Quote:
Originally posted by SSS1365
Well nothing is concrete yet, it was just an idea. I personally would like to be able to have a drink or two at my reception, and I know my fiance would as well, so just having a champagne toast is out (not to mention I hate champagne and it makes me sick). I mean it would be EXTREMELY tacky if we were drinking but not allowing our guests to. I'd be open to suggestions though... but we want a full bar (probably no shots though) without worrying about people getting wasted. The manager of the restaurant already assured us that his bartenders WILL cut people off, so that will certainly help. I might think about the idea of just having beer and wine. Of course we will still have a champagne toast (where I will just take tiny sips and that will be that). One wedding I went to had open bar until a certain time, and then it was cash bar. What are your thoughts on that?
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Sorry - I missed this earlier!
If you hate champagne, fine - use Sprite for yourself and do a champagne toast for everyone else. Yes, it would be tacky for you two to meander up to the bar and ask for dry martini's while everyone else had beer or wine. But - you could ask the bartendar to keep a couple of "special" glasses for you two behind the bar -- then if you wanted to sip on something special, you could, but no one would really notice it.
Yes, the manager can reassure you all day that he and his staff will cut-off the ones who have had too much. But what happens when friends are going up and getting more to drink for those people? We all know that this happens (and more than some of us would like to admit, we have been guilty of receiving!)
As for the open/cash bar -- here are my thoughts. First, would you make an announcement "Its 10pm and the open bar is closing - last call"? Because then you would get people lined up out the door for the last few glasses/bottles, even if they weren't really interested (you know how that is - sometimes you might be somewhere and they are giving out "free" stuff, and even though you don't really want or need it, because its "free" you have this desire to take it) -- this means more $$ for your family, and more potential for the over-indulgers to have one last shot at it.
On the other hand, if you don't make an announcement, and a guest goes up to the bar to refresh his whiskey sour, and the bartender says "that'll be $6.50 please" then the guest will be like "huh?" After that word will get around that the bar is now cash, and you will have people that leave or become upset/angry. Then you get those people who will come track you down and bluntly ask if you can go talk to the bartender and get him another drink (yes, folks, I've seen it happen and it ain't pretty!) -- now granted, people who get mad about alcohol should get a life anyway. But once you've "fed" them a few, and then charge them, they are going to feel slighted. This could be a very big potential for a lot of resentment from your guests. I can understand how they feel though.
The only situation where I would find this to be a compromise is if it is held in a large facility - like a hotel ballroom - and that you close the bar at a certain hour (10pm say) -- for those who are still interested in drinking, however, there is a bar inside the hotel - all they have to do is leave the ballroom and go down the hall to find it. This type of setting is ideal if you are interested in setting a limit.
This is why beer and wine menus are becoming so much more common! And if you have beer served, I would suggest that it be POURED only (ie, no bottles/cans floating around). Even at the most formal of events, all it takes is one can of Bud to ruin it!
And finally, whatever you choose to serve, make sure your caterer, or those in charge of glassware bring the APPROPRIATE holders for the drinks - you don't want people drinking beer out of wine glasses, or wine out of hi-ball glasses, etc.