Welcome drinks and toast

Idiophreak

scarlet1985 wrote: »

Again, maybe because I don't drink I don't get it but when there's been toast at other weddings, my table always toasts the bride and groom and never drinks the fizzy wine (cava, champagne whatever)

I've seen the opposite - so many toasts at wedding these days, people have to really try and make the champers last

melancholly

Toasts don't have to be alcoholic - OJ is great. I think providing something more than jugs of tap water would be good though. It's actually something that's tricky at weddings - often those drinking alcohol gets loads included but if you're on soft drinks, it's water or going to the bar. I realise (from experience!) that you can't provide every option of soft drinks but it does always strike me as a little unfair on those who will have to do all the driving at the end of the night!

wanchai_2

We've bought 80 bottles of wine for 100 guests

p.s. at most weddings I've been to, the speeches are before the meal, so the guests toast with the wine - is that accpetable??

Idiophreak

melancholly wrote: »

Toasts don't have to be alcoholic - OJ is great. I think providing something more than jugs of tap water would be good though. It's actually something that's tricky at weddings - often those drinking alcohol gets loads included but if you're on soft drinks, it's water or going to the bar. I realise (from experience!) that you can't provide every option of soft drinks but it does always strike me as a little unfair on those who will have to do all the driving at the end of the night!

I agree, provision for non-drinkers is often pretty average. We had OJ, virgin cocktails, tea, coffee, water and elderflower presse for ours, so hopefully they were kept happy

wanchai wrote: »

We've bought 80 bottles of wine for 100 guests

p.s. at most weddings I've been to, the speeches are before the meal, so the guests toast with the wine - is that accpetable??

Doesn't really matter - as long as their glasses are charged with something....
(pretty rare to do the toasts first, though...but quite sensible...let the groom and best man enjoy their meal without the speeches hanging over them...)

wanchai_2

It's becoming more common to have the speeches before the meal here And OH and the BM want it that way. I don't want to pressure them to have the speeches hanging over them all through their dinners, poor things.

StokieBecks

I wasn't going to have drinks included but seeing as we ended up being such a small meal party I have included wine for the meal and a glass of prosecco each for the toasts. I have also arranged to have jugs of orange juice to complement the water for the children/drivers/non drinkers

lazer

melancholly wrote: »

Toasts don't have to be alcoholic - OJ is great. I think providing something more than jugs of tap water would be good though. It's actually something that's tricky at weddings - often those drinking alcohol gets loads included but if you're on soft drinks, it's water or going to the bar. I realise (from experience!) that you can't provide every option of soft drinks but it does always strike me as a little unfair on those who will have to do all the driving at the end of the night!

for those drinking alcohol its usually the same though - generally only wine provided (usually red and white) - so if you don't drink wine, you buy your own, same as with the soft drinks

minerva_windsong

There was a story in one of the 'real weddings' bits of a wedding magazine I was flicking through the other day where the couple had bottles of Peroni, Italian lemonade and mini bottles of Prosecco with straws (the groom was Italian) as drinks for after the ceremony, and the guests loved it. So it's definitely OK to have beer if it's what you want.

I have to admit that I would never go to a wedding without drinks money for the bar, especially if I was only going to a night do, because you don't know what people may choose to do. We're having a free bar but only because my dad has very generously offered to pay for it - the majority of weddings I've been to/worked at either had a pay bar or a tab up to a certain amount. We're also providing a drink at the reception - including a non-alcoholic option for kids/non-drinkers - a drink for the toast and wine/juice for the tables, again as others have said because it's been provided at all the weddings we've been to as day guests (I wouldn't expect a welcome drink as an evening guest for instance) so we just didn't question it. Plus having worked in a hotel that did a lot of functions when I was younger the first twenty minutes were always hellish because everyone swarms the bar at once...

daisiegg

Providing drinks is one of our big priorities - so much so that last night my mum and I were working out ways to cut down the flower costs so we have more money to put behind the bar! It's not that we want everyone to get drunk by any means, just that we think they will be paying loads of money to get to the wedding (lots coming from Scotland, some from the US), they will be forking out for hotels and taxis, as well as a present - we want to treat them as well as possible and make sure they have a good time without having to spend loads more money on the night for drinks.

To that end, they are getting two welcome drinks (Pimms, Bucks Fizz or orange juice), half a bottle of wine per person with the meal and a glass of champagne for the speeches. We are then putting any money left in the wedding budget behind the bar - with a set amount prioritised for soft drinks during the meal, as I don't think it's fair that the drivers/people who don't drink should have to either have water or buy their own. Hopefully what goes behind the bar should be enough for everyone to have two drinks in the evening - beyond that they can buy their own!

But I am very aware that we have chosen a really fancy hotel to have our reception and the drinks are expensive. I am also aware of how much it costs to attend a wedding as a guest. I want to do everything possible to make sure they have a great time...it's one of the top priorities.

daisiegg

lazer wrote: »

for those drinking alcohol its usually the same though - generally only wine provided (usually red and white) - so if you don't drink wine, you buy your own, same as with the soft drinks

I think this is a shame (although I love wine, a couple of members of my immediate family do not drink, and a proportion of the guests will be driving!) so we are making sure there is money in the budget to pay for soft drinks during the meal for those who don't want the wine.