Beverages

Once the food has been taken care of, it is time to consider the ‘bevies’! There are several options and costs associated with serving beverages at a wedding and it is important to consider all of them, and the pros and cons associated with each.

Open Bar

An open bar gives you and your guests the opportunity to drink an unlimited quantity of beverages throughout the length of the reception. The bar staff keep track of the guests orders and then issue a bill at the end of the reception. From a guests point of view an open bar is the ‘ultimate’ when it comes to wedding receptions. Whilst this may be the case, at the end of the day, it is not the guest who will be paying the bill. The open bar option is fine, should you have an unlimited amount of cash to spend on beverages, but if you’re like the majority of people, this is probably not likely. Not only is it the most expensive way to serve drinks at the reception, it is also the most likely method to intoxify your guests!
One way around this is to have an open bar for the first hour or two of the reception and then resort to one of the following options listed below.

Tray Service

In order to minimise the cost to you, whilst ensuring that your guests don’t have to pay for their own drinks, you may wish to opt for a tray service. Prior to your reception, meet with your drinks caterer and select a variety of drinks that you believe will be popular among your guests. These may then be pre-poured and served to your guests throughout the reception at pre-determined times. The advantages of this option are that it helps to keep the cost down for you, and it prevents over consumption of alcohol among your guests. The disadvantages are that if a guest misses the drinks tray they may have to wait until the next round, and secondly they may feel as though they’d like a few more drinks.

Place Beverages on the Tables

By placing bottles of beer and wine (along with soft drinks and juices) on the tables, guests are able to serve their own drinks when they wish. There are usually two ways in which you may go about this. The first is to meet with your drinks caterer prior to the reception to order a set amount of beer, wine, champagne, soft drinks and juices. Have the staff place the drinks on the table, throughout the reception for your guests, allowing a set amount for each table. This will allow you to control both the expense and the consumption.
The other option is to do the above with an unlimited supply. This is obviously a more expensive option, but may still be controlled by the drinks staff if you request the service to be cut back throughout the reception.

Cash Bar

The cash bar option allows you to be free of any expenses associated with beverages. This option requires your guests to pay for their drinks, as they would at any other bar. Many couples use this option in combination with some of those already mentioned above. For example, you may wish to have an open bar for the first hour or two and then revert to the cash bar option after that time. Another option is to provide beer and wine, along with soft drinks and juices throughout the reception, however use the cash bar for spirits. And yet another option would be to provide non-alcoholic beverages to your guests throughout the reception and use the cash bar for alcoholic drinks.

Bar Tab

A bar tab gives you the option of setting a pre-determined amount of money (the ‘bar tab’) to cover drinks for your guests. Throughout the reception, bar staff keep note of the drinks being ordered by your guests. Guests are free to order whenever they wish throughout the reception and once the bar tab is reached, they must purchase their own. This option gives you peace of mind that you won’t be going over budget and your guests may continue to drink, at their own expense if they wish to.

Self-Catering Beverages

There may also be the case where your caterer or reception venue does not cater for or provide alcohol. In this case it may be possible for you to arrange to purchase the beverages and organise wait staff to serve it. If this is the case, you need to discuss your options with your reception venue. Check whether you are required to arrange any liquor licences or similar in order to have alcoholic beverages served at your reception.


Be sure that you order enough alcohol for the evening, and remember that it is better to have too much than too little. Many hotels and liquor stores will buy back any unopened bottles or slabs, so you can rest assured that you wouldn’t be left with a house full of alcohol after the big event! They also may provide complimentary glasses for use at your reception when ordering the alcohol from them. All you need to pay for are any breakages. Ask your liquor store to assist you in planning for the amount of alcohol that you will require for your guests. On average, most guests will consume 4-5 drinks. The table opposite may also assist in planning how much alcohol you need to purchase. This should be used as a guide only.

With the right choice of caterer and selection of drinks, your guests are bound to be talking about your reception for years to come.