Hey all, not sure if this is the place to post this but it seems somewhat relevant. Also I already made this post under a friend's account by accident and she asked me to remove it and deleted her account.
Anyway, we live in Ontario, Canada and are looking at a gorgeous garden venue in
Newcastle, ON. They have an approved caterer that we must use, and she
is lovely and well known in the area. However, neither the venue nor the
caterer provide the alcohol that we need
for our bar.
The venue does, however, provide us with certified bartenders, all
glassware, and any mixes and condiments that we need. The bartenders and
glassware are included in the rental fee, and they charge for the mixes
and condiments based on consumption. They say
that typically ranges between $3-$5 per person depending on your
group's usage.
This all seems reasonable to me, however I am wary about having to
provide our own alcohol. I have been looking at calculators online but
I'm still not able to grasp how much I should expect to spend.
Our wedding will be about 90 guests which will include some light
drinkers but mostly people who really drink. We will be serving booze
for 6 hours (1 of which is cocktail hour) and it will be an open bar.
Anyway, to make a long story longer, I just want to know if providing
one's own alcohol is a common thing? Does it save money or end up
costing just as much/ more than when the venue or caterer provides it?
Finally, how do you know how much to buy? The worst
possible thing that could happen would be to run out of booze!
Thanks!!
Re: How Much Booze Do We Need?
Are you brining wine and beer or liquor drinks as well?
I would research a bit for stores (although in Ontario ... it is all provincial correct) that allow for unopened bottles to be returned. Some stores are picky and will only take back full cases while others are fine with single bottles. If you can return unopened, overbuying is recommended.
For wine, I would choose 1-2 red types and one white type. People are all over the map with what they prefer. I might start with looking at selections that you enjoy and then ensuring that they are complimentary to foods that you will be serving. A pinot or cabernet is often middle of the road for a red and a sauv blanc is typically a good white choice. Chardonnays can be polarizing.
Beer, consider splitting it into 2-3 categories. Have a nice light domestic type beer (think Canadian) and then 1-2 different choices like a darker brown/amber/stout and perhaps a craft type beer with a bit more hops. Again, start with things that you like and then see how they might compliment the foods you are serving.
Liquor is a bit more tricky. You can limit things to serve 1-2 types of signature cocktails or if you know your crowd, you might only have rum, vodka and whisky. Have a lot of tequila fans ... might be something to add.
I would also talk with your venue about what is typically consumption for the size of your party. That might help a bit with numbers.
Thus, buy a bit more than you need, let the bartenders know your plan (they should understand this concept) so they aren't opening up multiples of everything. Then return what you don't use.
Bringing in your own liquor isn't uncommon; depends on the venue.
Sticking to wine and beer would be cheapest. At least one red and one white option, but if you can, 2 of each would be awesome. As for beer, 2-3, different styles. Then for your liquor, unless you know there is a "family favourite" you can stick to basics- vodka, rum, gin, whiskey.
OP purchase extra (in glass bottles) and then you can return it.
https://www.gtha.com/Portals/0/PDFs/Leg Updates/Application for SOP.pdf
The less options you have the easier it is to buy stuff. I did 2 whites, 2 reds, a prosecco, and only 2 liquors (we had 2 signature drinks, but people could use the liquor for other mixed drinks as well). Because you don't want to run out of any one item you essentially have to over-buy everything.
It helps to know what qualifies as a "drink" as well. Here's a breakdown:
Beer-12 oz classifies as 1 drink (so think each unit per case is a drink) Most beer comes in cases of 24. Full kegs typically hold about 7 cases of beer or 168 12 oz glasses.
Wine-4 oz glass classifies as 1 drink. Most bottles are 25 oz so you can get 5 full glasses/btl. A case of wine typically comes with 12 bottles, so each case of wine will get you 60 glasses of wine.
Liquor-1.5 oz of liquor classifies as 1 drink. Most liquor bottles contain 25 oz so depending on how strong you are making your cocktails, you can use that to measure.
Hope that helps! Caterers and venues typically have gigantic mark-ups for booze, so you are probably better off buying your own, especially if this is not a service they willingly offer you.
Ashley