How To Organize Every Type Of Bar
Alcohol is a big part of any reception planning, so if you’re struggling to organize this aspect of your wedding, here are a few ways to flesh out he logistics of a bar of every kind.
Open Bar
Well, with open bar, everything is quiet easy. You inform the venue about the time. They provide the alcohol, the bartender, and you pay either per head or you can ask the bartender to keep a tab. This is a more expensive option.
Limited Bar
A limited bar is a cheaper variant where you offer certain drinks for free and if some guests prefer different drinks they can go ahead and order some for cash from the same bar.
Since most people would rather not spend money at the wedding you’d be safe enough to provide beer and wine. Another great way to save on the bar (open or limited) is to buy your own alcohol and return any unopened bottles. Ask your venue if you can stock the bar yourself and be sure to buy from stores that will accept unopened bottles back.
Self-Serve Bar
You can stock your own bar and hire a licensed bartender to serve drinks. It’s a great idea for a house/backyard wedding, but doesn’t seem very prudent if you’re seeking to cut costs to the maximum. Instead think about self-serve beer and wine. You can rent dispensing systems or simply allow guests to pour their own drinks. Just be sure there is slightly less alcohol or not all of it is readily accessible as it might encourage heavy drinking. Of course, an advantage of having a bartender is that he or she can assess the guests’ drunkenness and prevent people from getting plainly wasted.
BRYOB
If you and your family aren’t big drinkers, champagne may be the only option you provide to guests. But if you feel like some people would still want to indulge you can allow them to bring in their own poison if they want to in the invitation.
Finally, you can serve alcohol only for special moments like toast, dinner, exit. You can also limit it to cocktail hour but ensure there is plenty of hors ‘d’oeuvre to keep guests on their feet.
If you don’t drink at all and do not want to serve alcohol, it is your right not to do so. Many modern weddings serve only sweets and cake, so you shouldn’t feel obliged to serve alcohol with that. If you want guests to have fun allow them to BRYOB or just throw a brunch wedding and no one will hold it against you for not serving alcohol.
