DC Wedding Planning - Do we need a bar to have a great DC Wedding Reception?

When it comes to planning their DC Wedding Reception, couples have a lot of questions. Most have no wedding planning experience so that is completely understandable.

As an award-winning Washington DC Wedding DJ, our passion is helping couples have the best experience possible and to be an asset in all facets of wedding planning. 

This article is one in a series of articles intended to help not only the wedding couples we serve to plan the DC Wedding Reception of their dreams and that their guests will rave about for years to come.

When it comes to weddings, alcohol is one of those things that has become an unspoken requirement. I mean, how can you possibly celebrate your love without booze?!

The truth is, alcohol at your wedding is totally optional and having an open bar is nice, but it is certainly not a requirement for your wedding to be legendary. After taking a careful look at your wedding budget here are a few pointers to consider before making your decision.

Set a drink budget cap.

Talk with your Washington DC wedding venue manager or bartender ahead of time to see if it is possible to set a budget cap on drinks for the evening. Calculate what it would cost for each guest to have one drink for every hour of the reception, and then set the cap accordingly.

There will certainly be guests that have more than their allotted number of drinks, but there will also be guests that don’t drink at all or only have a single drink for toasts. The drinking cap is likely to go into effect later in the evening and will hopefully keep some guests from getting sloppy drunk.

Only offer drink refills at the bar.

It may seem like offering drink service at the guest tables is the polite and proper thing to do. Unfortunately, it’s a huge factor in increasing your total alcohol bill. If someone is coming around with a bottle of wine and asking if your guests want a glass or a refill, most guests will say “Yes,” even if they aren’t planning to drink more.

Ask your wait staff to suspend all table alcohol service and only offer refills to guests who come up to the bar. A guest who must make the effort of walking to the bar and possibly waiting in line is going to have to rethink whether they want that next drink.

You can avoid surprises post-wedding and purchase a bar package instead of opting for a consumption bar. Not all venues will offer this, but be sure to ask, as it can end up saving you quite a bit in the long run.

Stick to beer and wine

It is no secret that hard liquor drinks are much more expensive than beer or wine.

If you have a full bar of options at your disposal, it can be hard to control who is ordering top-shelf liquors versus bottom shelf ones. By sticking only to beer and wine beverage options, your guests won’t get drunk as quickly and you can save some serious cash in the process.

Set expectations with your guests ahead of time.

If you do decide to go with a cash bar, just be sure to alert your guests to this ahead of time, either on the invitations or on your wedding website. If guests are unsure whether there’s an open bar, or are expecting an open bar, they might not budget for the extra cost or bring enough cash with them.

Make sure the communication is clear either way so guests can prepare!  Whether or not you have a cash bar or an open bar, it’s always a good idea to remind your guests to tip the bartenders.

Conclusion

As a DC Disc Jockey with hundreds of weddings and corporate party experience. I would certainly make having some form of open bar at my DC Wedding Reception a priority. That said, that certainly does not mean that it cannot be done with some cost controls built-in. After all, your guests are going to want to be entertained as well!

Do you have any tips to share on how you are maximizing your DC Wedding Reception budget?