Full Bar or Wine & Beer Only – How to Decide

One of the many ways to help you save money on your wedding is to serve beer and wine only, rather than having a full bar with liquor. Although this seems a strange thing to do in a city like New Orleans, there are several benefits to ditching the spirits.

Cost
It is much cheaper to serve beer and wine. Costs can range from $25 per person up to $100 per person for your bar. The fewer options you have the less expensive it will be. Make sure to check with your venue on any corkage fees. Even if they agree to just beer and wine, they may charge you for the wine corkage and it could potentially end up just as expensive.

Issues
Some people cannot handle free liquor and have a tendency to over do it. If you would rather your guests keep it simple, and potentially avoid drunken problems, then ditch the liquor.

Minors
If you have a lot of teenagers at your wedding you may want to avoid hard liquor. Although sneaking beer and wine can be just as bad, you definitely don’t want your 15 year old cousin sneaking shots of tequila.

Know your crowd
If you don’t have a wedding list full of heavy drinkers, you are better off spending that money on another aspect of your wedding. The flip side is if you DO have a list of heavy drinkers, you may want to ditch the spirits just so you don’t go broke serving them drinks.

Ultimately the choice on whether to have a full bar versus beer and wine is up to each couple. Budget, number of guests, and drinking habits will always be a determining factor.

Happy Planning!

*Photo Credit: Eau Claire Photographics