Budget friendly "Open Bar" Hack

@alongwithjess

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Why it worked

The video provides practical, actionable advice on saving money for a significant event like a wedding, specifically addressing a common high-cost area (drinks) with a relatable "hack" that doesn't compromise guest experience.

Summary

The creator shares a budget-friendly "open bar" hack for weddings, explaining how they saved thousands by offering signature cocktails and a wine/beer package instead of a full open bar. They detail how they estimated quantities and managed costs, resulting in guests having drinks all night without extra charge.

Structure

1Introduction to budget wedding hacks
2Saving money on food (part 1 recap)
3Focus on drinks and signature cocktails
4Venue requirements for wine and beer
5Strategy for managing drink costs
6Success of the budget drink plan

On-screen text

Budget friendly "Open Bar" Hack Wedding Tings UNVEILED Affordable Food Options (part 1) on to the drinks (80 adults)

Original caption

PART 2 on how we save THOUSANDS on food & drinks for our reception! We had 100+ guests, around 80 adults, skipped the full open bar, and still had drinks flowing all night (that our guest didn’t have to pay for)🥂 This wasn’t necessarily something we planned to become a “hack,” but it worked out so I had to share it. TBH guest don’t care too much about what drink you provide at your wedding, they gone drink it if it’s free 🤷🏽‍♀️ So don’t waste your money on a full open bar!!! We offered two signature cocktails and stretched them far beyond cocktail hour. We also had our required beer and wine package which we covered up to a specific amount. To my knowledge, nobody had to pay for a drink all night. If your venue allows it, ask about providing your own liquor for signature cocktails and work with your bartender to estimate how much you’ll actually need based on your guest count. Stretching your signature cocktails throughout the reception instead of limiting them to cocktail hour could save you thousands. For us, it was one of the easiest ways to cut costs without making the wedding feel any less fun 🤍 #BudgetBride #WeddingPlanning #WeddingBudget #OpenBar #2026Bride

More from @alongwithjess

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So I was a budget bride and here is part two on how we saved thousands, literally thousands of dollars on food and drinks for our reception. So I'm part one, I talked about how we saved nearly $10,000 on food alone. So definitely go back and check that out. But now let's get into the drinks. So like I said, we had over 100 guests at our wedding, around 80 adults. And you know, drinks can also be just as expensive as food. There was no way we were going to be able to afford an open bar. But honestly, if you ask all of our guests, they probably would tell you they thought we had an open bar. Of course, you cannot have a wedding without your his and hers signature cocktails. So we both curated our own signature cocktails. And then our venue actually required us to have a minimum wine and beer package. This would be something we'd serve at the cocktail hour and obviously throughout the reception. Our venue helped us estimate how much we needed for our cocktails, and then we decided how much we wanted to pay per head for the wine and beer. The plan was to actually have the cocktails just for the cocktail hour. We didn't think we would have so much. Then we were going to segue into the wine and beer until we reached our limit that we paid for. Then we were going to transfer into a cash bar. Somehow the signature drinks literally lasted way longer than expected. I don't think anybody had to pay out of pocket for a drink. I cannot promise that this is a route to take with every wedding, obviously, depending on your headcount and depending on how much your guests drink. We had a perfect amount for our signature drinks for most of our guests. We were able to drink on that. So this was a huge saving hack for us. I honestly wasn't intentionally supposed to be a hack. But if you're trying to save a lot of money on drinks, you don't want to fully sacrifice the overall guest experience. I definitely recommend talking to your venue or a bartender to figure out how you can stretch out your signature cocktails. That is going to help you save so much money and really allow your guests to always have drinks without having to pay for an open bar.