Open Bar on a Budget

Do legs and make a simple signature drink ie: vodka crab or something cheap and easy.. also provide a cheap but good wine!

Oh man, I totally get the "no advice on the internet matches the law here". In Alberta we ALSO have to have receipts on location in case someone checks our license to make sure liqour is all bought through Alberta liqour and gaming. We also have to have it served by a proserve licensed bartender (no wine on tables etc). Luckily those licenses are cheap and easy to get, so we ended up hiring someone off Kijiji. On the other hand, we could get a license where we charge for drinks its just $25 instead of $10 (and there is prob other restrictions) so I guess that's lucky. We decided to go open bar though.

Mostly becuase of a desire to keep hard alcohol out of the hands of my relatives, we decided to do wine and beer only with a signiture cocktail. We enjoy craft beer so it was important to us to have decent beer. We are getting 2 kegs from one of our fav breweries and they are lending us a kegerator. For wine we have tasted a few Alberta fruit wines, but it is so expensive and wine tastes terrible anyway. That being said becuase they are local producers, they were offering sweet deals. Like we actually might get a couple cases becuase it is so good and the lady we talked to who owns the place was so willing to help. We will likely just go with a red and a white from Costco for the bulk of it tho. We are getting the Jameson for our cocktail from superstore. And for pop I am keeping an eye on sales. Usually a couple times a summer someone has $1 2L and when they do I am going to stock up.

Please note I havent had my wedding yet, so, we'll see how it goes.

I don't know if this helps where you are located, but we have been driving over the border and stockpiling liquor from the states. We've also asked friends and family who go across for over 24hrs to grab us a bottle from the duty free. So far it's worked out cheaper than in Vancouver where we are, even with our crappy dollar.


One of my friends struggled with this as well, and decided to do a "cans only" open bar. She is buying beer, premixed vodka/gin sodas, and maybe one type of cider, as well as wine on the table (this also helps avoid people getting excessively wasted off shots). People know how expensive weddings can be. Most weddings charge for alcohol now so I dont think people will be snobby about the type of alcohol they are getting for free.

Ultimately, since then open bar was a priority for us we just had to sacrifice costs elsewhere. (Decor, video services, transportation, etc.)

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I've been trying to figure this out for you. So I think there are 7 cases in 1 keg, you have to account for waste in pouring, as well as guests just forgetting where they put their drink and just getting a new one, also not finishing the whole cup as it has gotten warm. So I think you can probably count on loosing 20% per keg so like a case would be wasted. I don't know what the return policy is in PEI but in Ontario you can return unopened cases not sure about kegs. Hope this helps.

You could have a limited bar as well as the closing of the bar during the dinner. Keep it to the simple spirits and bottom shelf alc? If you do close up for during supper I would recommend letting them know before hand so they have something for during that time or put some wine on the table.

View quoted message Closing during dinner I think will be a good idea. That will also allow us to do the speeches without people getting up to go to the bar.

I have never worked much with kegs. Any idea how much waste to account for? I just want to compare costs to buying cans.

Unfortunately, as I will be travelling over for the wedding, homemade wine isn't an option. The liquor permit doesn't allow homemade wine to be served anyway, unless it is on your own private property. It's so strict about everything 😖

I think i agree with Amanda to close the bar down during dinner. I'm not sure that kegs are the way to go as there so much waste. Can you make wine?

This topic is exactly what I had to think about since I have to put a surprise b-day party for my husband next month and have to get my liquor license only for special event.

There are online guides for alcohol consumption based on guest numbers. It does tell you how much to get and what will be drank in whole for the event.

I have to put a list of what I need myself for about 50 guests and looking to return full bottles if not used after the event. Look into this and budget what it would all cost together.

I'm putting a table of the following: Keeping on a budget

Gin

Vodka

Whiskey

Rye

3 bottles each Red and White wines

Pop, juices and Clamato

No beer or flavoured liquor

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I agree with Amanda!

Other ways to reduce cost :

- No doubles, no shots;

- Serve two types of beer (one domestic, one import);

- Only have one red and one white wine - by in cases, as it would be cheaper than by the bottle;

- Serve simple and refreshing signature drinks (rum/jack and coke, gin and tonic/soda, vodka and soda, tequila and soda, etc.) - basically stuff that don't need multiple liquors or mixers.

View quoted message Oh ok! What is the fee structure like? Is it per person? How does it work?

View quoted message We are having a tent wedding. The venue isnt providing any alcohol. We have to provide the alcohol and hire someone to serve it.

I’m not from PEI so I’m not familiar with their laws, rules and regulations but at my venue open bar is per consumption. So it’s a flat fee per person regardless of how many drink, don’t drink, how long the bar is open or closed.

Im not sure if your venue is similar (or what the PEI rules are with respect to this) but if so, unfortunately the only way to save is to limit the amount of your guests.

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Well that is very lame.

I would suggest limiting the bar to only a couple options. Signature drinks are a good idea, or just stick to basics like beer and wine.

If you are doing just beer and signature drinks focus on a couple fruity cocktails, or mojitos. Caesars are usually a hit as well.

View quoted message Unfortunately we already spoke with the liquor commission. Only non-profit organizations are able to sell, and they told us no donation bars either. We have rented out an inn for the weekend so it isnt classes as private property. Our only legal options are BYO, open bar, or no bar at all. So we are going for an open bar, just trying to do it in a way that won't cost a fortune.

The only issues with Keg's is wastage if you don't use the whole thing.

I would recommend just picking a limited menu, it's the easiest way to control costs.

Have you contacted PEI liquor to confirm? From what I was reading There are two different permits available.. one to give and one to sell. No permit is required for events at private property permitting it is being given away... that lends me to believe you can purchase a permit to sell.

And if not I feel like a donation bar is still viable... as you are not selling or forcing people to donate in order to get drinks. You can just have a jar at the bar that says honey moon fund etc..

" Requirements: Permits will be considered for enclosed areas or tents on an individual basis by the Director of Corporate Services" https://liquorpei.com/licensing-permits/permits/class-ii-resale/

Close the bar for a period of time during dinner and only have table wine available.. that knocks the time down and hopefully reduces the cost.