Do you expect to pay for our own drinks at he evening do of a wedding?

[WhistlingBetty]

I am getting married in six weeks and we need to let he venue know what we want to do about the bar.

We have 100 day guests and as well as canapes and a three course meal alcohol included is:

3 X glasses of champagne
Half a bottle of wine

We have an additional 30 guests for the evening and are doing a hot buffet. How much alcohol would you expect to be covered as an evening guest or a day guest going to the evening party? We can't afford a free bar.

Yes I'm a bit shocked by the triple whiskey story. Can only assume they didn't like the bride and groom

I would expect to pay for my own drinks but have some food provided. II would be pleased to be offered a drink

Oh god no way would I expect that. At very most wine on the table with dinner but I think that is generous. Weddings are expensive enough, don't worry yourself about it!

We're putting money behind the bar for wine, beer and soft drinks, and if the money runs out it will be a pay bar (but putting a fair bit behind so hopefully won't happen til late if it does) and guest can pay for spirits.

I wouldn't expect a free drink if I was in the UK . I have only attended weddings in Vietnam though and all food and drinks are included

Bottles on the table here usually, anything extra such as spirits are paid for but wine and juice provided.

I would expect to pay for all my own drinks.

A glass of fizzy wine or Buck's Fizz or orange on arrival is lovely. I'd expect to pay for anything beyond that. I wouldn't be upset if the arrival drink was missing though. It would just mean I could crack straight on tgs the G&T.

Drink on arrival, something fizzy to toast with and wine during the meal.

Possibly a drink on arrival for the evening guests (not definitely) and some kind of buffet to mop up the alcohol.

Free bar optional, dependent on how rich the bride and groom are.

Free soft drinks likely to be overlooked, but greatly appreciated... Not everyone is a massive drinker or even a drinker at all.

Congratulations OP. I would definitely expect a glass of fizz on arrival, if not a free bar for the first half hour or so. Remember evening guests have still likely gone to considerable expense to attend with travel, outfits, wedding gift etc. I think you should offer them at least one drink as a warm welcome. Evening receptions where you buy all your own drinks them get a few sausage rolls and canapes at midnight, when the day guests have enjoyed a 4 course dinner and champagne are a bit off!

Agree with a PP that expecting guests to pay for drinks is a very British thing. That's not a criticism by the way. DP is from Southern Europe and my family background is non-UK. Every single one of the family member's weddings we've attended included a free bar. Ditto for our friends from DP's home country and other parts of Europe. It is not deemed acceptable or polite to ask guests to pay for drinks. But the relationship with alcohol is completely different over there.

I always expect to pay for my own all night. Anything other than that is a bonus!
Your booze allocation sounds fine.
Enjoy your day and congratulations!

we put a bottle of white and a bottle of red on each table, then put enough behind the bar to cover 1 drink each. Anything over that the guests paid for.

I would expect to pay for my own drinks. I have only ever attended one wedding with a free bar and they had the wedding in a local church hall. All the money had clearly gone on entertainment for the guests and the bar.

I attended one wedding and the family is very wealthy. No free bar. One drink on arrival and one glass of naice champagne with the speeches.

I wouldn't expect any free drinks.

Going to a party in a few weeks and it's a free bar, must admit I was very surprised!

As a guest I wouldn't expect drinks to be paid for in the evening, only time that's happened at a wedding I've been to is the three I've been to abroad where they usually have all inclusive packages.

Day do it's normal to have a post wedding greeting drink, a toast drink and wine with the meal paid for. Everything after that I would assume to be paying for myself. Some people put a bit behind the bar for the first drink but not all night!

No, I wouldn't expect to pay. But as long as I knew in advance so I could get some cash, I'd be fine with it. A free bar is the norm in my social circle.

Hi Op, I have never been to a wedding that you paid for your drinks (not sure if it's because we are Irish

I'm Irish and I've never been to a wedding with a free bar. Would be a dangerous thing for most Irish guests!

I'd be surprised and grateful for any free drink/s I certainly wouldn't expect one!

Dont put on a free bar. Your guests will likely have bottles of wine pre bought at the offy hiding under the table anyway

I think I would expect at least one free drinks and most I've been to I think wine and beer were covered. But I'd been very happy to pay. Unless perhaps the couple were very wealthy.

I think that's fine.

We're having an open bar at our wedding, but only because DP is Australian and it seems more common there.

The big plush wedding everyone apart from ex H's parents, so basically my family, who ironically weren't as well off as ex H's family, were falling over themselves to contribute in some way. I think we planned on another reception drink at arrival as the wedding planner made us go to our room between the two events. Anyway two people were bickering who was going to put money behind the bar, in the end they both did.

Come to think of it we had a fair few guests but I know 1 of them put a grand behind the bar. At one point it ran out so they topped it up again. So if you're a guest I think it only polite, you make sure they're not ripping off the bride & groom.

I remember at this wedding there were some stragglers, I just said take what you want it's all paid for it going to bed. I wasn't a big drinker, it was the age of alcopop so I think I drunk one too many Reefs, as the next morning we had a communal breakfast, my family had never seen me hungover before. I had to keep going to the toilet for fresh air, I really did not want to see a massive fry up in front of me. So beware when relatives are plying you with drinks.

Second wedding more relaxed affair, DH's Grandad was a darling and put a big amount behind the bar, plus we got a super wedding present which wasn't expected.

If I went to a wedding I would go expecting to buy my own drinks, so anything extra is a bonus.

Hopefully you'll have a relative who won't see the guests dry so it's taken out of your hands.

That first wedding for our honeymoon we went up to the Isle of Skye, on the day after the wedding. It's just hit me I wonder if we were sober yet, but it was a time where you never really considered being drunk the day after. I was in bed at 11PM, I'm not a party animal and it took a lot out of me being the centre of attention. But we started drinking at 12:30ish whilst getting ready. Again not a big drinker but my parents had bought a bottle of champagne from the year I was born. Yes is was considered vintage I like champagne or sparkling wine with orange juice but not by itself. Everyone is hot for Prosecco, I didn't even know what it was till given a free bottle years back.

I wouldn't expect it as an evening guest, always would expect to pay for my drinks. At our wedding they extended our 'no corkage charge' by an hour so that our evening guests could have a glass of white, red or rose on arrival.

All the weddings I have been to in the evening don't have a free bar or any free drinks.
Would definitely expect to pay got my own,