Serving Alcohol At Your Reception

Yet another question that must be answered when planning a wedding is whether or not alcohol will be served at the reception. As with other elements of your wedding, the decision to serve alcohol is strictly yours, but serving alcohol will add expense to your bottom line, so you’ll need to budget accordingly.

In a location like a hotel, restaurant or hall, verify that the venue has a proper license to serve alcohol. In some cases, the venue may be able to secure a temporary license, if it does not normally serve alcohol, except in dry communities, where no alcohol is served.

Serving minors is always a no-no, if alcohol is served in a public place. Likewise, the hours during which minors may be present when alcohol is served may impact your reception. The laws regarding the service of alcohol to minors in a private home are different. If you plan to have a reception in a private home, check the law (and ask a minor’s parents first!) before serving alcohol to an underage person.

How much alcohol you should provide is always up for debate. Generally, an acceptable rule of thumb is one alcoholic drink per person per hour over the course of five hours. Multiply your adult guest count by 5 and that will produce the number of drinks you’ll need for the evening. This rule assumes one type of alcohol per drink. Martinis, for example, consist of gin and vermouth or vodka and vermouth, so some cocktails will alter your calculations a bit.

A “full bar” would contain beer (draught or bottled), wines (both whites and reds), Champagne, Vodka, Scotch, Bourbon, Whiskey, Rum, Vermouth (both dry and sweet), Rum and Tequila. Additionally, a full bar will have various mixers and juices, as well as a supply of non-alcoholic drinks and water for guests who don’t drink alcohol.

Consult with the venue about the amount of alcohol you should supply. If you plan to have your reception in a private home, consult a bottleshop for information on how much alcohol you should provide for your guests, the mixers and other supplies you’ll have on hand.

One advantage of having a reception in regulated premises is that the staff will keep track of guests who have had too much to drink. A responsible person may not serve alcohol to a visibly intoxicated guest and may ask a guest in that state to leave. If you plan to have alcohol at your reception, also make a plan for guests who are too intoxicated to drive themselves home. Drink driving is a serious offence, and an arrest or accident involving one or more of your guests would provide an unhappy ending to what should be a beautiful evening.

Keywords: Reception Venues, Weddingblog, Wedding

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