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Master April 2012

Late-night wedding and liquor question

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krisalicious, on April 3, 2012 at 1:17 PM

Two questions: 1. How late do your weddings go? Anybody late night (2am or later?) 2. How soon before closing time does your bar close? We're still having a hell of a time finding the appropriate bartending vendor, still. I'm so frustrated right now and I'm starting to feel like we're crazy abnormal...

Two questions:

1. How late do your weddings go? Anybody late night (2am or later?)

2. How soon before closing time does your bar close?

We're still having a hell of a time finding the appropriate bartending vendor, still. I'm so frustrated right now and I'm starting to feel like we're crazy abnormal hooligans. The fact that our wedding goes late night is a cultural thing. It's not a frat party. I'm just wondering if anyone else in the US has had similar issues.

Thank you in advance.

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47 Comments

Master April 2012
krisalicious · on April 3, 2012 at 3:32 PM
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These are more good ideas. We'll keep pitching things to the venue and the vendors and see who says yes to what.

Thank you ladies.
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Brandy Blackford · on April 3, 2012 at 4:52 PM
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Your DOC should have a solution for you. You can't be the first person they have worked with that wants to continue the reception later than "usual".

I think it has more to do with liabiliity than licensing. From the research I was able to quickly do there are a number of things that have to happen for someone to serve alcohol in Chicago - the location needs a Consumption on Premises-Incidental Activity License, the bartender may need a Late Hour License and as well as a Consumption on Premises-Incidental Activity License or Caterer's License (for caterers located within the City of Chicago) and they all need to have a Dram Shop Law policy, in addition to additional liability and event insurance. Chicgao also limits the number of licenses they will issue and the application process is very lengthy and expensive.

The biggest thing that I found is that most bartenders have a limit to the number of hours they can serve alcohol and breaking up the time doesn't count.
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Brandy Blackford · on April 3, 2012 at 4:54 PM
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Cont...

For example some only have a five hour license so, if you start serving at 6 for cocktail hour, they need to be completly cleaned up and alcohol put away or dumped 5 hours later. Hence the pulling of the glasses.
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Super June 2012
Jennifer · on April 3, 2012 at 5:04 PM
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Ours will go till 3 am ish, though we have keys to the building (It's a dance studio and we work there) so we don't have to stop.

Our bartender leaves at 11 pm. After that we're just serving ourselves. Since it's not a "venue" per say we don't have restrictions on when to stop. As long as we don't disturb the neighbors.
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Master April 2012
krisalicious · on April 3, 2012 at 5:16 PM
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So Brandy you're saying if someone has a City of Chicago Retail Liquor License - those licenses are variable in terms of hours? That would explain a lot, although no vendor has straight up said, "I am only licensed for this many hours". I wonder why they wouldn't be up front about that. ???

The DOC is on it and I'm doing more research and looking into several of the options presented here.

Jennifer S, that's awesome.
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Master June 2012
Labake · on April 3, 2012 at 5:18 PM
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Kris if that is true then there are more solutions.
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Devoted May 2013
Paola · on April 3, 2012 at 5:37 PM
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Our venue gives us the ballroom for any 4-hour block. They said if it ends at midnight or before and we want to move to the bar (we definitely will), they can keep it open until 2am. We just have to let them know in advance so they can appropriately staff the bar.

My Hispanic family holds it down until 5am at most family weddings. Yipes.
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