The Drinks

‘A glass of wine and I’ll be fine’

I have to say that the one thing I am most looking forward at my own wedding is that first glass of cool, bubbly prosecco.  The guests, unless they are T-Total, will probably join me in that. 

When I was looking for venues, I came up with this saying (I have no idea why I put it in German, it just came out that way!) Hunger, Pee pee, Durst!  I had come to the conclusion that if my guests are well fed, had nice loo’s to frequent and had drink then they would be content.  As we have already covered the food, here are my top tips for the booze:

1.    Bring your own!

Check with your venue if you are allowed to supply your own wine/booze.  Most venues will charge corkage-expect £10 per bottle for wine and £16 for prosecco and champagne.  This is expensive, as this is almost pure profit so it might be worth having a go negotiating this down.  If you are wine buffs and want to serve up some very nice wines/champagnes then this will probably work out cheaper for you.

2.    Break down the ‘drinks package’

Just because the venue have labelled up ‘drinks package’ don’t be fooled into thinking you are getting a fair price.  Break the package down so you can see what the price per glass is.  For example : £25 per person drinks package includes, 1 x sparkling wine on arrival,  2 x glasses of wine with the meal and 1 x sparkling wine to toast.  This works out an average £6.25 a glass.  Ask ‘what is the wine?’ from the wine menu and ‘what is the sparkling wine?’.  Then, what are they classing a glass standard 175ml or large 250ml? Sparkling wine, champagne is usually always 125ml.  Look at the advertised ‘menu’ price of these wines per glass and see if you are paying extra, if you are then you have your cue to negotiate.

3.    Buy by the bottle it may be cheaper!

Once you have done the above step it is a logical progression to see if buying the bottle is cheaper.  Rule of thumb is 750ml bottle of champagne will give you 6 glasses and 750ml wine will give you 4 glasses.  This is how I approached my venue and it has saved us £600 on alcohol costs from ‘the package’.  Not only did I ask the venue to charge me by the bottle (which was MUCH cheaper at £22 a bottle instead of £37.50) but I also asked for discount.  I managed to get even more money off.

4.    Don’t forget the kids, designated drivers or plain healthy T-Totals!

It is also a good idea to ask the venue to supply plenty of jugs of water, squash and orange juice. That way everyone can stay hydrated and guests don’t have to battle through a busy bar to just get a squash or glass of water.

5.    Be Creative!

Don’t let the standard drinks package stop you being creative! I love these Prosecco Pops! Really fun! But there are loads of other ideas out there that you can add your individual style to. Margaritas, Mojitos, the world is your cocktail bar!