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If you are trying to control costs, you could do an open bar with just beer and wine, or most places allow you to give a set limit on price. We are considering this option.
I would prefer to have an open bar and just cut down costs by being creative, like Newport said. Also, I think you can cut down by having signature drinks.
I do think if you are concerend about the volume of consumption, you might be on to something. Maybe someone else can chime in on whether or not it's worked for them. I would kind of wonder, if someone is that determined to get drunk, perhpas they'd be willing to shell out the money to do it...
Personally I am not a fan of drink tickets, but I am also a fan of keeping things under budget so I know that the open bar can be a concern.
There are lots of options - you can combine any of the following for budget and guest-friendly drink options:
(1) Open bar cocktail hour
(2) Wine served at the tables during dinner (this works better than putting the bottles on the tables)
(3) Limited open bar (only beer and wine, or only a speciality cocktail)
(4) Time-limited or Cash-limited open bar (serve drinks until the dance portion of the evening begins, or set a cap on how much you want to spend and have the bartender contact you when you reach this level and this will allow you to continue on - if you're close to the end - or turn the bar into cash)
Drinks at our wedding were $8.00/$8.50/$9.00 for beer/wine/liquor and wine was $50/bottle so we were definitly in the situation where it could easily get out of control. We opted for a full open bar during the 1.5 hr cocktail reception and then unlimited wine served at the table during dinner. Everyone seemed to drink lots during the cocktail hour and dinner and no one complained they had to purchase drinks later in the night.
Do what works for you..... budget-wise and party-wise! Good luck!
I'm afraid of the cost issue with having drinks at the reception. We are having a cocktail hour where self served alcohol will be served but his side of the family and my friends can drink and I have seen them on many occasions take advantage of an open bar- and yes, even at someones wedding.
I don't drink so I'm not having drinks at all during the reception- I put this on our website so the guests know in advance, plus I asked both sides of the drinkers (his fam and my friends) and they both said it was no big deal at all.
My parents believe that guests shouldn't handle any money (or tickets) during a reception. A wedding should be treated as if you were hosting any other party. And you know if you had people over at your house, you wouldn't charge them per drink, or limit them to a certain amount.
So I think their theory is extremely logical.
I would go with one of the following:
* Full Open Bar for the full reception
* Limited Open Bar for the full reception - beer and wine are the only options, and are free of charge.
* No alcohol
You can do an open bar for a set amount of time. I have had friends to an open bar for the first hour of the reception only that not only cuts cost down it controls how many beverages they consume through out the whole night. I only had a couple drinks during the first hour then I maybe had one more drink that I payed for.
At our wedding we did not have an open bar but everyone we know just brough flasks full of their choice of alcohol and got pretty drunk if not more then they would have.
I would consider a different option than drink tickets, as guest handling tickets and potentially losing them is no good.
Consider a limited bar or specialty drinks. Or only serve drinks part of the time. For instance: Open bar for 1 hour at cocktail hour, no drinks until after dinner, bar and wine after dinner. There are many ways to cut down on consumption.
Good Luck!
I haven't been to a wedding that wasn't open bar but I have been to a rehearsal dinner with tickets. Once the tickets were gone we all kept buying drinks. So, if you think it will deter people I'd be doubtful. I do know it caused some grumbling amongst guests, esp. the wedding party, because it was a multi hour event and they each got two tickets. I'd say the best way to go if you want to control costs is either a set cap on the bar or a limited open bar that you could shut down during the dinner hour and serve wine to prolong it. I personally feel if you invite your guests to a party you shouldn't ask them to pay for drinks if it can be avoided since you wouldn't charge people in your home. granted budgets can be restrictive and I don't advocate blowing yours to serve drinks but I think there are mnay creative options out there. I also think most guests take their cues from the bride and groom re: drinking. If they are partyers the receptions tends to be more of one and vice versa. GL
My fiance and I are doing beer and wine with signature cocktails to save costs, but I've never heard of drink tickets. It's kind of an amusing idea! I can just see my crazy, 70 year old aunt who doesn't drink selling her tickets to young guys for a pinch on the bum or something!
If drink tickets are common in your neck of the woods, then go for it!
