Bar Options frustrate me!

2chumps

So, we are not big drinkers and I don't want to spend a lot of money buying drinks for other people when I could spend it on other things that really matter to me, like a better dinner option or a photo booth, etc. 

We noticed that most places give you an option for a cash bar, open bar or drink tickets.  I was hoping we could say beer/wine will be covered to a certain dollar amount or for a certain amount of time but I don't think that's an option with our vendor.

How do drink tickets work?  Is it tacky to hand out drink tickets at your reception and how do you even do that"?  Walk table to table?  And what's the 'appropriate' amount of drink tickets to give per person for a 3 hour reception? 

saintpaulJess

Hmmmm... that's a tough one.  I'd really try to see if your vendor will let you host beer and wine until a certain time or to a certain dollar amount before I'd do drink tickets.  I don't know why they wouldn't be able to accomodate that?  Drink tickets do seem kinda tacky to me.

I'm also wondering for a three hour reception, how much wine and beer people will actually drink.  It totally depends on your crowd, but it might not be that much.

aligross

I'm with Jess, I would see if you couldn't have a pre-set amount of beer and wine that you would host... 1 or 2 kegs of beer, and then a set amount of bottles of wine. I've honestly never heard that a vendor wouldn't allow this.
Drink tickets are to me, very tacky but I guess you have to look at your crowd and see what they will think!

SSaltzman87

I'd definitely ask your venue if you could have a specific amount of beer and wine set aside or host up to a certain dollar amount.

I'm pretty neutral toward drink tickets, I haven't been to a wedding where they were used so I don't have personal experience. 

Jo&Lo83

Most venues I went to had kegs - once you're out of kegs, youre out.  We are getting 6...but our venue allows all unopened wine bottles/kegs to be refunded...and I know do not, so that was a big selling point for us, that we could more buy more "just in case".  So you could just buy 1-2 kegs.  We are doing drink tickets, because a lot of the family does enjoy alcohol, but we can't afford the open bar all night. You can print them out on a cute card, and just set one at each persons plate.  People who don't want to drink will hand them to others. 

2chumps

Thanks everyone, I sent an email to our vendor asking about providing a keg and wine (we only have 60 guests).  Hopefully they agree to that.  The proposal they sent to me only gives options of cash/open bar or tickets but maybe all I have to do is ask! 

AETS26

Jo&Lo83 - what venue are you using?

If you do use drink tickets, they could also go toward any other kind of beverage you're serving (punch, soda) for non-drinkers.