So I'm still trying to decide about the package vs. tab issue, and thought I'd find out what other people had, how much it cost, and the advantages/disadvantages of their choice.
The package we'd be looking at is $45 p/p for 5 hours, and the alcohol choices are basically the same either way (couple of extra options on the tab) Beer seems relatively expensive on the tab though - $6 full strength, $4.50 light.
Full Version: Alcohol options?
Our alcohol was included in the overall catering price - so I can't itemise it separately for you. With ours they had a choice of sparkling, 2 selected whites, 2 reds, 1 light beer, 1 heavy beer, softdrinks and juice. All for 5 hours.
We ended up going with an extra 45 mins or thereabouts on consumption at the beginning of the evening (while we were having photos taken) but at the end of the night they said we'd drunk less than they'd anticipated throughout (I guess they figured a bunch of Drs and academics would be piss-heads
) so they didn't end up charging us additional for the 'on consumption' part.
I suspect a lot might come down to the type of people you're inviting whether tab or package is cheaper. As hubby and I were among the last of our group to marry, most people were beyond their 'getting blotto' stage. Well - except for the table in the back corner of the room - there's a reason they were positioned as far away from the microphone as possible!!!!
We ended up going with an extra 45 mins or thereabouts on consumption at the beginning of the evening (while we were having photos taken) but at the end of the night they said we'd drunk less than they'd anticipated throughout (I guess they figured a bunch of Drs and academics would be piss-heads
) so they didn't end up charging us additional for the 'on consumption' part.I suspect a lot might come down to the type of people you're inviting whether tab or package is cheaper. As hubby and I were among the last of our group to marry, most people were beyond their 'getting blotto' stage. Well - except for the table in the back corner of the room - there's a reason they were positioned as far away from the microphone as possible!!!!
Our wedding was 5 years ago, so add a bit on, but the place we got married really hasnt gone up much... I looked it up recently 
We had package of 4.5 hours about $23 p.p. included beer (2 choices I think), wines, soft drinks incl juice, champagne on arrival and champagne for toasting and port with the coffee and cake. We also put a little on a tab for the bridal party who wanted spirits, but just for them. If anyone else wanted something other than the package, they had to fork out themselves.
We had package of 4.5 hours about $23 p.p. included beer (2 choices I think), wines, soft drinks incl juice, champagne on arrival and champagne for toasting and port with the coffee and cake. We also put a little on a tab for the bridal party who wanted spirits, but just for them. If anyone else wanted something other than the package, they had to fork out themselves.
We decided against a package as we had people that weren't drinking so figured a tab was better.
It came to $2200 for 65 people for just over 5 hours. We had 1 sparkling, 2 whites, 2 reds, premium bottled beer (and standard tap beer) and soft drink. Two of the wines were NZ (a pinot and an SSB) which were expensive but we wanted quality.
From memory there were two package types - both for 4 hours at around $35 and $45 per head depending on quality - we didn't think it was worth it and couldn't chose the wines we wanted
It came to $2200 for 65 people for just over 5 hours. We had 1 sparkling, 2 whites, 2 reds, premium bottled beer (and standard tap beer) and soft drink. Two of the wines were NZ (a pinot and an SSB) which were expensive but we wanted quality.
From memory there were two package types - both for 4 hours at around $35 and $45 per head depending on quality - we didn't think it was worth it and couldn't chose the wines we wanted
Ours was included in the meal price so I can't really give you the price.
It included soft drink, OJ, 3 or 4 different wines, a few different full strenght and light beers and champers during pre dinner drink and for toasts.
They stopped serving drinks 1/2 an hour before the end of the reception but by then it was 11:30 and since they started serving drinks at 5pm that was fine. The wine was bottles on the tables so there was still plenty of drinks around right until the end
It included soft drink, OJ, 3 or 4 different wines, a few different full strenght and light beers and champers during pre dinner drink and for toasts.
They stopped serving drinks 1/2 an hour before the end of the reception but by then it was 11:30 and since they started serving drinks at 5pm that was fine. The wine was bottles on the tables so there was still plenty of drinks around right until the end
The alcohol was included in the overall per head price, so i'm not sure how much it was seperately to the food?
We served wine, beer, softdrink. Guests paid for anything else.
We had a tab for the last hour of the reception, it cost $180. I was expecting it to cost way more than that. I guess by the end of the night most people had slowed down on the drinking
We served wine, beer, softdrink. Guests paid for anything else.
We had a tab for the last hour of the reception, it cost $180. I was expecting it to cost way more than that. I guess by the end of the night most people had slowed down on the drinking
Ours was also part of the package but equated to approx $55 per head, for sparkling, red, white and 2 selected beers, softdrink. Spirits was buy yourself (except for the bridal table).