I have never been to a wedding personally with tickets, and would honestly be kind of turned off I was. IMHO, there are probably better ways to control costs - beer & wine only, or some sort of limited bar could probably accomplish the same goals. I think people understand that everyone has a budget, but at the same time, its great to find ways to have your guests be your guests (ie not tickets or cash bar) if there is another way around it....
I fully agree with Miss Pinot - you wouldn't charge people at your house, so why do it at your wedding? That being said, the easiest way to have your cake and eat it too would be to have a full bar during cocktail hour, close the bar during dinner and have only wine service, and then re-open the bar for the rest of the reception but have a limited selection - beer, wine, and maybe a sig. cocktail. That should keep costs way down (as much as you can with a bar, as opposed to no alcohol), keep guests happy, and ensure no one drinks more than they should.
The venue we'll be at offers bar packages where we can specify what types of drinks are offered during the "open bar" time. If we asked them to, they can also cut people off after a certain amount of time.
For example, if Uncle Ted has been downing whiskey all evening, they can say no more whiskey for you, have a soda. Maybe later Uncle Ted comes back and says "I want expensive cognac" the bartender could say "here, have some vodka instead".
Another nice option they're willing to do is that they are willing to keep a tab for us of how many drinks each person had and say "OK. the tab is now are $1,200. Plus tax it's $xxx amount so we won't serve anymore alcohol" or "OK, the tab is $700 and it's before dinner. We'll take a break and serve the remaining $700 worth of alcohol after dinner"
Thanks so much everyone!! These are all great ideas that I've never thought of before!! I totally agree with the drink ticket thing....I totally was not comfortable with it. I just didn't know what other ways I could control costs but at the same time allow my guests to have drinks too. Thanks again!!!! This was really really helpful!!!
Just wondering what kind of budgets y'all are working with?
If you can afford an open bar all night, that's great. However, I have been to many weddings which only provide a very limited drink time followed by a cash bar.
While I agree that wedding guests shouldn't be expected to incur large costs while attending your wedding, I also don't really think that a wedding should be a place where the bride and grrom are responsible for providing alcohol all night long for 200+ people!
People should be there to celebrate the start of our new life and the joining of two families, not to get free drinks!
@gracez--it's not necessarily a matter of budgets. As Mrs. Pino Grigio pointed out, it's about what type of host you are. And yes, people are there to celebrate the start of your new life, but that doesn't mean they should be running up a bar tab to do so.
My feeling is that if you can't afford to have an open bar (or limited open bar) then go alcohol free, or serve wine only with the meal.
How our venue works, is you set a dollar amount for the bar for the night and choose the type of alcohol (we're choosing a beer/wine bar for lowering costs and increasing the amount that can be served). The bar is open for guests to choose from the selection we've given them. Each drink value is tallied by the bartender, until the dollar amount we choose is hit. At that point they will ask us if we want to close the bar, add money to it, or go to a cash bar.
I've thought about doing it the way avdillard0110 suggested but I'm worried about about having to even DEAL with any of that on the night of the wedding. I personally wouldn't want the bartender coming up to me in the middle of my big night asking me to make a decision on what to do with the bar. It's tough!!!
I'm most likely going to go with limiting the TIME alcohol is served. People really don't need to be drinking the first or last hour in my own opinion. As long as you have a good amount of non alcoholic drinks available after the bar is closed I think you're good.
I think this is a regional thing, also. I grew up in Iowa, and I NEVER went to a wedding with an open bar ever. Now it's our turn, and with both of us being pretty broad range travelers throughout the country, we both agree that we want to offer the open bar. When it comes time to make a decision, we will choose between a limited options bar or an open bar, but a cash bar for us is not an option.
I totally agree with whoever said that if you invited people to your home, you would not charge them or give them tickets. Especially those guests who have traveled; they may have already purchased some or all of the following: arranged time off from work, arranged for a baby sitter, transportation, new outfit to wear, and not to mention a gift for the bride and groom.
jayme_shoe.jpg (6.4 KB, 19 downloads) 1 year old 
I'm sorry but I've never been to a wedding with drink tickets. I think if you want to control the consumption then don't serve hard stuff or close the bar down a hour before the party ends. People are there to have fun.
We're doing a non-alochol hospitality station prior to the ceremony then cocktail hours afterwards when the open bar begins and we'll be closing the alcohol portion down a hour before the party ends. We'll be serving beer, wine & alcohol. It's important for us that the guests have options...
