol.  I went to total wine (a local liquor store) and they had a formula for what to buy per person then rounded up and it is a lot cheaper than doing an open bar based on consumption.  Maybe your caterer does something like that.