Money Monday: 3 Ways to Reduce Wedding Bar Costs

Pouring out a drink for all of our brides! If you’ve been to a bar on Saturday, when we actually could go to bars, then you know just how expensive one cocktail can be. Now multiply that price by how many guests you plan to invite to your wedding reception and you have a ballpark price for how much your wedding bar will cost you. Not to be the bearer of bad news … but, it’s pretty expensive. On average, couples spent $2,300 on alcohol for their weddings in 2019. While not all couples can offer an open bar, there are ways you can provide your guests with multiple options without the high prices. We’ve got three ways that you can significantly reduce the costs of alcohol at your wedding.

Go Local

When searching for alcohol vendors for your wedding, prioritize local vendors. A lot of the added costs that show up on your bill will be for transportation. If you use a local brand you could get rid of the transportation costs altogether or reduce them significantly. Going local will get you alcohol for a fraction of the cost and is a trendy way to stock your wedding bar.

Limit Your Bar

The easiest way to cut your alcohol costs is to limit your bar. Stick to beer, wine, and a signature cocktail. This offers an option for everyone but is still lowering your costs by eliminating the more expensive alcohol from your bar menu. If you want to provide the option for other choices and you have the budget, make it an open bar for these limited choices and a cash bar for other cocktails.

Photography by Jessie Wyman & Christina Anne

Buy Your Own Alcohol

Skip out on hiring vendors and buy your alcohol in bulk from a retailer like Bevmo or Costco. You’ll want to double-check with your venue and make sure they allow this, but you would be able to buy more alcohol for less. In some states you can return any unopened bottles to the retailer you purchased from, so check any policies before you purchase to see if you can get some money back post-wedding. If not, host a day-after brunch or after-party post-reception to get rid of any excess alcohol.