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Taylor
VIP October 2020

Buying you own Alcohol for Reception

Taylor, on July 29, 2019 at 12:42 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 1 5

So our venue is pretty lenient on the vendors that I choose. I'm able to have any bar service company as long as they list the venue under insured. Most that I have spoken to have quoted me for their services and then require that I supply the alcohol for the event. They have given me their estimates on how much they think I should buy based off of my guest count (200) but it seems extremely low. While I know they are the professionals and this isn't their first rodeo, I am terrified that we'd run out of alcohol! My FH's family and family friends like to have a good time and the estimated 2 drinks for the first hour and 1 each hour after is definitely not right. We plan on having a 4 hour reception with three beers, house red/white, and two signature drinks. The majority of the guests are beer drinkers as we live in Texas. Can anyone give me advice on how much they've bought in the past or plan to buy in this situation? ThanksSmiley smile

5 Comments

Latest activity by Martika, on July 30, 2019 at 5:16 PM
  • Caytlyn
    Legend November 2019
    Caytlyn ·
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    My best advice is to buy from a store that will allow you to return unopened cases and bottles. Lots of people find the calculator from Big Red Liquors to be useful.

    https://bigredliquors.com/drink-calculator/

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  • A
    Savvy June 2019
    Alex ·
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    I agree with Caitlyn. My husband and I purchased our own alcohol for our wedding and bought even less than what your bar service suggested. We ended up with a ton of leftover wine that we can’t return. I would definitely try to find a liquor store that allows returns if possible.
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  • Clíodhna
    WeddingWire Administrator January 2030
    Clíodhna ·
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    Welcome to the WeddingWire community, Taylor!

    I wanted to offer the same advice as Caytlyn!

    If you can find a store which will take back unopened items for a refund, that would be amazing. This way you can buy what you think your guests will consume, and be covered if you need to return any.

    Have you decided where you will buy your alcohol from?

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  • Taylor
    VIP October 2020
    Taylor ·
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    We were thinking about buying from Total Wine or Spec's! I believe both of them offer refunds on unopened, returned items.

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  • Martika
    Expert September 2019
    Martika ·
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    We are in the same boat. We are able to purchase our alcohol. We have decided to purchase from Sam's Club and Costco, they offer the option of returning unopened items. They are cheaper than all the liquor stores, and grocery stores that I have priced.

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