Past Fiesta Americana Brides??

[uclamurray]

I'm looking for ladies who already had their wedding at FA. Mine is in May but I am torn about what to do for the bar. My WC says do per head per hour for all 5 hours, but the people at FA are suggesting splitting per head per hour and consumption. Just wondering what others have done in the past and how it worked out? Did it end up being more expensive on a consumption basis? Did you run out of alcohol? Or is this a good option toward the end of the night.

 

THANKS!

[michelle08]

what is your wedding date??

 

I am getting married there may 26th. We are doing on consumption. The per hour per person rates were outrageous!!!! our group drinks but not all of them enough to make it worth that price...so we are taking are chances w/ consumption and i think most of the other FA girls did the same...

[AllureEventDesign]

hi there,

 

I'm not a bride but I think I can offer some advice... I work with FA on a regular basis and what they are suggesting - splitting the bar between consumption and per person per hour - is usually what I suggest for my clients. This will work with almost any venue...

 

This is why - guests will drink quite a bit during the first couple of hours of your event, then slow down for dinner, and the scheduled activities such as the first dance, toasts, cake cutting, etc. and then the drinking will pick up again during dancing.

 

This is how you do it -

-First, figure out which type of bar you want - every hotel offers different open bar options, from beer/wine/margaritas to International open bar.

-Then, cover the first 1 or 2 hours of the event with your open bar pp/phr of choice. Not surprisingly you will notice a lot of bottled water being consumed during the first hour but also a lot of alcohol!

-Finally, figure out a limit for your bar on consumption for the remainder of the evening. This is very important because it will allow you, your WC and the hotel to keep track of your bar.. and you won't get a surprise at the end of the evening!!!

 

Use the following equation; # of guests who will drink an alcoholic beverage X # of remaining hours of event after the first 1 or 2 hours of pp/ph open bar X 2 which is the average number of drinks a person consumes in 1 hour X the average cost of the drink in the bar type you chose.... it should look something like this;

40 guests X 3 hours X 2 drinks X $8.00 cost per drink = $1920.00 estimated on consumption bar bill. Round it out to be on the safe side..

 

NOTE - this is not a one size fits all solution as your final bar choice should reflect the group and no one knows your guests better than you! BUT it should help you figure out which bar option, be it on consumption for the entire event, pp/phr or a combination of both, will work best for your group.

Please keep in mind that you may only do a combination bar by having the pp/phr open bar first and then move onto on consumption.. you can't go back and forth through the night.

Don't forget to include champagne in your estimate.

And finally, the hotel will never run out of alcohol... it's in their best interest not to!

 

I hope this helps.

[michelle08]

That is very helpful info...it's just that the bar per hour per person is so expensive!!!

 

so is the idea that since most people will drink the most in the beginning then you have per hour so it doesn't wipe you out by paying by consumption...?

[AllureEventDesign]

Hi Michelle,

 

Yes, the per person/per hour option can be expensive but again, it all depends on your group (big drinkers or not) and the hotel's bar pricing too. To figure out if the open bar price per hour is a good deal for your group in particular, divide it by the average cost of the drinks included in your chosen bar option and you will get the number of drinks that would be served if the bar were on consumption... This is not an exact science but it certainly gives you a different perspective.

 

You can certainly do on consumption for the entire event but do take into consideration the type of event you are planning - is it a dinner only or full party?, the average age of the group, do you have any underage or pregnant guests, etc...

 

Something else worth noting - when choosing to do a bar on consumption for the entire length of the event, you are able to pick and choose the drinks that are served and don't necessarily have to go with the pre-set bar options offered by the hotel or restaurant.

 

Whichever your decision, make sure that it is an informed one. Explore all your options!

[uclamurray]

Thanks for the information. That's very helpful!

[uclamurray]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle08 what is your wedding date?? I am getting married there may 26th. We are doing on consumption. The per hour per person rates were outrageous!!!! our group drinks but not all of them enough to make it worth that price...so we are taking are chances w/ consumption and i think most of the other FA girls did the same...

We are there on May 3. We'll get the bar tenders warmed up for you!

[jak27]

Vari, that is great information for future brides, or anyone having a party! Thanks for contributing such great insight.

[AllureEventDesign]

My pleasure!!