The wedding bar tab causes a lot of anxiety because you don’t always know how much you’ll owe at the end of the night! If you’re hosting an open bar, you’re in luck because you’ll know what to expect. Either way, alcohol can eat up a large part of your budget so here’s our three ways to secretly bring down that bar tab. No one has to know!
1. Estimate how many of your guests drink
If all your guests do NOT drink, don’t feel like you have to host an open bar. Some venues won’t advertise this, but you can always ask about a consumption bar. A consumption bar means you’re only charged for how many drinks are ordered. Consumption bars are a great option if you know at least a third of your guests don’t drink. Not having to pay a per head fee for guests who don’t drink will surely bring down your wedding bar tab!
2. Adjust the bar offerings by time
Cake cutting, speeches, first dance – you are the center of attention during these moments – not the bar. If you’re doing a consumption bar, shut the bar down for 30 – 45 minutes. Most guests will already have a drink in hand from cocktail hour. If you’re doing an open bar where you pay per person, work with your venue to see if you could switch to just beer and wine for dinner and see if that will help bring costs down.
3. Consider a signature drink
Whether you’re a fan of signature drinks or not, it’s an amazing way to reduce your wedding bar tab! If you want to serve spirits, but it would cause you to go over budget, try having your bar serve beer, wine, and one or two signature drinks with spirits. One of our favorite trends is signature drinks named after their pets!
P.S. All of our planners can help you review your bar packages and contracts before you sign. If you’d LOVE someone to help you figure out all your options, click here to get started!
