Now that the venue is booked- alcohol questions!

MandiRenee

I booked our ceremony/reception venue today at lunch and ended up with a few more questions that perhaps you ladies have had some experience with.We had to pay $200 to hire security in order to serve alcohol. We also need a permit to serve alcohol and it must be served by an ABC licensed vendor. I think I have that part locked down. My only question really is - Where is a good place to get kegs/wine for a decent price? A bartending service is going to cost me $120 if the caterer isn't licensed to serve, and I'm trying to keep the total beverage cost under $400.Any ideas?

ashley010525

My caterer has the requirments! We paid $200 for bartender. We are buying are booze at BevMo! Whatever you dont use, you can return!! They match prices as well!!Where did you book ur venue, if you dont mind me asking!!ashley

amy77jc

I'm doing the same. Our venue requires security but its minimal and they even said "family" can serve alcohol. I'm going to use BevMo as well b/c the return policy as well as the fact that its in the plaza next to our venue so we can always run and get more if we run out!

Terriniski

We used BevMo for our beer because they have decent prices and good variety.  We bought our wine from Costco (but that comes with a membership fee and may not be worth it unless you have plans to shop there in the future).

MandiRenee

Thanks for the replies. I had more or less figured we'd also be doing something like that. We're getting married at Santiago Oaks Regional Park in the City of Orange. The price really can't be beat unless you can do it someone's back yard, but the hoops you have to jump through for permits and alcohol service is a little crazy. It's a beautiful location for a small wedding, though.We have a Costco membership already, so I'll probably keep my eyes peeled for wine specials. As of right now, we're planning on BevMo for a keg or two. Depending on the offerings of their next 5 cent wine sale, I may pick up a few bottles of wine there too.Thanks for the tips, and any other ideas anyone might have would be greatly appreciated as well!

kasarin

Sorry to thread hijack, but you don't need a membership to purchase alcohol at Costco (or Sam's Club). There's some random law in California that says prescription drugs and alcohol must be available to everyone.

Terriniski

Depending on how small your wedding is, you might be better off buying bottles instead of kegs (also depending on what kind of beer you want).  We thought about getting a 1/2 or 1/4 keg for our after party with about 30-40 friends, and after pricing it out, we realized that bottles or cans were the way to go.