Hi ladies! I'm getting married next summer (thanks covid!) and my catering company said I can supply my own alcohol. I don't really drink so sorry if this is a dumb question 😂 but how far out in advance can you buy beer wine and liquor and it be ok?
Alcohol lasts awhile if it's not open and is chilled properly (a cold garage if you don't have fridge space). Go to local liquor warehouse such as Bevmo or Total Wine or whatever is in your area (look up on Goigle Maps). Tell them how many guests you are having, how long your reception lasts. They can tell you how much alcohol plus mixers and nonalcoholic beverages per person per hour. Also ask if you can return any unopened leftovers.
Liquor will be fine for years. Beer is sensitive to light and temperature so I would buy that a few weeks before. And wine will last years if it’s stored on its side in a cool dry place. So the answer is it depends on what you have available for storage because that can change things!
The party planners at the liquor store in my neighborhood suggested ordering at least one month prior to the wedding. They said this way if something specific isn’t in stock they can order more in and won’t have to risk not having enough of some things or the exact brands/types you need in time. Cool thing is a lot of places deliver now because of covid, and Total Wine said they could deliver to the venue! Idk about other places.
You can buy it any time and store it in a cool dry place. However you can ask your local spec's or total wine the bare minimum time They need. Pretty sure it's a month or 2
Temperature control is the major concern— beer and wine should be kept in a cool climate and most importantly needs to stay at a constant temp (shouldn’t be moved from fridge to closet and back etc)
My best tip is that we pre-ordered wines & some beer from a major store ahead of time for pick up on the wedding day, then called and asked for it (well the white wines and beers) to be stored cold overnight — so the store had all of our cases of white wine sitting in their walk in fridges when we went to pick it up, which was kind of key bc I’m not sure how the heck we would’ve gotten it properly chilled if we had bought it ahead of time! (Also worth noting many stores offer discounts if you buy wine by the case, so buying it all at once can help you save a little money!) Liquor is much more forgiving — the high alcohol content gives it a longer shelf life ...our wedding was 2 years ago and we only just finished the last of our wedding vodka! So that sort of thing is safe to buy ahead of time and store.
Great advice above, just to reiterate, don’t buy the beer already cold (although most places if you telling them buying in bulk for wedding will know what you need).
It all last for a long time if it is unopened and stored properly.
VIP
September 2020
Molly ·
Flag
I would buy liquor and wine ahead of time. We waited until two days before to buy beer. Mainly because we got married on labor day weekend and want to take advantages of the sales.
I think the bare minimum for best selection a month or 2. However you can order it the day before and get miller bud / barefoot wine. These are examples of wine I see everywhere and have no reference for taste. I never drank miller bud. I have also only cooked with barefoot wine and never tasted it.
