Catering or Alcohol??

abdalton

So, I'm on a tight budget and I'm forcing myself to choose between catering & alcohol.Let me explain.  I can't spend more than $5500 for food AND alcohol.  I figured if I can get the caterer to get the cost down to $4000 (heavy horduerves, including tip & tax) then we can do the open bar and my fiance and I will pay the difference.  The way I see it (maybe because I'm young and niave), about 80% of my guests would rather have open bar then a really good dinner. What are your opinions on this??

thesportsgal21

if the reception is later in the evening, I would say this is fine. that way, your guests will know that they should eat dinner before, say, 7.

lillianchameleon

Isn't the question more of dinner reception or cocktail reception?  Anyways, I think cocktail receptions are fine, but if there are going to be a lot of children, maybe not.

ring_pop

I love cocktail party weddings!

kdcwedding

I think this depends on WHEN your reception occurs. If it's around dinner, I want good food. If it's later at night, heavy apps and a nice bar would be fine. Either way, make sure the food is good, even if it's not a full dinner.

ExpatPumpkin

If I were a guest, I'd want both. Sorry!!! But you have to be realistic about your budget... Have you explored all of your catering options? Will your venue allow you to bring in bottles of wine? How many people are you expecting to attend, and what time of day will your reception be?

banana468

I'd have a brunch/early afternoon wedding.  This keeps the meal on the smaller side, costs less and people generally consume less alcohol in the early afternoon.

Soon-to-be Mrs. Vogt

Ditto Banana. I really would rather have both. You either need to cut your guest list, or find a way to cut back on costs by looking at a different venue or different catering costs. You could serve a limited bar (beer, wine, and a few select hard liquors or signature drinks) and that would cut your cost. If the dinner isn't great, I'm not eating it. And I'm grumpy because I'm hungry. And I don't want to drink on an empty stomach, so I'm probably going to leave early.

georgia_bride09

I'm confused. You can't spend more than $5500. If catering is $4000, you and your fiance can pay the difference for open bar up to $1500? Is that correct?That can be done. I say have a cocktail reception with heavy hors doeuvres and open bar.

SarahSmile23

hmm...i think it could definitely work as long as there are tons of horduerves. what were you thinking of serving? that will help us decide. we did something similar to what you are describing, but we had tons of different options and a pasta station too.

Soon-to-be Mrs. Vogt

Oops, sorry, ditto Expat.Although Banana has another good option.

ExpatPumpkin

A pasta bar sounds like a good, inexpensive option to fill people up. That with heavy hors d' oeuvres should be budget-friendly. Then you can also have the open bar, or at least a limited bar Please don't consider a cash or tickets bar... Again, how many people and what time of day?

SarahSmile23

A pasta bar sounds like a good, inexpensive option to fill people up. That with heavy hors d' oeuvres should be budget-friendly. Then you can also have the open bar, or at least a limited bar I forgot to mention...if you have a pasta bar, have a manned pasta station with choices of meats, noodles, and sauces. it was a hit for us and really did fill people up.I agree with expat...limited bar is great, cash bar is not. But it sounds like you aren't even considering a cash bar.

SwedishChick2011

we did something similar to what you are describing, but we had tons of different options and a pasta station too. Mmmm...pasta.

aerinpegadrak

You only have to serve a meal if it's in a meal time.  Good options are a 2pm ceremony followed by light snacks or dessert-ish food (often known as a "cake and punch") or a 7pm or later ceremony followed by heavy apps and desserts (a "cocktail reception" or "dessert reception").  Brunch or lunch also tend to be more cost-effective, with cheaper food and much less booze.  If you're not serving a full meal, definitely indicate what kind of reception it will be on the invites.

ffmaid

What time is your reception ? If little food and lots of booze people are going to get trashed fast

abdalton

Wow...such great response in such little time! Thanks for all of the suggestions! To answer the questions.... We PLAN on having the ceremony around 6PM...given that we are putting on the invitations "Cocktail reception" so they can plan on eating before if they need to. With our wedding being in the summer, I figured people wouldn't eat as heavy as they normally would. I asked the chef about a pasta bar & his reply was that he wouldn't recommend it b/c it doesn't particularly "blend" with heavy horduerves & it requires a chef to man the station which would end up being as much as a plated dinner. I cannot go outside of our caterer - the venue where we're having the reception as well as ceremony is required. We COULD go outside of this caterer; however, the fees to do this are just as expensive. We are able to buy our own alcohol & have it served through the bartenders with the caterer, so that is how we would be able to keep open bar at a reasonable price. I would, in NO shape or form, have a cash bar. So, even if we're having a late ceremony, I feel as long as we explain to guests its a cocktail reception..they will understand & get excited to hear its open bar. Agree??

abdalton

To answer the other question, we're expecting about 150 guests. That is what we have on the guest list tentatively, but our wedding isn't until July of 2010, so we haven't begun to send out STDs or invites.

ExpatPumpkin

If you call it a cocktail reception on the invite, and serve enough hors d' oeuvres to fill people up, it sounds great! Good move on the open bar

aerinpegadrak

6pm ceremony is a little early for a cocktail reception.  Remember, guests will often arrive up to half an hour in advance, and may take an hour or more to get ready.  So to eat dinner before the ceremony, they'd have to be done eating by about 4:30.  Any chance of pushing back the ceremony to at least 6:30 or 7:00?

abdalton

Pushing the ceremony back to 6:30/7 is absolutely an option. All I really want is to make sure we have some sunlight for the ceremony. The ceremony will probably last about 30 minutes.

aerinpegadrak

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.htmlPlug in your date and location and see what your options are.