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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

eek I caused a 150 corkage fee last night wwyd

362 replies

alittlethyme · 18/01/2015 10:16

Was at a wedding last night. Each of the tables we're named after a spirit and they had a bottle of whatever on the table. I was a bit tipsy and didn't know many people, so cracked open some whisky without noticing that it had a label on the other side saying drinking this would be a 150 fee. I only had a few mm and screwed the lid back on tightly after I realise d the fee.

One aibu to think 150 a bottle is a stupid amount?

Two should I go back to the hotel today sober to try and get a reduction in the fee as was barely touched?

Three should I pay whatever the charge is?

OP posts:
BoomBoomsCousin · 18/01/2015 17:28

If you're refering to me at all Gnome, then you are wrong. I love neat whisky (won't drink Grouse though).

iklboo · 18/01/2015 17:32

I've been to a wedding where there was a punch up. Free bar all day. Some twats guests took massive advantage & got horrendously drunk, started making trouble, called the bride awful names to her new BILs face. He did not take kindly to their opinion & exercised his displeasure with fists. Then it all went off Wild West bar room brawl style. We best a very hasty retreat outside for a cab home.

Mammanat222 · 18/01/2015 17:37

Has the OP not been back to update?

Personally I'd have pleaded ignorance, checked out without saying anything and left it with the hotel / bride & groom.

EveDallasRetd · 18/01/2015 17:40

We had 3 people fall asleep on the stairs at our wedding - one in only his pants. To be fair though, they were all soldiers just returned from Iraq and had forgotten that 6 months without any booze would impact on their tolerance levels. Wouldn't be so bad if it was at midnight - but this was at about 6pm...

No punch ups though.

NorbertDentressangle · 18/01/2015 19:11

alittlethyme - please come back, I'm intrigued as how these bottles were used as a decoration. Was it just a bottle stuck in the middle of a table? Or was it all decorated or stuck in the middle of a bunch of flowers or something?

LoisDrankMyTableDecoration · 18/01/2015 19:23

Please come back op!

Henbur1702 · 18/01/2015 19:33

It's pretty standard and the fee isn't that inflated if you work out how many shots of whiskey are in the bottle and how much they'd have sold them for. W had this agreement at our wedding, as favours we had a bespoke ale brewed at the place I work, the venue agreed that they could be put out on the tables but not drunk, a few were but because they were favours they were left on the tables for us to collect the following morning. I think the staff are briefed to leave table decorations etc. so I'm assuming that it wasn't really noticed because they weren't scrutinising. If you only took a few mm, it's unlikely theyd Notice. I bet they just left them it for collection the following day with all the other belongings.

iklboo · 18/01/2015 19:36

I probably wouldn't have thought 'Oooh, free whisky' & poured myself a slug first. Especially before the dinner. I might have thought it was to be used for the toasts at the end if the speeches. Usually even the wine on the table is served by the waiting staff.

sleepyhead · 18/01/2015 19:47

The hotel didn't notice otherwise they'd have left the open bottle at your table.

You can get away with clearing away a glass with a cm of wine in the bottom by mistake, but a full bottle of whisky that you're charging £150 corkage on? No way.

If they wanted to levy the £150 that bottle would have been back in front of you with glasses for the table quick smart.

DoJo · 18/01/2015 20:27

limitedperiodonly

I was placed at a table at the back of the room at BIL and SIL's wedding on my own with people I had nothing in common with when DH was best man to his brother on the top table at their wedding.

I would take it as a compliment - they knew that you would act as the glue holding the odd group together and keeping them all entertained with your tales of eating orange peel and drinking gin. I honestly did this with a friend who wasn't really in a 'group' but I knew would get on well with whoever they were sat with. It was a decision made with only good things in mind, so perhaps that was their reasoning. Smile

limitedperiodonly · 18/01/2015 20:40

DoJoI'm going to go with your explanation Grin

ScotsWhaHae · 18/01/2015 20:40

I've been at a party where the hosts bil consumed half a bowl of pot puori. He was stinking!

Original poster
alittlethyme · 18/01/2015 20:50

I really love hate this site at times. So being tipsy at a wedding makes me a raging entitled acholic that is probably going to start a fist fight and is an awful guest.

For the record I drink rarely so the one glass of champagne got me tipsy and I was staying at my DM that weekend to save money and that was awful so after being outside for ages and all the waiting around shock horror I had some whisky as it took ages before the food started to as I was at the back. Everyone on my table told me as soon as I started drinking it. When they went to collect the unopened bottles I think they avoided our table so i got up and gave it to the waitress.

The bottle was just plonked in the middle of the table next to the flowers in a vase with floating candles as the top. The tag label was not facing me so didn't see it.

It was a money as gifts wedding, im quite good friends with them but I wasn't one of the 6 friends chosen to bridesmaids, so was planning on giving 20, but left the cheque blank so I could ask other people as didn't want to be seen to be tight. So while tipsy and after the whisky I ended up giving 50.

OP posts:
limitedperiodonly · 18/01/2015 20:55

OP - forget the gits on here and keep quiet about the whisky Wink

ZorbaTheHoarder · 18/01/2015 21:00

Just be glad you weren't seated at the Finger of Fudge table!

Lweji · 18/01/2015 21:02

When they went to collect the unopened bottles I think they avoided our table so i got up and gave it to the waitress.

Ah, so they know you drank from it. Grin

But don't worry about it. And don't pay if anyone asks for it.

bedraggledmumoftwo · 18/01/2015 21:04

Do you think the waiting staff were avoiding your table as they had seen you open it?

Ohmygrood · 18/01/2015 21:05

I would have done exactly what you did OP, and then felt bad about it the next day - like you did!

BoredChurch · 18/01/2015 21:06

What are you going to do?

I'd be worried if I didn't say anything if someone on the table ended up dobbing you in to the bride and groom. If the other people on the table knew what you did and the B&G worked out that the grouse table was responsible then it could get awkward.

Depends if it would bother you or not.

Lweji · 18/01/2015 21:09

I wonder if the bride and groom didn't actually know about the charges and told the staff to take the bottles out.
Either way, neither they nor you should pay for it if it wasn't clear there was a charge.

expatinscotland · 18/01/2015 21:11

OMG, lolli, that centrepiece is awful.

Seriously, OP, don't pay up. I had a feeling it was a 'give us money' wedding, too.

Zucker · 18/01/2015 21:12

Sounds like a stupid idea at a wedding fgs. Who puts drink on a table that's not to be consumed!!

bedraggledmumoftwo · 18/01/2015 21:13

Just a thought- maybe they had intended to leave the bottles there throughout, because surely noone would be buying drinks from the bar until later anyway, but then after the grouse was opened they sent staff to collect the other bottles quick before they opened too!

expatinscotland · 18/01/2015 21:13

I don't drink spirits so would not have opened it, but had it been a nice bottle of wine I might have tucked in.

quietbatperson · 18/01/2015 21:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.