Wines on the table...

mrsbruff2b

To cut back on expenses, I'm considering having a consumption bar (free non-alcoholic drinks) but putting wines on each table.   I've been to a wedding where they offered one white and one red, is this standard for this method?  What about champange/sparkling wine? 

I don't know much about wines but is champange considered a "white wine"? 

graysquirrel

I think that offering one white and one red is pretty normal. I would consider champagne to be in a class of its own-- there are a lot of people who love white wine who don't really like champagne. 

LisaChris2011

If you're not having a hosted bar, I would make available all wines on the tables, including sparkling (champagne).

Also, since you are over a year away from your wedding, is there anyway at all to save for a hosted bar?  Making guests open up their wallets at your wedding is not the best thing to do.

HockeyFan4

after our tasting we decided this is what we are going to do.  Our coordinator said that one bottle white one one red is customary.  She said not to do champagne....that over the years the amount that just gets thrown away is huge.

adamar15

Is consumption bar the nice way to say cash bar?  I thought a consumption bar was where you paid for how much people actually drank, rather than per person.  Someone enlighten me please

mica178

Consumption bar should mean that you pay for as much as your guests consume.  It's not a cash bar.

adamar15

Thanks Mica!  That being clarified, I don't really see the point of putting wine on the tables if people can just go the bar to get their drinks.  Some people don't like wine, and some like A LOT of wine. 

mica178

How do you plan on keeping the white wine and champagne cold? 

While champagne is light colored, it's not really considered a white wine.  It's its own category: sparkling wine.

LisaChris2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wines-table?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:4ec16f60-8785-48e4-8c29-c29860b767bdPost:6e99db1e-cf02-417f-b4ea-0944fad5c28d">Re: Wines on the table...</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks Mica!  That being clarified, I don't really see the point of putting wine on the tables if people can just go the bar to get their drinks.  Some people don't like wine, and some like A LOT of wine. 
Posted by adamar15[/QUOTE]

Now that I've been enlightened to know what a consumption bar is (I thought it meant cash bar), perhaps OP wants her guests to drink less at the bar with providing wine at the tables, thus less $ she has to pay.  Makes sense, but to your point, some folks may opt for cocktails instead.

HockeyFan4

i think she said its a consumption bar for non alcoholic beverages (soda, etc) and they will have wine on the table.

mrsbruff2b

I have no idea.  I just read it off the venue's website, quote:

Consumption Bar: 
soft bar + $3.95 for beer, $5.95 for standard spirits, $6.95 for liqueurs

HockeyFan4

ok just so you know...that means the bar is free for your guests, but you pay at the end of the night for everything that was actually consumed.

mrsbruff2b

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wines-table?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:4ec16f60-8785-48e4-8c29-c29860b767bdPost:80508b78-e1fe-4c3c-8cb7-069b8d7d9fc1">Re: Wines on the table...</a>:
[QUOTE]ok just so you know...that means the bar is free for your guests, but you pay at the end of the night for everything that was actually consumed.
Posted by HockeyFan4[/QUOTE]
 <div>
</div><div>Ohh! Okay, thanks for clearing that up for me. </div>

[Deleted User]

We served both red & white wines at our wedding. We were going to put them on the table, but instead we had a small table that was easily accessible to guests that wanted wine. They kept them cold in an ice bucket or whatever you call those thingys.

mrsbruff2b

A little off topic, the venue says:

Service Charge:
A 20% service charge will be added to your invoice to cover event staff and labour costs.

Is that the tip?  

mica178

OP -- it sounds like there might be confusion as to what you think the consumption bar will be.  I'd talk it over with your venue to make sure everyone's on the same page.  Usually, a consumption bar means that the venue charges you for what your guests consume (as opposed to the set-price/open bar, where the venue charges you a set price per guest, no matter how much he/she drinks).  The prices listed are what will be billed to you.  A cash bar is when the guests pay.

mica178

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wines-table?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:4ec16f60-8785-48e4-8c29-c29860b767bdPost:a20d8d07-daeb-45a1-8b74-8c74489289ae">Re: Wines on the table...</a>:
[QUOTE]A little off topic, the venue says: Service Charge: A 20% service charge will be added to your invoice to cover event staff and labour costs. Is that the tip?  
Posted by mrsbruff2b[/QUOTE]

It should be, but again, clarify with your venue.  Some brides have said that this service charge was in addition to the tip, so they ended up paying a lot over the invoice price.

DeadUtopia

Yep, a consumption bar means that instead of paying a fee per person for an open bar, you're going to pay at the end of your reception for all individual drinks that your guests ordered from the bar (alcohol included.) If you have a lot of big drinkers, then a consumption bar would probably be more expensive than just opting for an open bar, or to save money you could consult with the venue and try to have a limited open bar, just serve beer and wine with all the non-alcoholic options and no hard-liquor.

Avion22

I would recommend doing a red and a white at the table, then having your wait staff pour glasses of champagne if you are doing a champagne toast.  This is pretty standard.   Your wait staff can bring more wine to the table if necessary.  You can also have waitstaff circulate with red and whtie wines and pour on request. 

redheadfsu

Also, OP ask your venue if you can even put wine on the tables. As some venues do not allow you to bring in your own alcohol.

Mrs.B6302007

A white and a red is fine.

No, champagne isn't a wine.

And now I want a glass of zin...=-)


ETA: and there were only 2 replies showing up for me when I posted this now pointless post. 

Karen's MOH

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wines-table?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:4ec16f60-8785-48e4-8c29-c29860b767bdPost:4a86ac3b-008a-4875-afff-a43b6edea03b">Re: Wines on the table...</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Wines on the table... : It should be, but again, clarify with your venue.  Some brides have said that this service charge was in addition to the tip, so they ended up paying a lot over the invoice price.
Posted by mica178[/QUOTE]

For me, it covered staffing and overhead and stuff, but an actual tip was on top of that (and optional, according to my venue coordinator, but we did add it).

To the wine at the table-- it really depends on what is being asked with the consumption/cash questions, but I have talked to venue coordinators who said having it out on the table leads to a lot of opened but unfinished bottles. They recommended having a server walk around and pour it, that way you finish one bottle before opening the next. So it could be cheaper to pay for the extra server than the half finished bottles.

I would personally do the same with Champagne-- maybe have that server have glasses of champagne on the tray for people who want it, but not everyone since a lot of peopl ehardly drink it at all.

jessicabessica

To add to what Karen'sMOH posted, if people are pouring their own wine, they will probably tend to pour more generous glasses than a server or bartender would, so you'll go through bottles faster. 

OP, you said you're trying to cut back on expenses.  Maybe you can try to negotiate a per person open bar charge instead of consumption, and have only wine and beer if that makes it more affordable?  With a consumption bar, you don't really know beyond a rough estimate how big your bar tab will be, so it's harder to budget. 

jsleik

Definitely go with the server, but have you looked at what wines you are going to serve?  Sometimes by picking  a varietal grape (not the biggies - chardonnay, merlot, etc), you can get a nicer wine at a lower cost.  Get the names of the wines they offer and test them out yourself and see if you can save that way too!