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Karilyn
Dedicated September 2018

Drink Tickets Logistics

Karilyn, on March 27, 2018 at 5:05 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 230

Okay, first, I know how many of you feel about drink tickets and say it's rude. Please know we've pretty much made up our mind based on the details below but wanted feedback on a few logistics.
It doesn't appear we have another option unless we had a dry wedding so do not try to talk us out of it (a friend got married at the same place and it turned out her open bar tab was $10,000 for only a slightly higher guest count). And no, beer and wine only are not something we're interested in, nor much cheaper anyhow since they charge by the drink and house wine is $8/glass; even soda is $4/ea. I've been to plenty of weddings and never expected an open bar so maybe it depends on where you're from.


Now, the reception package already includes complimentary wine service with dinner and a champagne toast. We are currently thinking of giving 2 drink tickets per person to use as they please. We will have a beverage table with lemonade, iced tea, coffee, water. Our main questions are:

1. Do the tickets move hands pretty easily on their own? (I know 2 drinks seems low but we are hoping/assuming some will likely drink nothing and they'll get passed on to the heavier drinkers).

2. How do we distribute the tickets? Right now we're thinking to put them on/under the name card that gives them their table number as well. We'd prefer for the reception hall not to get a hold of them to avoid unnecessary overcharging and we don't want to leave on the table since we're only doing assigned tables, not seats.

3. How should we communicate the fact that some wine and champagne will already be offered in addition to their tickets? Just put a simple message under their name placard with the drink tickets?

4. For those who have attended an event or wedding with tickets, how was it overall?


This isn't fine-tuned, but just a rough idea..... "Below are your tickets to be used for two complimentary alcoholic drinks. You will also receive complimentary wine service with dinner and a champagne toast will occur later in the evening."

230 Comments

Latest activity by Hannah , on August 5, 2022 at 2:10 PM
  • Karilyn
    Dedicated September 2018
    Karilyn ·
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    And thanks to LB for her previous comment.

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  • O
    Master October 2017
    O ·
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    I would slim down the guest list dramatically as to never ever have my guests pay for a single thing at an event I am hosting.
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  • P
    Master April 2018
    Powers2 ·
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    My gosh...

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  • Karilyn
    Dedicated September 2018
    Karilyn ·
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    We already have a pretty small guest list. We are not forcing them to pay for anything, they are welcome to 4 drinks at no charge. And to be honest, since some will be staying at the hotel we have a few irresponsible drinkers as well that might take a completely open bar way too far. We'll roughly have 150 attend, and to sufficiently trim the bar bill, we'd have to trim it to 90 and 12 of those are our immediately families.... Much of our family aren't big drinkers to begin with and I'm thinking how 4 drinks wouldn't be enough? At most, we might stretch it to 3 tickets a person (5 drinks total per guest then) but it seems unnecessary considering at least 50-60 of our guests don't drink at all.

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  • Mrs.Whooooo
    Master May 2017
    Mrs.Whooooo ·
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    Do these tickets also count towards sodas?


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  • Sarah
    Master June 2016
    Sarah ·
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    Are sodas also on the ticket system? I see these being gone before cocktail hour is over and some people leaving right after dinner.
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  • JNav
    Devoted September 2017
    JNav ·
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    Where are you from? maybe just limit a cash bar for a specific time like just the cocktail hour or something because offering people drink tickets to a wedding is extremely tacky, and to offer only 2... that would actually turn me off from attending. How long is your reception where you think 2 drink tickets is enough for 3/4 hours (average reception time)

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  • Karilyn
    Dedicated September 2018
    Karilyn ·
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    They can, yes.

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  • Karilyn
    Dedicated September 2018
    Karilyn ·
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    Sandusky, OH. It is two additional drinks since some wine and champagne will already be offered. So you would have 4 drinks. 5 drinks if we decided on a third ticket (which I'm in favor of, fiance is not).

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  • Mrs.Whooooo
    Master May 2017
    Mrs.Whooooo ·
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    Yeah I can’t see these drink tickets lasting past cocktail hour especially if sodas aren’t even included
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  • Nicole
    Dedicated May 2018
    Nicole ·
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    IF you are truly refusing to budge on this issue, just have an hour (or two) of open bar, and note that on the dinner menu or maybe an insert with the invitation. I think thats a better compromise than drink tickets.

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  • magnolia5
    VIP June 2019
    magnolia5 ·
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    1. No idea what you mean by this. Do you mean will people share? If so, we don't know your guests. We have no idea if light drinkers will give them up to heavy drinkers.

    2. I don't see any good way to distribute. Put them under the name card- people may not get theirs just because they pick up their card and go, not seeing the tickets. Put them on the name card- what's to prevent people from taking another person's tickets off of their name card for themselves?

    3. I guess that works...? But people may not see it because they just pick up their name card and go.

    4. Never been to one.

    Why can't you cut your guest list? Why did you choose this venue if you couldn't afford to serve even just beer and wine? Can you afford to offer a signature drink?
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  • Baconater
    Dedicated April 2017
    Baconater ·
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    In what world is 150 a small wedding? That is not a small guest list by any means. You booked a venue knowing that the open bar cost wasn't possible for your guest list.

    And to answer #4. I went to a drink ticket wedding, we each got two tickets. Everyone left after the cake was cut and I still am salty about it.

    There's a reason this is a logistical nightmare. Your venue doesn't offer a consumption bar at all? It shouldn't be 10,000 if you have only 50 drinkers...

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  • Sarah
    Master June 2016
    Sarah ·
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    If tickets count toward sodas, non-drinkers aren’t going to give their tickets to drinkers because they’ll want them for sodas. Also, 150 isn’t even close to “pretty small”. We had roughly 130 attend and our wedding was fairly big, IMO.
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  • Michael
    Just Said Yes December 2018
    Michael ·
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    Use a cash bar this way your not Responsible
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  • Baconater
    Dedicated April 2017
    Baconater ·
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    Nope, that's worse.

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  • Sarah
    Master June 2016
    Sarah ·
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    That’s not accurate at all.
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  • Karilyn
    Dedicated September 2018
    Karilyn ·
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    Thank you for understanding the situation Nicole. We're still playing with that idea. I was originally worried about having the handful of heavy drinkers basically chugging it all down and then making the cost just as much as having an open bar to certain amount or the tickets but then other guests may not have a chance to get in on at all. But you're right, having it on the invitation and website would then let it be up to them so it's not on us if they missed out.

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  • Rachel
    Super May 2018
    Rachel ·
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    150 people isn't a small guest list...


    But as far as drink ticket logistics (which I find distasteful), are children or people under 21 also getting drink tickets for sodas and whatnot?

    And I don't see how this will save money in the long run? If you are sure that 5 drinks will be enough for everybody for the evening, and it is in your budget to pay for that many, why not just have a consumption bar, and the people who may drink more will even out with the people who will drink less (so Grandma drinks only 1 drink in addition to the champagne toast, but Uncle Bob has 7.. It has already evened out).

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  • Sara P.
    VIP October 2018
    Sara P. ·
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    I do not think 150 person guest list is small at all.
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