Three Problems That Come with BYOB Weddings

It is not unheard of for a young couple to ask that guests bring their own alcoholic drinks to the wedding reception.  It can be very expensive to provide booze for questions, especially for wedding with two hundred or more guests.  When the budget won’t allow for it, there are three choices:

1. Have a dry wedding
2. Include a cash bar
3. Ask guests to bring their own

While the BYOB option can look attractive at first glance, there are a few things that you must consider.

Book Your Weeding Venue

Venue Rules You will have to be careful about considering the rules of your venue.  Some will not allow alcohol to be brought on the premises.  It is also a good idea to discuss what is included with the venue.  It may be possible to have a bartender included, and you could opt to have a limited selection, thereby saving yourself expense.  Or, you could open the bar for the first hour, but turn it over to a cash bar thereafter, so your budget is not exceeded.

Glassware Even though you didn’t supply the booze, it is very likely that the guests will need glasses to drink from, so you will have to have some on hand.  Renting glassware should be a budget consideration in that case.  On the other hand, if you have a cash bar, it will likely be that the glassware is included at no cost.

Some Will Forget We promise that at least one person will skip over the ‘BYOB’ portion of the invitation.  So, you will have to have a plan in place for those who are not equipped.  This could mean simply offering sodas and other non-alcoholic options, it could be a store nearby that you can send these folks to, or you may have another idea.