There is no wrong choice in alcohol that you pick for your wedding. You should have a variety of different options when it comes to alcohol at your wedding. Different types of guests will have differing taste in alcohol. The theme of your wedding will also determine the choice of drink you have. If you and your partner have a certain preference then you should have what you enjoy, after all this is your day.
Alcohol at your wedding surely helps loosen everyone up and adds some pleasure to the night. Things to consider when planning out your wedding bar will depend on how many guests you plan to have attend, how many guests will consume alcohol and what type of wedding setting you are having.
A good rule of thumb is to plan that every guest will have at least two drinks during the first hour and one per hour after. This will also be determined by the flow of your event. If your reception is separate from your wedding ( in a church ) you may not have alcohol served at this location.
The Signature Cocktail
Having a Signature Cocktail that goes along with your wedding theme is a new tradition that has become very popular. Not only will this wow your guests with a fancy drink but It will help if you are trying to limit the different types of liquor at the wedding due to expenses.
The type of theme will heavily influence the different drinks that you could pick for your signature drink. If you are having a camouflage theme then pick a whiskey combo. If you have a rustic wedding then maybe
Your guests will most likely go for the mixed drink more often and you can expect to spend less on other types of alcohol. The extra detail of a signature cocktail adds a nice elegant touch.
BYOB Wedding Style or does the event provide the liquor?
Who provides the alcohol? There are three options to where the alcohol comes from. From budget friendly to more expensive I will try to provide you with some options. I suggest starting by first speaking with your wedding venue and determining what they offer for alcohol and ask what others have done. This will give you an idea on cost and legality.
If your event offers bar services this could be worth the expense if you just want a turn key option. Calculating the alcohol and purchasing everything seems like a daunting task. Then you will have to worry about serving the alcohol and keeping children out of the goods.
Full Service Bar
The Full Service Bar option would include the alcohol as part of the contract with bar and staff. This would require your venue to have a liquor license. Venues that operate their own bar service will provide the correct amount of alcohol by the number of guests you have at your venue.
You may also be charges a per guest setup fee. This can all be negotiated in the contract with the bar service or wedding venue. This option obviously will cost more than the others.
Average costs for soda and water are about $1.00 per item. $6.00 – $7.00. Imported beer is usually $5.00 – $7.00 per item. Wine is $6.00 – $9.00. Domestic Beer is $4.00 – $6.00.
Bring your own with Service
You could purchase your own alcohol and then have it served by the bar service. This option is good because you control what type of drinks are served and you can pay a flat rate for the bartending service. Guests will tip the bartender(s) which will also compensate them for their service. This will also help limit the amount of alcohol consumed compared to a self serve.
BYOB Self Serve (DIY)
The cheapest option overall but it does have its down sides. If you purchase your own alcohol then you will want to check with your venue and local municipality about the legality of this practice. Your venue will most likely know the regulations and best practices from previous events.
You will also have to make sure that guests are not abusing the free range of alcohol. Children and young adults will need to be monitored to make sure they are not consuming the alcohol also.
This option is the best on a budget but the most popular option is the Bring your own with Service.
Different Types of Bars
Cash Bar
A cash bar is staffed by bartenders but instead of you paying for the alcoholic drinks your guests pay for them per drink. This is a popular option because you will not be responsible for the entire bill at then end of the night. You can also supplement the bar by providing champagne and wine for toasts. You can also have certain amount of time that is open bar and then after that it becomes a cash bar. The choice is yours.
Open Bar
The Open bar is the easiest option. You pay for the night and guests enjoy the unlimited supply of alcohol served up by the bartenders. This option can be for a set period of time or you can let your guests enjoy the open bar for the entire event. This may be the easiest option but is by far the most expensive option. This is better suited for a variety of different drink options and you will need an experienced bartender to be able to serve up all types of drinks.
Limited Bar
So you want to purchase the alcohol but have the bar hosted by the staff. This is the option where you purchase the types of alcohol you want served and the bartenders will serve the guests. This would be used if you want to serve champagne, beer and wine for the dinner and a signature cocktail after. This is an affordable option and will keep guests from being overserved.
The three other non typical bar options
Dry Bar
If you don’t drink and you don’t want to serve your guests alcohol then you will have a dry bar at your wedding. This bar option can include sweet tea for a rustic country wedding to sodas, juices and water.
Soft Bar
A Soft bar offers only Red Wine, and White Wine, Champagne and Beer.
White Bar
A White bar offers white beverages. For example a typical white bar would serve Vodka, White Rum, White Wine and Gin.
Tipping? Should I tip the bartender and how much?
The answer is yes if you are hiring them as an open bar then you will cover the tip. If you are having any other type of bar then the guests will most likely be tipping the bartenders throughout the event. If you want to learn more about wedding tipping practices then check out this post. Generally the general guide is 15-20% tip of the final tab or cost.
How to calculate how much alcohol to buy for a wedding?
In order to calculate how much you will need you will first need to have a head count of everyone attending. If you received your RSVP’s then you will have a pretty accurate count.
First to understand the amount you will need to purchase you need to understand how much you can get out of a particular type of alcohol bottle.
| Alcohol Type | Amount of serving |
| Keg 15.5 Gallons | 124 Pints |
| Bottle of Champagne 750ml | 8 Flutes |
| Bottle of Liquor 750ml | 18 cocktails |
| Bottle of Wine 750ml | 5 Glasses |
As far as what ratio to purchase for your types of alcohol I would recommend different ratios per type of bar.
How many bottles come in a case?
A case of beer contains 24 bottles or cans.
A case of Wine contains 12 bottles.
Champagne and liquor come in cases but are typically sold per unit.
Alcohol purchase amount Ratios for Weddings
These are just averages that seem to be a good starting point. If your guests are more beer drinkers than wine drinkers then adjust accordingly. This probably will vary by origin also. The Open bar and Cash bar will have alcohol provided by the venue. They have their own ratio to keep their bar stocked which is determined by demand.
| BYOB | * | 3/4 Beer (75%) | 1/4 Liquor (25%) |
| Limited Bar | 1/4 Wine (25%) | 1/2 Beer (50%) | 1/4 Liquor (25%) |
| Soft Bar | 3/4 Wine (75%) | 1/4 Beer (25%) | – (0%) |
Guest etiquette for a Wedding Bar
- Be Polite to the bartender. They will be busy and are trying to fulfill everyone’s request.
- There is a line for a reason. Don’t just think you can jump ahead of everyone.
- Don’t over consume drinks at the free bar its not fair to the other guests.
- Last of all TIP the Bartender!
So hopefully this gets you on your way toward a perfect wedding day. No one knows your guests better than you and some of this advice will differ per guest type. Whatever you decide you will make the best of the day. I hope you have a great wedding day. Be safe, Be happy! Good Luck!
