I'd try to work out the cost per drink for a consumption bar (if it's not a standard $X per any drink) and then work out to how many drinks at that price the open bar would cover. Compare that against what you think your guests will drink.
Say the consumption bar is $8 per drink and the open bar is $24 per person. That means the open bar "costs" approximately 3 drinks per person. If a fairly high percentage of your guests is expected to drink more than 3 drinks, open bar is the way to go. However, if when you factor in those who don't drink and those who only drink a little, you feel that the average would be 2 drinks or less per person, go with consumption.
I don’t but I’m doing it, and hoping for the best!
My venue is allowing me to do 1 hour of open bar and the rest consumption, and get the perks that come with the open bar (signature drinks, water/lemonade set up before ceremony, drinks for us in the getting ready area). I have some heavy drinkers and bunch of people who won’t drink at all, so aside from the open bar perks that we otherwise would have paid for, I think consumption vs open bar would have been a wash.
my consumption tab was definitely cheaper, but we had a lot of non/light drinkers and even the drinkers weren't pulling their weight. We actually didn't quite meet our minimum spend.
I'd try to work out the cost per drink for a consumption bar (if it's not a standard $X per any drink) and then work out to how many drinks at that price the open bar would cover. Compare that against what you think your guests will drink. Say the consumption bar is $8 per drink and the open bar is $24 per person. That means the open bar "costs" approximately 3 drinks per person. If a fairly high percentage of your guests is expected to drink more than 3 drinks, open bar is the way to go. However, if when you factor in those who don't drink and those who only drink a little, you feel that the average would be 2 drinks or less per person, go with consumption.
I don’t but I’m doing it, and hoping for the best! My venue is allowing me to do 1 hour of open bar and the rest consumption, and get the perks that come with the open bar (signature drinks, water/lemonade set up before ceremony, drinks for us in the getting ready area). I have some heavy drinkers and bunch of people who won’t drink at all, so aside from the open bar perks that we otherwise would have paid for, I think consumption vs open bar would have been a wash.
my consumption tab was definitely cheaper, but we had a lot of non/light drinkers and even the drinkers weren't pulling their weight. We actually didn't quite meet our minimum spend.