Consumption Bar Budget advice?

LOL thanks for the 12 pack validation Glenda!

Alyssa, Glenda makes a good point - people may drink more because they are at a resort wedding in Hawaii where they can stumble back to the room totally drunk. Everyone won't but myself and people like me would..haha Just something to consider.

So you don't have to order this in advance, right? They'll have a plethora already and you're just trying to figure out what your bill may be?

all very good points!!

and jamy - we actually do need to decide now b/c our bar set up is a bit confusing and we need to print a bar menu - i don't want to count on doing that there KWIM?

as for house wines by the glass this is what they offer:

i think we may be able to get these for $8 per glass

House Champagne - don't know brand

House Chardonnay - Four Vines

House Cabernet - De Loach

House Merlot - Cart & Brown

House Pinot Noir - Esser Winery

as for Beer - here is the deal:

Bud/Bud Lt./Coors Lt/Michelob $5

Heniken/Corona/Beck's/All Kona Beers/Steinlager $6

i am really torn about this mai tai thing - i have a really hard time believing that they get 18 servings out of 1 gallon and we definitely CAN NOT afford 8 gallons

Well, another option could be just serving alcohol at the cocktail hour.

Dang Hawaii for being so expensive! I guess that's the price to pay for the beauty of the most isolated populated islands in the world...at least that's what they told us on the plane once.

Does your package include a champagne toast? If you're not doing that I don't necessarily see the need for champagne. Can they do a hard alcohol drink for less money? And you can slip the bartenders some food coloring to make it the color you want? That's probably crazy but I'm just racking my brain here! As for how much beer vs. wine gosh I don't know.

Personally I know people who drink only beer/hard liquor and not wine. Do you have a wine crowd? In that case you can do away with or really restrict the beer. Or do wine only with dinner, cocktails only for the rest...if that would save $$.

if my choices were either chardonnay or beer, i'd choose beer. if my choice was chardonnay or pino grigio, i'd choose pino every time.

a gallon will not get you 18 real drinks. it will get you 18 drinks w/ dixie cups filled w/ ice. it will get you probably about 9 real-size drinks, but you're not pouring...

can you bring in alcohol and just pay the bartenders to mix it?

or, could you say "i have $x hundred dollars to spend on liquor/drinks. please cut off the open bar when it gets to that amount" ?

(just give everyone 3-4 jello shots when they get there. they won't want many drinks after that )

If your crowd would be cool without hard liquor then the hell with it, have wine & beer and a cash bar for the hard stuff. My crowd was more interested in the hard stuff but it's about you and your guests.

Would you get in trouble for incorporating hard liquour into your centerpieces or favors? Not like you need a last minute project, but they can't dictate your favors so what if you gave out bottles of rum or something...even little ones in a bucket like "grab a favor" style. Tie some ribbons around them...lol Mixers at $3 each are way cheaper than those gallons!

Alyssa, are you allowed to bring in your own alcohol and just pay a corkage fee? I know a lot of people save money that way, and I'm looking into it at my venue too (not sure how high the corking fees are)

Just a thought...