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Open Bar???

Chrissya03Chrissya03
First Comment
in Wedding Cakes & Food Forum
We are having our reception at a very nice local country club. My initial thought was that we would pay for all beer and wine, and if people wanted other alcohol (such as liquor), then they could pay for it. The problem is, our place doesnt do that. Its either one way or the other, meaning either your guests pay for drinks no matter what it is, or all drinks will be covered by us.

I am NOT ok with having my guests pay for drinks like beer and wine. So it looks like my FI and I will be picking up the tab. Here's my question....

We have the choice to either pay per drink, or do unlimited open bar for a set price per adult. Initially, I thought it would work much better to do pay-per-drink, since I know that there are several family members who do not drink at all, and if we do unlimited, then we are charged for ALL adults. BUT I have heard that some bartenders mark down alot more drinks were poured than actually were, so its possible our bill could be out of control due to dishonest club employees.

Have any of you run into this situation? What did you do? Should I suck it up and pay for unlimited so I wont have to worry about it? Or take a chance and do pay per drink??
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Re: Open Bar???

  • tldhtldh member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Some places will also charge you for a full bottle even if just one shot was used because it had to be opened.  Friends of mine did the flat fee per person because of this.  The Groom had friends who would have ordered a shot out of every single bottle.
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  • kaeshakaesha
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    It's a hard call. I've had friends do it both ways - with the flat fee, we didn't do enough drinking (apparently) and with the per drink charge, apparently we more than doubled what they expected to pay for us.

    I'd be more inclined to do the flat fee, just because you know exactly how much it's going to cost, and there aren't any unpleasant surprises at the end of the day.
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  • TurtlesAllTheWayDownTurtlesAllTheWayDown member
    First Comment Combo Breaker First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    We are doing a set price. I don't want to have to worry about a consumption bar at the end of the night. I have also heard that they vary wildly - some people end up paying twice what they anticipate.
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  • king26king26
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We went with the per drink price, but since we were on a military base, the per drink prices were SERIOUSLY cheap.  Plus we knew of 20 adults that absolutely do not drink and to pay for them would have been crazy.  We ended up spending less then half of what we thought we would spend on the bar.  If you do it per drink, one way to cut down costs is to close the bar during dinner.  We didn't do this, but a lot of people do.
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  • mysticlmysticl member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    One of the draw backs to per a drink is that I've heard of places where if the waitstaff sees an unattended drink they clear it even if its full.  So while one of your guests may only have drank one rum and coke they ordered 5 because it kept getting cleared away.  Friends of FI told him if we have an open bar they will make it their goal to break the bank.  We are doing the flat rate. 
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  • MommyMarta08MommyMarta08 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I would go flat so you can put it in your budget and know what to expect. This way you can relax and plan accordingly 
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  • sniksasniksa member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I agree with being able to plan according.  I feel like having that amount set in stone is just one less thing you're dealing with. I wouldn't want to be stressing about paying for the wedding AFTER it's over. Also, when there's an open bar people are more likely to try things, and order something new after one sip if they don't like it...what a waste!
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  • gracieruth06gracieruth06
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think we are going to have an open bar just for 1 hour at the beginning of the reception. That way the guests can visit and enjoy drinks while we are taking pictures and such. Also, we will provide the champagne for the toast. i think that's fairly reasonable, and works out well since i don't want a lot of drunk people there!
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  • future-mrsfuture-mrs member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_open-bar-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:5a95b13a-e157-498e-b203-253e890f119bPost:064c0e63-abbd-4ce6-96e5-56a58ed24bf6">Re: Open Bar???</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think we are going to have an open bar just for 1 hour at the beginning of the reception. That way the guests can visit and enjoy drinks while we are taking pictures and such. Also, we will provide the champagne for the toast. i think that's fairly reasonable, and works out well since<strong> i don't want a lot of drunk people there!</strong>
    Posted by gracieruth06[/QUOTE]

    They are adults, you shouldn't be concerned with their capability to keep their composure.

    OP, I would do a flat fee or pay for a certain amount of what you want there, etc.  I would be terrified to just do an open bar and pay for individual drinks because of honestly issues and ending up with a larger bill than what you budgeted for. 
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  • Lisa8888Lisa8888
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_open-bar-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:5a95b13a-e157-498e-b203-253e890f119bPost:064c0e63-abbd-4ce6-96e5-56a58ed24bf6">Re: Open Bar???</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think we are going to have an open bar just for 1 hour at the beginning of the reception. That way the guests can visit and enjoy drinks while we are taking pictures and such. Also, we will provide the champagne for the toast. i think that's fairly reasonable, and works out well since i don't want a lot of drunk people there!
    Posted by gracieruth06[/QUOTE]

    LOL! I don't think that is being a good host and I don't think you should presume that some of your guests will get drunk. I bet the truth is that you don't want to pay for an open bar for the entire reception.
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  • Ashes_3Ashes_3 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think its better to go per drink & just make sure you get the verifications and rules of what they considered to be charged for!
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  • marisah83marisah83 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are doing a flat fee so that we know exactly how much we are paying.
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  • lmcit23lmcit23 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I would go for the flat fee this way you know exactly what the cost is you just accept it and move on.
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  • LaylabridetobeLaylabridetobe member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm going to do the open bar. Yes it will be more expensive but in the end, less stress and it's a set rate.
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