OPEN BARS AT WEDDINGS ARE ALWAYS A DO :: BEER & WINE

Last week, to begin our series, we discussed signature drinks and how to best incorporate them into your wedding bar without breaking the bank. In case you missed it, you can catch up here , here and here.

The formula for deciding the amount of alcohol and liquor to purchase for your wedding is this :: Each guest will consume two drinks the first hour and one drink each hour after that. Also remember that not all of your guests will be drinkers. In the state of Tennessee, liquor laws seem to force you to include children in the total number of guests. This comes into play when giving your guest count to your vendor that is providing your bar. It also may come into play when you bring in your own alcohol and liquor for your venue to assess corkage fees, which we discussed last week. You may be able to negotiate with your venues on this point.

Today's suggestions are probably the easiest to incorporate. Simply serve beer and wine. But, what kind of beer and wine? Domestic brands will always cost less, both from your venue and at a store. So, when building your wedding bar, I suggest you purchase more domestic beer then imported beer. Do include some imported, however. Again, you are the host and you want to think of your guests' tastes more than your own. I will give a sample bar list at the end of today's post.

When it comes to wine there is a plethora of combinations you can choose from. When choosing wine for your wedding, you want to consider your meal first. If you are serving beef or steak in any way, you want to choose more red wine. Likewise, if you are planning to serve fish you want to choose more white wine. The great thing about serving wine at your wedding is that you can have so much fun tasting and picking your wines. Again, considering your guests' tastes, choose wines that range in dryness and in sweetness. It will be a lovely gesture to give your guests a choice of wine. You probably will not hit the nail on the head and pick your guests' favorite brands. That is okay. Do not give yourself a headache in this area. I encourage you to tune out anyone giving suggestions on brands of wine who are not writing checks for the cost of the reception. This is a great time to get with your wedding planner or wholesale liquor store manager and make great choices.

PURCHASE LIST FOR OPEN BAR AT A WEDDING

Beer and Wine

# of guests 200

200x85% = 170 (# of guests to purchase for)

Domestic Beer for 36 guests (25% of all drinkers - 15% of domestic drinkers)

4 cases (2.6 bottles per guest)

Imported Beer for 7 guests (% of remaining beer drinkers)

1 case (3.4 bottles per guest)

Beer drinkers may well drink wine also during the night. It is rare for a wine drinker to switch to beer during an event.

105 bottles of wine for remaining guests

In example beef is served as the meal at a four hour reception

58 bottles of red wine (various blends)

37 bottles of white wine (various blends)

10 bottles of sparkling wine or champagne

It takes a bit of breakdown to determine your needs for your open bar at your wedding, but it is not difficult. Also, you do have the ability to move the final numbers up or down as you see fit. Again, I suggest working with your wedding planner and/or your wholesale store manager to determine the best fit for you. In the Mid South wedding market, the above example will total around $2500 for mid-range cost product purchased from a wholesale store. With a larger guest list shown (this is average for my brides and grooms) this cost is moderate and reasonable.

Next week, stay tuned for the last part of our series on setting up a full bar at your wedding reception.