Open Bar
September 30th, 2006 @ 12:18 pm by Mrs. Apple
My FI and I have decided to have an open bar (only beer & wine), and we’re going with Chateau Ste Michelle for our wine selection. We decided against including liquor in the open bar because most of our guests don’t drink hard liquor or mixed drinks. Ninety nine percent of his family doesn’t drink and about 99% of my family does drink - wine.
It was a little hard to accept that our venue/caterer does not give us the option of bringing in our own liquor. My family has been in the liquor/beer/wine business for over 20 years, and we know exactly how much there margins are. We could be spending half on the price of wine if we brought it in ourselves. I cringe everytime I look at our wine budget.
So we’re working around their price sheet and we’ve budgeted for Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot as the house wine for the night. Some of our guests are high dollar / top counter wine connoisseurs, so we will also be offering an extra case of premium wine for them just in case they’re not satisfied with our house wine. They’re called our “VIP” guests’ list for our bartender to check from.
We’re also skipping on champagne since I think it’s a waste of money for us. What will we toast with? Well we will be toasting to a long, successful & happy marriage while sipping on Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot wine. I don’t think it’s neccessary since most people don’t finish the whole champagne bottle anyways. If you were to calculate 20 tables each with one bottle of champagne, that could run over $500. We’d rather spend the money on the extra bottles of wine that will actually be used.
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10 Responses to “Open Bar”
how is your bartender going to differentiate from the VIP guests? arent you worried that once your other guests get wind of it, they’ll be offended?
Well we were planning to give our bartender either names or table numbers of the guests who we think would like to drink the select wines. Most of our guests are close family and friends so I don’t think (hope) they won’t get offended if they’re not on the list. It’s really just an option for our guests who drink more frequently.
although i’m not a huge oenophile, i would be very offended if i found out that my tablemate or someone next to me at the bar was getting an “upgrade” on wine. i think your logic makes sense, but i definitely think you are running the risk of making people feel “less than.” people will definitely realize what’s going on and may be offended despite your best hopes.
our venue doesn’t allow outside liquor. we’re facing the same predicament as well. :o(
I also would recommend not having a VIP list. What if you had both types of wine and then when someone asked for wine the bartender says, “Is the house wine okay?” If the person says no then they’ll be offered the other option. Most people who don’t really care will just say sure to the house wine.
Personally, champagne is my favorite thing to drink at a wedding but I’d be fine if the couple didn’t offer it.
I definitely understand your point of view when you say that some people will get insulted or offended by not given the option for the other choice wine. Honestly, I haven’t even discussed it with them to see if they would like the extra choices, I thought it would just be a nice addition. After reading everyone’s comments, I guess it does seem a little insensitive. I might just eliminate the whole idea of it. We will definitely think about it…
thanks for your comments. -)
I’d take wine over champagne anyday.
I love CsM! Good choice!
hey girl…that really sucks that you can’t use your own alcohol. but it’s okay, as long as there’s some sort of alcohol it’s all good! you know me and your MOH be buzzing either way. your bud…kat
Mrs. Apple, Dallas
Age and Occupation in '07: 28, Entrepreneur
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Police Officer
Engagement Date: Easter Day 2006
Wedding Date: May 27, 2007
Blogging Since: September 28, 2006
Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant & Gardens
About Me: I'm in the midst of trying to plan a "perfectly beautiful" wedding and decorating my new home. It's been exhausting but totally worth every minute of it. Ironically, I was never the type of person to want to get married but now that I'm engaged, I get giddy over anything that is wedding related! I'll try my best to give you all unique and practical ideas.
Too bad you can’t bring it in!! I live miles away from Chateau St. Michelle and it’s SO much cheaper to get around here.
See…Seattle’s great…