Your wedding is going to be a big party, and you’ll want to serve your favourite tipple! You may be concerned about how expensive it’s going to get, so we’re sharing some pretty smart ways to save money on your wedding alcohol.
Worried you’ll dampen the party? Don’t! These genius tips will save you money, while still enabling your guests to have an incredible time.
No more pre-ceremony drinks
Saving your tipple for after the ceremony! If you’re looking for ways to welcome your guests with beverages (particularly if it’s very hot) consider fruit-infused water or lemonade instead.
Bring your own alcohol
Instead of paying markup costs, ask your venue and caterer if you can supply your own alcohol. You’ll save money by buying in bulk and taking advantage of special offers, and you may be able to get a refund on any alcohol you return.
Before planning to provide your own alcohol, chat with your venue. Some venues charge a corkage fee or require a permit, so it’s always worth doing a little research first.
Choose which drinks are served
Costs can rack up if you have to stock the bar with every possible spirit. Instead, choose a few signature drinks that guests can choose from and offer these on the house.
Opt for a partial cash bar
In addition to providing complementary drinks of your choosing, allow your guests the luxury of choice. Anything that isn’t on your pre-set drinks menu could be available for guests to purchase.
Offer fancy virgin mocktails
If your alcohol-free options are boring, nobody’s going to want them. Serve creative mocktails and alcohol-free drinks that guests will be excited about. Without alcohol, these will be more affordable to make.
Time your open bar well
You could run a full open bar for a set amount of time, where guests can grab any drinks they wish. Then, after this time, switch to beer and wine for the rest of the festivities, with spirits and other drinks available at the cash bar.
Ditch the Prosecco toast
Instead of pouring a specific drink for everyone to use during the toasts, simply ask them to raise a glass of whatever they are already drinking.
Ask staff to pour drinks
If each table is given a couple of bottles of wine, you may end up with 10 or more bottles with leftover wine. Instead, ask the staff to pour wine and to do so conservatively. Not everybody will want wine, so you’ll save yourself a lot of waste if the staff only top up glasses as guests ask them to.
