I have been married for 21 years. I think that makes me one of the oldest people on this board. And with age, (thankfully) has come a little bit of wisdom. Ill try to share some of that wisdom here.
On October 27, 2004, my husband and I celebrated 20 years of marriage with a custom vow renewal. Our ceremony was held inside the Wedding Pavilion, and our dinner party was held inside the Great Movie Ride at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park.
There were 22 guests at my vow renewal dinner party (that included my husband & myself). However, just as dinner was beginning inside the Western Area of the Great Movie Ride, my young nephew came down with a touch of diarrhea. That meant that he and his mom (my sister) had to leave the party, thus missing dinner, dessert, Mickey Mouse, dancing, and fireworks (it broke my heart that they had to leave so early in the evening). Another one of my guests left the party immediately after dinner had been completed (she had an early call at work the next morning). I am only mentioning all this so you understand that for some portions of my event there were 22 guests, and for other portions there were only 19 guests. Try to remember that when you view the beverage bill for my dinner party.
I should also note that 3 of my 22 guests were children (my daughter, niece, and nephew). 1 more guest was an "underage" adult (my college-aged son). Of the remaining 18 guests, 3 were in their late 60s / early 70s (my Mom, Dad, and Aunt). My parents do not drink and my guess is that held true during my dinner party.
There is one final thing that I should mention before I move onto the beverage charges. When it came to what I drank that night, I had one glass of champagne at the Handprint Ceremony (
click here) and one cocktail at another point in time (actually, I only drank half of that cocktail). I didnt touch anything else that evening. I dont know why I didnt; I guess I was just too busy enjoying my guests and the incredible Disney entertainment. If I ever get around to finishing my trip report about my vow renewal, you will learn that I paid dearly for the fact that I only drank 1-1/2 glasses of fluids during an 11-hour span of time. When 3 AM hit, I was so dehydrated that I thought I was going to pass out on the chartered bus ride back to my resort. I was in bad shape. Very bad shape. Shame on me. So when you view the beverage charges below, remember that one guest (me) only had two drinks all night long.
Here are the beverage charges from my final bill. I hope I have typed everything correctly (and I hope I have computed everything correctly too).
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Cakebread Chardonnay, Napa Valley
$74 per bottle
2 bottles = $148
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$189.14
Fess Parker Riesling, Santa Barbara
$35 per bottle
1 bottle = $35
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$44.73
Franciscan Magnificat, Cabernet Sauvignon
$74 per bottle
2 bottles = $148
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$189.14
Stonestreet, Alex Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
$50 per bottle
1 bottle = $50
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$63.90
Hosted, Domestic Beer
$4.75 each
9 bottles = $42.75
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$54.63
Hosted, Imported Beer
$5.25 each
7 bottles = $36.75
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$46.97
Hosted, Assorted Sodas
$2.75 each
23 glasses = $63.25
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$80.83
Hosted, Bottled Water
$3.50 each
21 bottles = $73.50
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$93.93
Hosted, Call Brand Cocktails
$6.00 each
9 glasses = $54
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$69.01
Hosted, House Cabernet Sauvignon
$5.75 each
15 glasses = $86.25
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$110.23
Hosted, House Chardonnay
$5.75 each
20 glasses = $115
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$146.97
White Zinfandel, CA
$5.50 each
10 glasses = $55
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$70.29
Iron Horse Fairy Tale Cuvee Brut
$50 per bottle
5 bottles = $250
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$319.50
Martinellis Sparkling Cider
$22 per bottle
1 bottle = $22
Plus Gratuity (20%) and Sales Tax (6.5%)
$28.12
Total charges for beverages = $1,507.39
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If you divide the above total by the number of guests, it works out as follows:
$1,507.39 / 22 guests = $68.52 per guest for beverages
There were no big drinkers at my event. No one got drunk. No one got tipsy. No one needed a cab ride home. And of my 22 guests, 4 were underage (3 children & 1 young college student) and another 3 were senior citizens. And dont forget that the bride only drank two drinks all night long.
I hope that helped.