We recently had Sarah of Asare Event Planning here at the store for an informal session on how to help stay within your wedding budget. She shared a few stats with us about Phoenix area weddings:
- Average age getting married is 27-34 years old
- Average guest list is 100 people
- Average cost is $29,000
Talk turned to the age old debate about whether or not to have an open bar. There are so many options:
- Open bar, no limits
- Open bar, no top shelf, no shots, no martinis (mix and match your own limits!)
- Hosted bar to a certain limit (such as $2000, then you know you can stay within your budget) or use drink tickets
- Host beer, wine, and a custom cocktail or two
- Cash bar
There are probably even more variations on those. So how do you decide what to do, if you need to stay within a budget? Sarah said to think about who you are inviting to the wedding. For example, if you have party friends that might want to do shots or drink heavily, you may want to ask the bar not to pour shots. You say no martinis or top shelf liquor. If you have some family members that tend to overindulge, you can give drink tickets, such as two per person, and when those are gone, guests can pay for their own drinks. If your friends are mostly wine drinkers, then see if you can buy your own cases (did you know you can return unopened bottles at Costco?).
Feel free to share your budget bar tips!
