Drink Tickets Logistics

Okay I’m going to ignore the rest of this stuff and answer your questions about ticketed events:

re: tickets changing hands, this ONLY happens amongst close groups. One of my friends would give me a ticket, but they’re not going to give my random aunt a ticket. So, your non-drinking family’s tickets will be lost in their pockets, and your drinking friend group will all be out. Tickets WONT cross into separate guest/social circles. But if non drinking aunt comes with her 4 (adult) kids and only one of them is a drinker, that kid is going to end up with the whole family’s tickets. So your attempts to prevent a couple of people from getting wasted won’t work. Also the obnoxious drunk cousin might start badgering random people for tickets, which will be unpleasant for everyone.

i went to an EVENT (**nonwedding!!) recently that had drink tickets bc of the nature of the venue (massive beer hall with many separate large group events and only 2 bars), so their hosted packages are like X# drinks over Xhours. Our event was probably something like 400 drinks for their 2 hour party. The hosts have everyone 2 tix to start when they walked in to make sure everyone got drinks. One of my friends left early and this offered up his second ticket. We were hanging out longer so I grabbed it, but when I went to the bar FH wanted a drink too. So i paid cash for it. Shortly there after the host came around all “anyone need drink tickets, we still have lots!!!” so I felt like a real chump

Hosting a consumption bar is a WAY better way to deal with this situation. Any excuses I’ve seen not to do so look just like that— excuses. If you’re concerned about the costs getting out of hand, you can generally pre pay or authorize a certain amount and have them check in with you when you hit it (put down that $2400 that you calculated your drink expectation to be). What you absolutely can NOT reasonably expect is for all the people who wanted only one drink to seemlessly link up with all the people who want three drinks and everyone leaves happy. Ticket redistribution becomes a popularity contest and makes the poor people that don’t know anyone else to get leftover tix from feel bad and leave unhappy.

I've never been to a wedding like this but I think your plan sounds great if that's what you need to do! Weddings can be so stressful and expensive. Can they buy additional drinks after their tickets? I'm sorry if you already explained that. My reason for asking is that I don't normally bring cash to a wedding. If its a true "cash" and not credit bar, then I'd be worried people may not be prepared with cash to drink.

View Quoted Comment It's their big day or event so they are allowed to do whatever pleases and makes them happy let's agree to disagree and move on

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Very valid points. Thank you for sharing your experiences, your "event" is definitely something I would want to avoid and I also was concerned that since I'm seating people together, that the "party" people would not be with Aunt Agnes so that lets me know they probably won't be passed around as easily as some other posts had made it seem; maybe their venues were set up differently.

I'm rethinking the consumption bar now because since I've already done my estimates that if we do run out of my pre-paid amount, it shouldn't be until later in the evening where most people have likely gotten their fill or shouldn't have any more haha. Another person suggested open bar in the beginning which might be something to entertain in conjunction as well. Thanks!!

DH and I had an open bar at our wedding and no one was sloppy drunk. You should treat adults as such and anyone we thought couldn’t handle themselves was simply not invited. You have signed a contract with a venue you cannot afford and you don’t trust and you are making your guests face the consequences for your poor choice. My suggestion is to cut the guest list until you get to a number where you can afford to provide at least a limited open bar for the duration of your event. I have been to a wedding with drink tickets and I promise you it did not go well and the bride and groom were pretty embarrassed by the end of it.

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Yes, they can buy drinks after their tickets. And if we did go with tickets only, we would let them know ahead of time so they can prepare accordingly although I'm pretty sure the venue accepts cards as well. We're trying to estimate how to get everyone enough drinks, and get the handful of heavy drinkers almost as many drinks as they want. Thanks for reminding me to ask about that in my next meeting as well.

View Quoted Comment Stephen I am sorry but when you invite guests to a event such as this, it’s not about the bride and groom anymore. The ceremony is for the couple- the reception is to thank their guests.

View Quoted Comment So your guests are going to pay $4 for water all night?

