What drinks to serve and how many
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Do you serve just beer, wine, and champagne at your wedding? Or do you offer mixed drinks—and if so, which ones? Will people notice if you use crappy vodka in the Cosmopolitans? Can you hire your buddy to mix the drinks?
Typically, your caterer (or a separate beverage caterer, if you’re going that route) will run your bar. Most provide everything from glassware, garnishes, and nonalcoholic drinks to the booze and the bartenders. What they serve, however, is negotiable, as is the amount you spend.
Below are tips on where to cut corners with compromising on the quality of the quaffs, where to shell out, and how to add classy touches at modest expense.
Don’t Ask Your Friend to Bartend
Most venues have liability insurance that stipulates that you must work with a licensed and insured caterer. We would recommend not using a friend, and sticking with a paid professional for this job!
Buy Your Own Booze
Caterers mark up alcohol— especially wine— nearly as much as restaurants do. But many caterers are comfortable with the idea of you buying the booze for them. Ask first, and if it’s not a problem, grab a friend with a card for Costco or other big wholesaler and enjoy running around and grabbing the deals. If the store offers delivery service for a fee, take it. You don’t want to be unloading the wine in your tux wedding dress!
Another popular choice is to combine a weekend to France with a spot of wedding wine buying. Even though the Euro is at an all time high, you can still get EuroStar tickets from £59, and you can still pick up better quality vino for a fraction of the price it is over here, and beer and champagne are even more of a bargain.
Buying your own garnishes, nonalcoholic drinks, and mixers, on the other hand, won’t save you much, so let the caterer take care of those.
Buy the Right Amount
Calculating the correct quantity of booze for a reception is an inexact science influenced by the duration of the wedding, the age of the guests (a 24-year-old guy may drink more than your great-aunt), and the time of day (evening events are boozier than afternoon ones).
But here’s the rule of thumb:
- On average, a wedding guest consumes 1.5 cocktails per hour
- On average, a wedding guest consumes half a bottle of wine during the course of the daytime meal
- If you pass out sparkling wine or champagne to each guest during the toast, factor in one glass per person
Beer is trickier, and varies widely based on your guests and the type of wedding. For instance, outdoor summertime affairs tend to be bigger beer bashes, and younger guys will often drink more beer. Think about your guests’ drinking habits, and make an educated guess.
One further note: Unless you’re doing a casual barbecue-style reception, saving money by buying a keg is controversial. The hand-pump ones are too foamy, and the jockey boxes are just horrible and ugly. They need to fresh and ice cold.
In any case, don’t forget to designate a friend with a car to haul away any excess liquor at the end of the evening. It’s something people often forget, and it can be a hassle.
What to have on offer
For summer wedding receptions, Bucks Fizz or Pimms are a great start to the day after the ceremony. They are not only economical, but also refreshing.
For winter weddings then a lovely choice is mulled wine served warm, or sangria served from large jugs.
Red, White and Rose are all very popular wines, although Red still remains the favourite choice of the three, so order accordingly.
Beer is easier to cater for, as it simply needs to be a high quality brand, such as Peroni Reserva (quite strong but quality lager!). A good stockist of premium beers is Scatchards in Liverpool. They will give you advice about the best beers and wines available.
A nice touch would be to have a local ale on supply, such as Cains, or Bowland Brewery
And it is essential to keep the real beer heads happy with some bitter and cider available. You should get together with your groom and family to think about who would appreciate these drinks.
Cocktails always make a classy talking point at the beginning of the evening reception. Often evening guests feeling like a bit of an after thought, so to have a tray of cocktails awaiting their arrival is a lovey touch. Keep cocktails simple and not too strong. Basic ingredients will ensure a cocktail that more people enjoy them are there are less wasted at the end.
Think about naming a cocktail after yourselves, or your honeymoon, ie. Singapore Sling, Manhattan, Italian Surprise, Suzy Sunrise, Groom on the Rocks....you get the idea! Click Here for a few more...
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