<p>It’s even a little more complicated because I will be having children at the reception and I also have a notable constituency of people in my life who don’t drink. So I also plan on providing some soda/punch/lemonade/water for those individuals.</p>
<p>Our local Costco allows you to return unopened bottles of wine.</p>
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<p>One thing to consider is to have a dry wedding. </p>
<p>Some family/friends’ weddings did that for religious and/or financial reasons. Several aunts and friends have remarked that providing alcohol can jack up the overall wedding expenses quickly. </p>
<p>As for what’s alcohol is provided, the weddings I’ve been to where alcohol was provided tended to lean heavily towards various types of red and white wines.</p>
<p>Wonder what wine/alcoholic beverage goes well with bbq/pulled pork meats?</p>
<p>cobrat - Sadly that would not fly in my family. I’ve had relatives go so far as to suggest that they would not attend a wedding if they found out it was dry. I understand that people like to relax and have a good time but I also have relatives and friends who can touch on the dramatic side and will get wasted or play up drunk-ness to get attention. At my brother’s wedding, my aunt, a professional in her 30s, grabbed my fiance’s butt and shook it. She was mad because she didn’t like my brother’s wife.</p>
<p>Julie, have you discussed the food details with the individual at the museum who schedules these events? I would be amazed if they allow people to bring food in if there is no available refrigeration, especially in the summer months. I’m sure the local Board of Health would not approve. Another question to ask, if you haven’t already, is whether or not a permit is required in order to serve alcohol. In most places, it is, and you need to know if the venue has one or if you need to get it yourself.</p>
<p>The caterer should be able to estimate the amount of beer and wine needed for your number of guests.</p>
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<p>Definitely no hard liquor(vodka, gin, whisky, etc). </p>
<p>Limit wine/beer supplies and maybe have some responsible trusted family members/friends of your/groom’s family serve as “chaperones” for those relatives who go too wild once they’ve had too much to drink. I served as one for a few weddings for older cousins and couple of friends and know how such relatives/guests can be a handful. :(</p>
<p>One thing I learned very early on when hosting a party is to have plenty of good food, drinks and music. Food doesn’t need to be expensive to be good. Guests won’t remember your dress or decor, but they will talk about it if they don’t have enough food or drinks. Once they are full and had few drinks then they’ll have fun dancing, next day they’ll say it was the best wedding ever. People are not going to get too drunk with beer and wine.</p>
<p>Julie - if I haven’t said so, congratulations. I am sure it is going to be a fun wedding.</p>
<p>alwaysamom - You probably have a point there. To be honest I didn’t get a good luck at the staging area but I figured the refrigeration would be scant. They do weddings regularly though so you might be right.</p>
<p>oldfort - Thanks!</p>
<p>You can estimate alcohol consumption on one of the party planning sites like this one. [Drink</a> Calculator from Evite](<a href=“Drink Calculator | Evite”>Drink Calculator | Evite) When you input the number of guests only use the number of adults who will imbibe.</p>
<p>I agree that you should check the food and alcohol rules at the museum. Some venues are very strict with what they will or will not allow. My S’s wedding was at a large hotel and a local town ordinance required that a police officer($300) be present for any events with 75 people or more where alcohol is served. We came in at 73 guests.