If you are insistent on these tickets post about the idea on your wedding website so guests can be sure to pack some purse wine and flasks

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No. There is a table set up all night for self-serve lemonade, iced tea, coffee, and water. IF someone wanted water, the price $4 a bottle for whoever is paying (either us or them).

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We've already warned our heavier drinkers and they're pretty used to it. Even offered to buy them a bottle since it's cheaper than getting their drinks all night since they prefer whiskey on the rocks. Even if we decide with going with something other than tickets, we'll probably still advise them to do this. I'd rather they do this than get us a gift.

Its sucks that you don't trust your venue so much! Is there a deeper problem there? Its in the venues best interest not to screw you over by tacking on extra drinks, because you do have power there. If you're just assuming that venues will do this with out prior cause I would stop worrying about it so much.

Drink tickets is something I see done ALL THE TIME. And I work in events at a 5 star hotel. And yes, we do weddings.

It's not a logistical nightmare, I think you're idea of having them on peoples place cards makes a lot of sense. You could also have them at peoples place settings.

If you want them to have them for cocktail hour have them distributed as people walk in to the cocktail hour. And people will share if they don't drink but their date does, or cousin or whatever.

Your wording looks fine to me. And this is something I've also seen done, where there is table side wine service for dinner, and then a bar later.

I feel like this "tickets" setting is going to distract people from the actual wedding/reception. While you're performing your 1st dance some guests will be trying to hustle any tickets left post cocktail hour. People who like to drink will be paying for their own extra drinks and if they want to get drunk they will get drunk, open bar vs. cash bar has little effect on wether or not people get drunk. The logistics will not be perfect, and people will talk behind your back. I would prefer a bar that is open for a couple of hours.

View Quoted Comment I'd still post it somewhere public. I can see people being pretty confused that like 20 guests were warned about this and they weren't.

Also, don't be surprised if people leave early. I've always found cash/dry wedding tend to end right after dinner or shortly after the cake is cut.

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Thanks for restoring a little faith. It's not my specific venue, it would be anywhere I'd be thinking it.

And if we do go with the tickets only and no other combo of open bar or switch to consumption cap, thanks for the feedback on the tickets too. I've wondered what the "wine service with dinner" would look like.

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Yeah, I'll probably put it on the website since the older family members likely won't look at it anyhow and they'll be just fine with the 4 drinks. Sorry I left that out.

View Quoted Comment When you say but then a bottle what do you mean? A bottle after the wedding? Or at the venue?

I would like like to suggest consumption for cocktail hr (means you pay the tab - and consider making cocktail hr shorter too), no bar for dinner just wine service. Then consumption or tickets for dancing. Just giving another option to maybe avoid paying so much.

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They like whiskey, so it would be prior to the wedding to fill their flask with it. They're the type that always have liquor in the trunk of their car so they don't have to pay anywhere they go and can pregame on the drop of a dime.

After some of the feedback I'm thinking I'm going back to get the pricing again to maybe only do open bar for the first hour or two. When they gave the hourly pricing to me I was thinking of it in an all-or-nothing kind of way. Good call on shutting down bar during dinner.

Part of the issue was thinking in an all-or-nothing way with all methods and I really was concerned with consumption/open bar unless we did a cap, but then I was worried people would be disproportionately disappointed if they were "quick enough" to get their fill in case some abuse it. The tickets seemed like a better way to prepare, plus we like to gamble so we though the gambling chips were appropriate.

But as some people advised, if we communicate when the open bar will be it might be worth it and will make sure everyone is on time as well.

Thanks for the feedback.

I am not a money hungry troll but I been to a reception where there was a cash bar and that was good enough

View Quoted Comment Hmmm, so because she cannot afford an open bar but yet offers 4 drinks per guest, she must be deprived of the venue she really wants for her special day. I never knew people go to weddings with the intention to eat and drink like there's no tomorrow. Four drinks to me is enough. She doesn't need to move her venue because some guest wanna have 10 drinks.
Wow I'm in awe. I'm actually having an open bar with 200 people but I still understand her. Everybody is talking about guest guest guest, what about the bride, it's about her. Have 4 drinks and be merry, how hard is that.... wowww