You can save money by deciding what kind of alcohol you serve.
I have to agree with whomever said that it's not about the budget but about what kind of host you are. We are the type of people if we're throwing a party at our house we make sure there is enough food, enough drinks (non alcoholic & alcoholic alike). I hate it when people invite us over and you are afraid to take more than one serving or drink more than 1 soda because there's not enough food or drink to go around. But then it also comes down to what you want to spend money on at the wedding. We want our guests to enjoy themselves and have however much food and booze (but then we don't have alcoholics in either of our families so we don't have to worry about over drinking) they want. So we're willing to cut cost elsewhere to make sure that the reception is kick a$$.
I have to disagree with the "you would not charge guests for drinks at your home" comment as an argument for why someone should offer a full open bar all night long even if this is beyond their means.
No, I would not charge people at my house for drinks, or offer them tickets, BUT I would probably buy a couple bottles of wine and some beer and that would likely be it. In the same respect, if you offer your guests at the wedding unlimited wine and beer during dinner and a couple of drinks before or after the meal you are essentially doing the same thing.
As a guest at someone's house I would not expect to have my choice of alcoholic drinks provided in unlimited quantities for the entire evening and as a guest at a wedding I would also not expect the same.
I spent approximately $40 in alcohol per person at my wedding which is much more than I would spend if they came to my house. That did not cover unlimited drinks for the entire evening but no one complained and I had a lot of comments from people saying how nice the entire event was.....
Hi, I'm new to weddingbee, been engaged for about 6 months. 2nd time married. I had to comment on this post because I have the same issue. FH and I are not drinkers and are on a budget, so we decided not to have any alchol other than champagne. Glad to hear others are going the same route.
I was a server at a LOT of weddings with drink tickets and I don't think its a big deal. Personally, I'd prefer a limited open bar of beer and wine and let people pay for their own hard liquor. But I think if you (and your guests) are accustomed to the idea of drink tickets as a possibility, I don't think it's a big deal.
Post 4. MsBee had some great suggestions! I wouldn't use drink tickets as there are a lot better options available...
We're serving beer & wine because thats the only thing most of our guests drink socially. I've been to waaay too many weddings where guests who don't normally drink anything but a bud light at home get drunk off of the hard stuff on the couples dime. In order to avoid that: we just won't serve it!
I'm a late responder, but this is an intesting topic.
I'm still early on in the planning process, but the philosophy that I am building is that everything depends on what kind of event you are having. For example, if you are having a black tie wedding, it would be weird to have anything but a fully open bar, IMO. On the other hand, if you are having a simple event with a punch and cake reception, it wouldn't even cross m mind if alcohol were not served. In the middle, if you are having a full dinner, but in a more casual setting, beer and wine only is absolutely fine. Location matters: serving just wine at a winery makes perfect sense, having little alcohol (maybe only cocktail reception) at a church gathering room is fine, while having guests pay if they are at a weekend wedding at a resort seems odd. Time also matters, as a Sunday evening wedding could get away with a much more restricted bar than a Saturday evening one. Finally, temperment should matter, and if you don't drink, having no alcohol, or just a little champagne for the toast, is perfectly fine.
What I don't like is a fancy wedding that scrimps on hospitality. I've been to a few where the flower bill was (or at least looked to be) in the thousands, but the food was mediocre and there was only cheap wine and beer. That to me feels like an odd set of priorities. This may ruffle a few feathers, but I feel like the look of the reception, for example, should always be second to the guests' experience. There are far too many ways to be thrifty and creative in the style department to excuse cutting into the hospitality side of the budget for decorations.
@monitajb -- I too have been to a fancy wedding where the flower arrangements were RIDICULOUS (and unnecessary, and overwhelming) but then there was only cheap beer, cheaper wine and only a few options for drinks. I totally agree with you on the hospitality element.
I'm okay with have bar alternatives as long as they are appropriate for the event hosted and the group of people you have. If you know your guests drink, why would you make them pay to do so?
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Hello!!
I'm kinda of in between deciding to either have an open bar (where the host pays for all drinks) or drink tickets. I'm personally leaning towards drink tickets because that way we can control the cost of the drinks (and not have guests down too much!!). Has anyone done drink tickets? Do you only use them for alcoholic drinks? What's a good limit? Pros and cons please!!