For our 60-odd guests, that was in excess of $3K for grog - and there was no way we used that much - a lot of our guests were elderly family members who retired early, some were travelling (we had the wedding on the sunshine coast, so our guests either stayed with us, or went home). We didn't really do our research, but went off a previous party where we supplied a tab for hubby's birthday - it cost us over $1000 in the first hour - they were sucking back the spirits and the d!ckhead bartender was happy to serve double-shots
It's best you look at your attendees, the likelihood of them drinking, what they'd be drinking, the bar price of said drink, whether your venue will charge per bottle (wine) or per glass (beer) and see if the tab is cheaper than a packaged option. Then make your reception venue very clear on the rules (no spirits, no double-shots etc...!)
Good Luck!
For our 60-odd guests, that was in excess of $3K for grog - and there was no way we used that much - a lot of our guests were elderly family members who retired early, some were travelling (we had the wedding on the sunshine coast, so our guests either stayed with us, or went home). We didn't really do our research, but went off a previous party where we supplied a tab for hubby's birthday - it cost us over $1000 in the first hour - they were sucking back the spirits and the d!ckhead bartender was happy to serve double-shots
It's best you look at your attendees, the likelihood of them drinking, what they'd be drinking, the bar price of said drink, whether your venue will charge per bottle (wine) or per glass (beer) and see if the tab is cheaper than a packaged option. Then make your reception venue very clear on the rules (no spirits, no double-shots etc...!)
Good Luck!
I had 64 guests and we bought all of our own alcohol.
It turned out very cheap. About $2500 for the beer (14 cartons) and lots of 1litre bottles of spirits and the soft drinks. Had heaps left over too.
My Dad bought our red, white and champagne. I think it was around $1000.
We had plenty of drinks and enough left over to stock our bar and pantry for ages and ages!
My only advise is to stop the drinks at a decent time. My guests were drinking till 3am and things got very messy after 12!
It turned out very cheap. About $2500 for the beer (14 cartons) and lots of 1litre bottles of spirits and the soft drinks. Had heaps left over too.
My Dad bought our red, white and champagne. I think it was around $1000.
We had plenty of drinks and enough left over to stock our bar and pantry for ages and ages!
My only advise is to stop the drinks at a decent time. My guests were drinking till 3am and things got very messy after 12!
We went for a tab, as we had the experience of both of Brian's sisters getting married before us, where one had a tab and the other a package. We put $2500 on the bar from memory, and ended up only spending $1200. FWIW, a package for basic wine, beer, softdrinks was $35/head, and would have cost us $3500...BIG DIFFERENCE!
It would depend on your guests though, as friends of ours ended up spending $4500 on their bar tab, and wished they got a package, as it would have been around $2500 for the whole night for the same thing. Just depends on what kind of drinkers they are.
It would depend on your guests though, as friends of ours ended up spending $4500 on their bar tab, and wished they got a package, as it would have been around $2500 for the whole night for the same thing. Just depends on what kind of drinkers they are.
We are having our beverages charged on Consumption. We will be paying $40 per person before the wedding and will either get a refund or an invoice for the difference. We like this option as it's similar to a bar tab in that we only pay for what we use, but we don't have to try and work out how much we need to allocate.
We are pretty sure that the estimate they provide ($40) will be pretty spot on anyway, we have some big drinker, little drinker and non-drinkers and figure they will all average each other out.
It was the only option that we had at our venue, otherwise we probably would of looked more thoroughly into package values etc.
We are pretty sure that the estimate they provide ($40) will be pretty spot on anyway, we have some big drinker, little drinker and non-drinkers and figure they will all average each other out.
It was the only option that we had at our venue, otherwise we probably would of looked more thoroughly into package values etc.
Our venue only offered beverage packages so the choice for us was pretty easy! Our package (on paper) included a cocktail as part of pre-dinner drinks, beer (light and full strength), one red, one white, one sparkling, soft drinks and mineral waters. We were very fussy with wines (goodness knows why I am sure no one really noticed!) and ended up tailoring the packaged quite significantly. This included supplying our own champagne in place of the sparkling wine in the package (had we used their champagne option it would have been prohibitively expensive) and also supplying our own spirits which they served from behind the bar for our guests (we supplied gin, vodka and whiskey).
In most cases I do think that on consumption is a more cost effective option, however because our venue was so flexible it did work out cheaper for us to use a package (spirits, champagne and some of the wines we chose would have been very expensive by the glass).
In most cases I do think that on consumption is a more cost effective option, however because our venue was so flexible it did work out cheaper for us to use a package (spirits, champagne and some of the wines we chose would have been very expensive by the glass).
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