Alcohol Costs?

We have an open bar included with our package. I think it's a 4 hour open bar and signature drinks with Robert Mondavi wine service to tables during dinner for a little over $5,100 ( includes service charge and tax). I went ahead and purchased a couple bottles of Johnny Walker Black Label from Costco since even the venues upgraded bar didn't have that. We have some selective whiskey drinkers

We are also having a pre wedding party in which we basically negotiated the price of beer and wine (non-alcohol bev included) for $5 a person for 70 people.

I have an unwritten unspoken agreement with my very close group of friends. We love each and are happy for one another but at the reception, our table is in the back next to bar. Aint nobody got time for a dry wedding or cash bar yuck...

We're estimating around 5K for a consumption bar (our venue's only option). They charge $3-4.50 for beer (domestic & craft) and roughly $5.50 for mid-level cocktails (Ketel one, jack, captain, etc.) This averages roughly 6-7 drinks per guest for 180 guests.

8K seems super expensive!!

Hi Ashlei! You've had a lot of people reply with questions, their own experience, and some great advice. It's really important to get the full experience of online forums, that you respond to the discussions you start. Make sure next time you start a discussion, you're available to participate in it as well.

Ashlei, that is very expensive for 110 people for just beer, wine and soda. Who is quoting you that? Your venue? That's $73 per person. I have never heard of such an expensive bar package, especially with only beer at wine.

We paid about $5000 for 110 people for 5 hour open bar, plus wine service during dinner.

That is a bit high for just wine and beer. Im also doing a 5 hour open bar but with all well liquor but good enough brands. The venue is charging us 35 dollars a head. Which I think i got an amazing deal on. While i was venue shopping I got price quotes all over the place being 83 pp being the highest. But on average 45 dollars pp was the going rate. So yes I think your def being overcharged !

I didn't realize I had to post within a hour after starting my discussion? Is there a rule I missed? Sorry if that sounds snarky its not meant to be. I'm just generally curious if I missed something? Our venue is quoting us that much for the beer, wine, and soda package. It is based pp at an hourly rate. We originally were going to have a cash bar since they are the most common in our area. We had already booked the venue by the time I joined WW and heard about the negative reviews people associate with cash bars so we changed our minds. In all honestly it had never occurred to us before that cash bars were tacky because that is what we both grew up with.

*We cannot provide are own alcohol either. We have to go with what the venue provides.

No, there are no rules about responding immediately. I am not sure why Emily felt the need to lecture you about that.

Are you in MA? I have heard of really high bar prices in that state. Unfortunately, bar prices are all over the place among venues throughout the country. I guess yours happens to be very expensive. That's rough!

There is no "Rule". It's not a "have to" thing, but people who are taking the time to reply to you like to get responses from you as the thread progresses. If you're not around to field follow up questions or express gratefulness, people may be less likely to comment in the future.

No I'm in Iowa. We are having it at hotel. Sorry to the other poster, our wedding starts at 5 with a 45 minute cocktail hour and then dinner starts at 6:00 pm. We have the venue until Midnight. I just got off the phone with our coordinator and they do offer kegs (not in original contract) so we might be going that route and just buying wine for each table. I'm sure we could shed about $6-7K off the alcohol costs that way! Woo!

Our venue was also our caterer, and only offers top-shelf open bar - that included 12 types of liquor, 5 types of wine, and 4 types of beer. Open bar was absolutely non-negotiable for us. It cost us $20pp for 4 hours (that price was included as part of the cost of dinner pp). Plus 21% service charge, plus 9% alcohol tax in Maryland. To add an hour, it was $10pp.

@e=mc2 there are some states where you won't find any venue that lets you bring in your own alcohol. The liquor laws are very strict in these states.

I am from Massachusetts and both my SIL and my self got married in MA.

Her venue she had to got through them for alcohol, it was $10 per person per hour! So for 150 people it was around $9000 for 6 hours beer and wine only and that doesn't include the tip or tax! ( but I honestly don't think they tipped on top of what guests were tipping)

We on the other hand had a venue where we could bring in our beer and wine, we payed $1033 for the alcohol and $300ish for the bartender and linsurance.

So yes your quote is high but its not really too much higher then what my SIL payed

I am torn between two venues, one has no rental fee and the food is really reasonably priced but you have to get all the alcohol through them and it's consumption based so it's hard to predict the cost. The other one lets you bring in your own alcohol but the food is more expensive and the rental fee is a couple thousand. I am having a really hard time comparing the costs.

For us finding a venue that allowed us to purchase or own alcohol through a preferred alcohol vendor was a non-negotiable. We wouldn't have our wedding anywhere where they charged us $10,000 for open bar (those were the approximate costs for open bars in our area at a few venues we looked at). We got lucky and found a beautiful venue that allowed us to meet with one of the top liquor stores on our venue's preferred vendor list. We consulted with them on what we wanted (we got top shelf liquor - think Grey Goose vodka), beer, wine. We had 104 guests (with us 2 being 106 in total) - for a 5 hour reception, and our alcohol tab came to $1500! AND whatever they opened, and wasn't drunk, we got to take home with us. All other bottles that we ordered that weren't opened, got returned, and we didn't have to pay for it!! Sweet deal if you ask me, because all our guests were loving the open bar. They had so much fun. Our dance floor was packed from beginning to end. Only one drunk girl (haha the best man's girlfriend) who kept falling down all night, but that was all. People behaved themselves. Best wedding planning decision we made was to find a venue that allowed this type of open bar.

Where I am you can only do consumption bars or cash bars. Open bars are unheard of so there aren't any packages. Most other things seem to be on the cheaper side here, but alcohol definitely is not. I'm not sure what the total cost will end up being, but a glass of beer is $8 and a bottle of wine is $25. Plus tax and gratuity of course (both %15). We aren't allowed to bring in our own alcohol. We're budgeting for 190 guests, but are still waiting on final numbers.

@Elizabeth, I didn't say everyone should find a vendor that can BYOB, I just said everyone should take alcohol costs into account. Like many others said, $8,500 is very, very high quote compared to others experience

ETA @Ashlei (and @Emily since I dont' see how my reply was a lecture at all?) Many women are only on the forums during work hours, so I was truly just giving a bride to the forum some tips to get better help! I didn't take your reply to me as snarky, but I don't see why you took mine that way either? Before I posted it I checked out some of your other threads you started, many you never came back either.

My venue doesn't allow you to bring your own alcohol. The package for beer and wine is $30/person for two hours. Cocktail hour is included in a separate fee. The cost of just one pour of wine with dinner is ridiculous, but that's Va for you. On top of the cost is the 20% service fee and 13.5% tax. Yep, courthouse is looking better and better!

We decided to only do wine and beer. Both of our families have alcoholics and we don't want no "problems" to arise from the alcohol. We have also taken into consideration cutting off all drinks at a certain time.