Some venues will only allow alcohol to be served by a licensed bartender.</p>
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<p>Unless they imbibe several servings worth or have a low tolerance for alcohol like a younger friend* who was so tipsy after 1/2 a small bottle of sake that I and another friend had to haul him out of the Japanese restaurant together to get him back to the hotel. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that the other friend had 2 full bottles while I finished the friend’s half-bottle along with the 1 bottle I had so it wouldn’t go to waste. :(</p>
<ul>
<li>We were all over 24 at the time.</li>
</ul>
<p>We made sure we used a caterer with a liquor license so we didn’t have to get one. The law is probably different in different areas. Since we did that, they provided the beer and wine (we selected the type) and we were only charged for what was opened. Make sure your caterer has a good reputation.</p>
<p>my-3-sons, I “know” how much beer and wine etc. I buy when we throw a large party and I used that calculator, clicked average, the number of guests and it was pretty much what I would purchase. We’ve never run out and we’ve never had an excessive amount at the end of the soiree. What is easier is we “know” who drinks alcohol (as opposed to wine and beer) so don’t need a full liquor set-up.</p>
<p>Regarding nonmembers using (and I mean “using”) churches for their weddings:</p>
<p>I have had many requests by brides to use our beautiful, turn of the 20th century sanctuary for their weddings. And the majority of them then ask if I can conduct a nonreligious service. No, this is a church and I am a pastor. If you want secular, then go to a secular location. I am perfectly willing to conduct nonChristian weddings in back yards, parks, etc. and probably do it cheaper than a judge. But it galls me when people who do not believe in God want a church wedding.</p>
<p>S1 and DIL’s venue would require a bartender for liquor, but does not require one for wine at the table with dinner. (We checked – our county is notorious for nanny-type laws.) One quote we got for servers included two bartenders @ $40-50/hr., for nine hours each, for pouring wine at dinner. Not happening. </p>
<p>Not many people at the wedding drink anyway, so they are happy to pull the plug on that if necessary. As it stands, they’ll have wine at the tables for dinner.</p>
<p>My understanding regarding serving the liquor is that I have to have a bartender and I also believe I have to apply for some sort of temporary license. Unfortunately the caterer does not serve alcohol off site so I will have to find a bartender.</p>
<p>We did whisky sour (rather weak as my sister in law, unbeknownst to us, was secretly drinking the whisky and managed to drink more than half the 1.5 liter bottle in the 24 hours between her arrival and my pulling the bottle out of the bag to make the punch and cursing heartily - words that rhymed with duck that I honestly never use - on a Sunday and no liquor purchases where we were) and an Amaretto sour punch, plus champagne and a sweeter bubbly white (bride does not like champagne) for the toasts. It was on private property so no liquor license required as far as we know. We were rather bemused by the wedding planner/photographer and her spouse’s frequent return visits to the punch especially as they were driving. (several of the guests commented on it). </p>
<p>So many fun stories to tell from that wedding. Wouldn’t life be boring if everything was perfect.</p>
<p>Traditional invitation wording for a couple hosting their own wedding:</p>
<p>[Samples</a> of Formal Wedding Invitations](<a href=“http://www.emilypost.com/weddings/wedding-invitations-and-announcements/337-formal-wedding-invitation-variations-and-samples]Samples”>http://www.emilypost.com/weddings/wedding-invitations-and-announcements/337-formal-wedding-invitation-variations-and-samples)</p>
<p>Miss [Ms.] Andrea Jane Brigante
and
Mr. Robert Holden White
request the honour of your presence ( or " request the pleasure of your company" depending on venue)
at their marriage
Saturday, the tenth of July
two thousand eleven
etc.</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>The honour of your presence (or “The pleasure of your company”)
is requested
at the marriage of
Miss [Ms.] Andrea Jane Brigante
to
Mr. Robert Holden White
Saturday, the tenth of July
two thousand eleven</p>
<p>Hosting honors are not necessarily defined or limited to those who pay, although it’s often the choice of an older or established couple already living together.</p>
<p>When DH and I got married, we served champagne. Lots and lots of champagne, instead of the “traditional” single toasting round. 100 people drank 35 bottles of champagne. But… our wedding was January 7th, and we’d gotten it on sale after New Year’s for $10/bottle… (It was Korbel, and a bottle of Korbel is around $12 this week on their website: <a href=“http://store.korbel.com/case-korbel-brut---made-with-organic-grapes-12-x-750ml-p167.aspx[/url]”>Store Home - Korbel) It was significantly cheaper than any other booze we could have served, and people loved it.</p>
<p>And champagne goes with everything.</p>
<p>My wedding invitations read - Mr and Mrs (my parents) request the honour of the presence of … And then the calligrapher filled in the line with the name of the invited person It’s a super formal way, but cool that it was personalized.</p>
<p>Talking about wine/beer/other drinks…if you use a caterer / bartender make sure you talk about their policy of “clearing glasses”. At one wedding we attended many guests commented that as soon as they got up to dance/visit/use the restroom/ a nearly full glass was whisked away by the attentive staff. Result: guest returned to bar for another goblet of champagne or whatever. Bride’s father paid another $.</p>