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 Wedding Planning Guide 2015 – Article No. 3

Few events say ‘license to drink’ like weddings.  If you aren’t the sort of person whose friends and family love to tie one on, you might think that the alcohol is going to take a backseat to the food, entertainment, and décor, but unless your entire guest list will be abstaining, you’re going to have to serve liquor. For the average wedding, alcohol costs tally up to between 10 and 20 percent of the entire wedding budget.

The irony is that you, the bride and groom, might end up being the most sober ones at your wedding. While a sip or two may quiet any nerves, the last thing you want to do is end up staggering around with a garter in your teeth or shoving cake into the wrong person’s mouth. Plan to keep your own alcohol consumption to a minimum so you can enjoy your day to the fullest – now, and when you watch the video later.

The same pressures do not apply to your guests, who are limited only by their driving arrangements and personal tastes. Most people will want to take advantage of the special day by indulging in some good food and wine! Here is what you need to consider when planning the alcohol at your wedding:

Bottles and Cans

You know you want to serve beer, wine, hard liquor and champagne, but how much should you stock? The first thing you need to know is how much each bottle (750 ml) contains, in terms of servings.

• 1 bottle of wine = 5 glasses
• 1 bottle of champagne = 8 glasses
• 1 bottle of liquor = 18 mixed drinks

There is still some math involved. If you are having bottles of wine at the table during dinner, and you assume each guest will drink two glasses during their meal, you can get by with 3 bottles of wine per table of 8 guests. As a rule, match 2 out of the 3 bottles to the main course. If your main course is prime rib, put 2 bottles of red and 1 of white at each table; if your main course is Dover Sole, put two bottles of white and one of red.

Open Bar

Whether or not you put wine out, you should know what most people like to drink at weddings, and stock accordingly. An open bar at the reception should be able to mix any drinks that the guests request, but popular mixed drinks traditionally include daiquiris, mojitos, martinis and margaritas, so by all means jump onto this theme and have the bartender create a signature mixed drink along these lines (if you create it, they will come).

– Estimate roughly one drink per person for each hour that you plan on serving drinks at the reception. If you expect your wedding reception to last for four hours and you have invited 100 guests, estimate a total of 400 drinks.

– Use standard per-drink consumption measures to determine the amount of alcohol you will need for your reception: 1 to 2 ounces of alcohol for each cocktail, 4 ounces for each glass of wine and 8 to 12 ounces for each beer, depending on the size of the glass, bottle or can.

– Calculate spirits based on 1.5 oz. per drink to ensure a sufficient supply. Although a standard cocktail contains 1 oz. of alcohol, spillage and incorrect measurements may happen unless you have professionals tending bar. Since a standard 750 ml bottle will make 18 cocktails.

– Calculate beer needs based on whether you want to serve beer on tap or in bottles or cans. For a total of 200 servings of beer, purchase a half keg for beer on tap or 33 cases of 12-pack bottles or cans.

– If your guests are predominantly young men, expect a higher beer consumption. A predominantly female audience may consume more wine and wine coolers.

Champagne Toasts

You might have wait staff circulating with trays of champagne at set intervals, or you might confine it to toasting the bride and groom – it’s really up to you –Calculate champagne based on six glasses per bottle. For 100 flutes of champagne, purchase 17 750 ml bottles. Just know that the average drinker will drink 5 drinks in total throughout the course of the event. That’s about 1 drink per hour, for the average person. Other things to keep in mind:

-Cater your drinks menu to your guest list: If a lot of elderly family members will be in attendance, a nice punch might be a better drink choice to circulate at the reception than shots of Jager.

-Cater your drinks menu to your wedding theme: If you’re having a black-tie wedding, make sure to stock top-shelf booze; if you are having a beach wedding, make sure to have plenty of pina colada mix.

-Cater your drinks menu to the time of day: Luncheon and even morning wedding receptions are becoming more popular, and they are easier on the budget. You can definitely amp up the mimosas and ramp down the hard liquor if you’re having a daytime event.

Previous Article in this Series – How to Define Your Wedding Vision ?

Next Article in This Series – How Dates and Times Impact Wedding Costs (Stay Tuned)

For More ideas & inspirations – www.gpsdecors.com

Wedding Planning Guide 2015 – Article No. 9

The average cost of a wedding in North America is around $27,000; it’s the biggest party most people have ever thrown, and the price tag is certainly not for the faint of heart. In fact, one in five couples will spend more than $30,000, and one in 8 will spring for a wedding that costs more than $40,000 – not including the honeymoon. If you are thinking “That’s more than the down payment on my house!” you’re probably right. Why is it that, with the economy forcing people to tighten their belts, wedding spending rages on unabated?

The answer is that marriage is (traditionally supposed to be) for life; you get one chance at your wedding, and you want it to be memorable for all the right reasons. In addition, unlike other types of parties like milestone birthdays that have the potential to go big, there are certain customs that go along with weddings that naturally add to the costs (like the pricey gold rings). And there are certain expectations regarding style and luxury as well. Here is what today’s couples are spending all that money on:

Guests: the average number is 141, with average spending on each guest running close to $200

• Reception: the venue alone costs an average $12,000
• Catering: food and drink rings in at $8600
• Engagement ring: diamonds are forever, the $5,300 average price tag stings right now
• Reception band: entertainment has a high price at over $3,000
• Photographer: budget more than $2K to keep your memories preserved, with another $1500 for the videographer
• Flowers: expect to drop another $2K on flora
• Wedding gown: the $1,000 average price tag is surprisingly modest for a dress that many brides keep forever, when you consider it would only buy two wedding cakes at the average $500 price
• Locale: Want to get married in Manhattan like Mr. Big? Expect to pay over $70,000 for the privilege. That’s what average weddings cost in New York City.

How to Afford the High Cost of Tying the Knot

Yes, weddings are unique, incredible, day-long parties that join a couple forever. But the wedding industry thrives in part because they know that you, the soon-to-be-weds, are at their mercy. As soon as you put the word ‘wedding’ in front of anything – dress, cake, makeup, you name it – you are automatically paying a huge premium for an item that would cost far less if it were for something else.

So how can you keep your wedding affordable? Here are some expert tips:

-Book in the off-season. Just like vacations, weddings have an off-season: it’s October to May. Wedding costs are cheaper all around in these months.

-Think outside the box. Booking on a Sunday, or having a morning wedding harbour cruise, or getting a florist friend to handle the flowers in lieu of a gift, are all creative ways to save.

-Crowd funding: it really works. If you think crowd funding your wedding is tacky, consider holding a themed wedding shower where you ask for gifts to finance your honeymoon. Since the vast majority of couples live together before marriage, do you really need to register for a better toaster? No. An outdoor party with a “Help send the Smiths to Mexico” theme, complete with risqué piñatas, Mexican food and sombreros, will be fun for all your friends, and will actually end up paying for your trip.

For more ideas & Inspiration – www.gpsdecors.com

Previous Article in this Series – Destination Weddings

Next Article in this Series – Your Guide to Wedding Costs  (Stay Tuned)

Happy Holidays from everyone at G.P.S. décors

www.gpsdecors.com