I got sticker shock when we got our venue bill today. The alcohol tab was significantly more than we had estimated. I admit I left out the 30% service/tax in our original total estimate so it was always going to be higher.
When do you choose open bar vs. bar on consumption?
Here is what we did:
- we worked out the math on open bar (remember this is per person including grandma!)
- we worked on a drink estimate per person
We decided to do the bar on consumption because we thought that this would still work out well given the makeup of our guests. Our guests ended up having about 794 drinks according to the bill. We estimated about 300ish. But, this price still ended up being about the open bar package we would have chosen. I’m also still not sure if this is correct as well so we’ll see.
But lesson is, be warned that alcohol may still end up costing more than you imagine. Sigh from a non-drinker.
Additional tips when considering bar on consumption (based on newfound experience):
- Waiters may pick up half empty drinks
- Bottles that may not be entirely consumed may still count as a full bottle
- Guests themselves may get more drinks than usual just to try different ones
So the reception wasn’t as low budget as we originally thought. But it was still pretty low for NYC and we had a rocking party.
An opinion: the problem with consumption bar tabs is that the waiters will pick up half-empty drinks, forcing people to go back to the well. Also, I think opened bottles of wine count towards a full bottle cost. All places do it differently and I think it blows.
We just went through our guest list this past weekend and added a column for the number of drinks we think our guests will drink, and so far it’s actually looking like it’s better to go with open bar. It was a good excersise and it really depends on what the venue charges per drink vs open bar. One place we looked at was charging $60 per person! needless to say we did not go with that venue.
thanks for sharing. we have opted for open bar, and i am also realizing the price of all of the alcohol.
Interesting post. I always wonder if it open bar was cheaper than bar on consumption. Can I ask what the ball park figure is on an open bar per person in NYC? I feel for you – must be har to pay so much on something you don’t enjoy! Glad to hear everyone else did though.:)