Eat, DRINK & Be Married! But how do you determine how much alcohol to budget for and what to order for your big day? Before you jump in the car and head to the liquor store, it’s essential to keep a few things in mind. We've put together a guide on beer, wine, and liquor - including an alcohol calculator - as well as some of our favorite tips and tricks when it comes to alcohol for weddings! Keep reading to find out how much of your favorite spirits you should buy for your big day.
CATER TO YOUR GUEST LIST #1 You’ll want to take a look at your guest list. Who are your guests? What do they drink? How much do they like to drink? Do you have heavy drinkers or casual drinkers, or are the majority of your guests not drinkers at all?
#2 You’ll want to determine what kind of bar menu you wish to offer. Do you want beer and wine? Do you want liquor as well? Do you want beer, wine, and a fancy little signature drink named after your dog? It’s your big day, and you get to choose what’s on the bar menu.
BEER & WINE
Providing beer and wine exclusively at your wedding is a-okay! You might find yourself on a tighter bar budget, or you could be concerned that friends and family might hit that open bar a little too hard if liquor was available. On average, 70-80% of guests prefer beer and wine anyway. Retailers suggest for a beer and wine-only menu, about 60% of guests will drink wine, and 40% will drink beer. For the wine menu, you can match styles that go well with your catering menu, or you can select some fan favorites. Make it easy on yourself and your guests and limit the choices to a red, a white, a rose if you wish, and sparkling wine (especially if you are doing a champagne wall or champagne toast). Chardonnay’s & Cabernets are always crowd-pleasing. For the beer, you’ll want to stick to one well-known domestic brand such as Bud Light, Coors Light, or Michelob Ultra and one well-known imported brand such as Dos XX, Stella Artois, or Corona. You then can offer a few other craft beers but don’t go too overboard (consider a wheat/fruit beer, IPA, Amber, etc.). Craft beers are excellent if you want to showcase something local for your out-of-town guests or bring something from your hometown to celebrate your wedding day with. If you are on a tight budget or just love the taste of tapped beer, kegs are always a great choice (especially for domestic brands). However, if you decide to get some kegs for your big day, you’ll need to assign someone to pick those up for you on the day of (as you won’t want to have those sitting around too long before tapped and served).
LIQUOR If you decide to offer hard liquor but don’t know where to start, retailers suggest 20-30% will drink cocktails. But, again, you’ll want to limit the selections of the spirits - this will keep the bar line from getting too long and be a bit easier on your wallet. Choose two or three spirits - vodka and whiskeys are wonderful fan favorites. You can also offer a rum, gin, tequila, or scotch (don’t forget the cigars!). A unique way to include liquor into your bar menu (without the risk of your guests going overboard) is to have one or two signature drinks to offer either during cocktail hour or throughout the entire reception. Some couples come up with cute names for the cocktails, naming them after their pets or sticking with the original titles but with personalized signs to showcase the selections.
WEDDING ALCOHOL CALCULATOR
Once you’ve figured out what will be on your bar menu, it’s time to figure out the math (ugh, the dreaded part!) to figure out how much guests will drink and what the cost will be to serve all these people. Luckily, there are a few online links that you can refer to! Evite's Drink Calculator BevMo's Drink Calculator Drink calculators are helpful, but if the amounts they recommend seem way off, then adjust as needed. For each adult guest, plan on two drinks for the first hour and one drink for each additional hour. So, for example, if your ceremony is at 5:30 pm, cocktail hour is 6:00 pm-7:00 pm, dinner is from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm, and the bar closes at 10:00 pm, you’ll want to plan on five drinks per person (two for cocktail hour, plus three hours of reception time). 1 beer = 1 drink 1 bottle of wine = 5 glasses of wine 1 bottle of champagne = 6 - 8 glasses of champagne 1 bottle of liquor (750mL) = 16 drinks (assuming 1.5 oz of liquor/drink)
TIPS & TRICKS
Keep it Simple Don’t go overboard with choices - make it simple and easy for the bartenders and your guests (the bar line will also go quicker). Limit the selections to two or three wines, three or four beers, and three or four liquors. Say "No" to Shots! Most venues or bartending services will do this for you already (so you can blame it on them). But the last thing you want on your wedding day is to have your guests acting out of control. So forcing liquor to be served with mixers is a good choice for all parties involved. Provide Water As Bobby Boucher in the 1998 classic film "Waterboy" would say, "now that's what I call high-quality H2O". Whether you, the venue or bartenders are providing water, make sure there's enough for all your guests for the duration of your reception. Water will help those who decide to take advantage of that open bar, but water is also beneficial for those guests who have traveled a distance to make it.
Ask Yourself Who, What, When, Where, How
Who - Who is picking up, delivering, and taking any leftover booze home? A father, uncle, or groomsmen is a solid choice - just make sure the vehicle they are in can carry it all, and of course, make sure they are drinking responsibly!
What - What items do you need for your bar? Do you need to provide ice, cups, bar napkins, straws, mixers, and garnishes? Do the bartenders need a recipe for your signature cocktail?
When - When does the alcohol need to be delivered to the venue? Does it need to come iced down and in coolers?
Where - Where is everything getting delivered at the venue? Where does it need to be set up? Where is it going after the reception?
How - How do attendees know what's available? Are you providing signage?
Turn to the Experts Some liquor stores offer a delivery service. Taking advantage of this service and having them deliver straight to your venue could be a great time saver and headache releaser. Also, don't be shy to ask the liquor store for their advice or expertise. They are willing to help calculate your menu for you, and some places will even offer a discount for buying items in bulk. Get Creative You don't have to leave the creativity at the bar - let the menu and bar items reflect you as a couple and your wedding vibe. You can create customized beer koozies, garnish drinks with edible flowers, enhance a flavor profile that's important to you. Show off a champaign wall as guests enter the cocktail hour, print creative bar signs, purchase personalized bar napkins, offer beer from the college town the two of you met in, serve the drinks in vintage glassware; the possibilities are endless.
Photography: Moodyography | Britni Dean Photography
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