Oftentimes, weddings are synonymous with celebrating and guests are encouraged to eat, drink and be merry! To go along with this sentiment, many couples provide guests with lots of champagne, wine, beer and cocktails.

So how much alcohol, should you supply?

When determining how much alcohol to purchase for your wedding or event, a good rule of thumb is 2-3 drinks per person for the cocktail hour and then 1 drink per person for every hour after that. (A simple cheat sheet can be found here: http://www.dianamaweddings.com/pdf/dianama-liquorguide.pdf).

Although it is very gracious and generous to splurge on an open bar, where guests have access to unlimited drinks throughout the entire reception, it can also get very pricey. Expect to spend as much as 20% of your total wedding budget (on drinks alone!). There is no shame in offering a limited bar, where you provide a careful selection of drinks (such as, wine, beer and signature cocktails) at the bar during specific times, like cocktail hour and after dinner, then have waiters serve wine or beer during the meal.

Even if you are on a tight budget, don’t subject your guests to a cash bar (like, ever)! Guests should never be expected to pay for their own drinks. I highly recommend forgoing liquor, which can get really pricey, and champagne altogether and sticking to only wine and beer instead. And since guests will toast their glasses with whatever drink they have on hand, the champagne is simply not worth the added expense.

If you are hosting your wedding at a hotel or function facility, liquor is usually provided in your contract. Expect to be quoted a per-person fee or a total price for alcohol. The same is true with more established catering companies. If the caterer does not have a liquor license, he or she will coordinate purchasing the alcohol from a vendor and then quote you a price per bottle. If there are bottles left over, you’ll get to keep them, or the caterer might be willing to reimburse you. This way you’re only be paying for what was actually consumed.

In many cases for off-site weddings (by off-site, I mean a venue with no commercial kitchen or stock items like tables, chairs, linens, silverware, etc.) you will be responsible for supplying your own alcohol, which can also be a huge money saver (of course, you’ll have to order and arrange for delivery, and remove the unused bottles after the party). You may be subjected to a corkage fee or flat fee charged by the caterer per bottle opened (usually around $5 to $10 – good news (!) this is usually negotiable). Even so, you'll most likely see large savings especially if you purchase the alcohol from a wholesaler club like Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s.

Also, be sure to have plenty of soft drinks, lemonade/iced tea and water on hand.

Best of luck planning! Please be sure to also download this handy-dandy cheat sheet for reference: http://www.dianamaweddings.com/pdf/dianama-liquorguide.pdf

Diana Ma is a wedding planning expert who has produced weddings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She is the owner of Diana Ma Weddings & Events. For more information, visit http://www.dianamaweddings.com/index.php.