I have planned over 300 weddings during my career. There are so many ways to save on a weddings that most people just don’t know about. Because a wedding is a once in a lifetime event, most families have very few ideas for being frugal. It’s easy to figure out how to cut costs at the grocery store from week to week because you have plenty of practice, but not with a wedding. Lets talk alcohol.
With the exception of only 2 weddings, it would ALWAYS have been more cost effective for the client to request the “run tab” option instead of the open bar. If you just do the math, its easy to figure out. If you already have an open bar planned consider just offering beer and wine on the open bar and asking to run a tab on the mixed drinks. If you’d like wine at the tables during the meal, ask about purchasing wine by the bottle and having a server offer wine from table to table. This will eliminate waste for any “non drinkers” on the guest list.
Another option that will cut costs on alcohol is having a morning or day event. Guests are less likely to drink as much alcohol during the morning or afternoon as they are at night. Brides that had morning or afternoon events also noted that they were less tired for the event and excited that they had that evening to leave for a honey moon or party on the town with friends. Following these tips on alcohol can shave a couple thousand off the bottom line on your reception bill. Check back for more tips on frugal wedding planning in the future.
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