Budget Wedding Reception Beverages: How Much and What Kind?

One of the big questions at a wedding reception is what kind of beverages to get, especially if your wedding is on a tight budget. Endless wine gets expensive very quickly, but on the other hand, it can also be difficult to supply beverages for so many people on your own. The following tips will help you to figure out what kind of beverages to provide, and in what amounts, for your wedding reception.

Budget Wedding Reception Beverage: Champagne Toast

For couples who don't want to spend thousands of dollars on alcohol for everybody, but who would still like to be able to have a classic toast with champagne, one option is to just get enough champagne for everybody to have one small glass at the toast. Don't bring the champagne out until right before the toast, and serve one glass to everybody. Make sure that if you are doing this, you have a non-alcoholic option (such as sparkling grape or apple juice) for your younger guests and those who prefer to not drink alcohol. This will ensure that they feel included in the special toasting section of your wedding reception!

Budget Wedding Reception Beverage: Water

If there is water available, many people will choose to drink it, whether it is because they prefer it, or because they want to balance out the unhealthy foods being served. The best part about this is that water is really cheap, or even pretty much free if you use tap water. Options for how to serve water vary, especially depending on the venue for your wedding.

If it is an outdoor reception, you can just have individual bottles of water, and you can have it available during an outdoor ceremony as well. An even less expensive option is to get large containers of bottled water (or tap water) and have cups and ice available. This is not nearly as easy, but it can be a bit classier than everybody carrying around bottles of water.

For indoor receptions with sit-down dinners, make sure the water glasses stay full. Either request to have a pitcher of water on each table, or have servers walking around with water during the dinner. If the tap water in the area is good, just serve that. Not many people will notice that it is not bottled.

Budget Wedding Reception Beverage: Non-Alcoholic Punch

Many caterers have a variety of delicious non-alcoholic punches available for purchase with your catering order. However, they can sometimes be a bit expensive. For example, my wedding caterer quoted me at $20/gallon for their apricot punch, with each gallon filling 20 small punch cups (which were included with the price). However, she did offer to bring water for free if we bought punch, whereas the ice, water, and cups would be 50 cents per person if we didn't buy the punch from her. Make sure to ask your caterer on all the beverage details and decide what works best for you.

If you would prefer to bring homemade punch, there are many delicious punch recipes. A simple citrus punch can be made by mixing together a 2 liter bottle of Squirt with a 2 liter bottle of 7-Up, and then pouring in a can of mostly defrosted lemonade concentrate and a can of limeade concentrate. These ingredients can be purchased at a grocery store for just about $5 per gallon! The only downfall to this is that you have to have somebody willing to keep an eye on the punch and mix up a new batch whenever it runs out, and you have to also provide ice and cups and a large enough punch bowl. It is a great way to keep your wedding on a budget, and the guests will enjoy your refreshing homemade punch!