Mimosa or Bloody Mary Bar?

[EllieMD]

Hey Everyone!

Granted, we aren't signing our official contract until July, but I'm a super over-planner (I'm sure *none* of you on here can relate ...) and I want to get my budget spreadsheets up-to-date as soon as I can!

My fiancé and I are planning on a 10am Wishes wedding at SBP with a brunch reception at ADH. We had first thought an in-park ceremony at Italy, but the headache of the charter bus made us re-think that pretty quickly!

Our plan is to have a "cocktail hour" on the upper level of ADH at 11. Our current discussion is about beverage packages. The current budget we have worked out (for about 40 people) includes the premium liquor, wine and beer package.

I would like to have something special set up for that "cocktail hour"--either a bloody mary bar (with a spread of olives, pickles, hot sauce, celery, pepperoni, etc) or a mimosa bar (bubbly with various fruit juices/purees, and fresh fruit). Has anyone done anything similar?

My thought is that the bloody mary bar might be the better option, as the vodka and mix required would already be included in the beverage package we've planned for. However, I'm more of a bubbly girl myself , so I would prefer the mimosas. DF says that maybe we should do mimosas for the cocktail hour and then just have beer and wine (and maybe a specialty cocktail) for the rest of the reception, and the price would even out. It's hard to gauge from the sparkling wine prices given by Disney...

Any thoughts?

 

[rrali33tt]

I like the idea of the mimosa bar better. But if it is too expensive then I would go with the bloody mary one. However, since you are doing a brunch reception, the beer and wine package seems fine to me so that should offset the cost for you. It is mid day and unless you have some serious drinkers attending I think the beer and wine would suffice.

 

[chris31997]

I like the mimosa better. Just seems to go better with the time frame for me But I'm a bubbly type also

 

[ChickyRootie]

I would vote for mimosas too...but if you decide to just have the beer wine and soda with a signiture drink, the bar attendant will also make any other drink you may want as long as the ingredients are in the signiture drink. I'll give an example. At my cousin's WDW wishes wedding she had the beer/wine/soda package with a fruity signiture drink that had rum in it (among other) and someone at our table was able to get 'rum and cokes'...not sure if that helps.

 

[lurkyloo]

You will also save a ton of money if you do the premium liquor, wine and beer or even just wine and beer Bill On Consumption instead of paying for a package up front. The price difference may not be as noticeable up front, but with BOC you have the chance to get a refund after the event.

 

[lpizzuro123]

We had our brunch reception at ADH in November 2008 and it was wonderful. We had 50 people. Our ceremony was in Italy at 9:00 and our cocktail hour started at 10:00 upstairs in ADH and then at 11:00 everyone went downstairs for the reception.

As lurkyloo said, we did a Bill on Consumption and got so much money back. People were not drinking that much that early in the morning. We used the muffins and pastries from the Tinkerbelle brunch and served that upstairs along with coffee and tea. We had a special champagne punch set up and had the glasses rimmed in pink sugar. Everyone loved them. We paid extra for the coffee and tea at the cocktail hour. Coffee and tea is included in the price of the brunch - but that is when it is served with the cake after your meal. As it was so early in the morning - and everyone had to get up early to make our 9:00 ceremony - we wanted to give them coffee and tea.

Not sure what they are offering now as our wedding was over four years ago, but I just wanted to say that ADH a wonderful place for a reception.

One of our favorite shots of our day.

http://s135.photobucket.com/user/lpizzuro123/media/8ebca5fe.jpg.html?sort=2&o=40

Linda

 

[EllieMD]

I like the idea of the mimosa bar better. But if it is too expensive then I would go with the bloody mary one. However, since you are doing a brunch reception, the beer and wine package seems fine to me so that should offset the cost for you. It is mid day and unless you have some serious drinkers attending I think the beer and wine would suffice.

One would think! Both DF and I have worked as bartenders, so we've seen some of our guests imbibe *quite* a lot--it will be interesting to see how they do at 10 in the morning! I don't anticipate anyone OVERindulging, I just worry that some of these people will just as easily want scotch at 11 in the morning as they do at 11 at night.

I like the mimosa better. Just seems to go better with the time frame for me But I'm a bubbly type also

I think mimosas are good any time of day, honestly.

I would vote for mimosas too...but if you decide to just have the beer wine and soda with a signiture drink, the bar attendant will also make any other drink you may want as long as the ingredients are in the signiture drink. I'll give an example. At my cousin's WDW wishes wedding she had the beer/wine/soda package with a fruity signiture drink that had rum in it (among other) and someone at our table was able to get 'rum and cokes'...not sure if that helps.

That's really good to know! Thanks.

You will also save a ton of money if you do the premium liquor, wine and beer or even just wine and beer Bill On Consumption instead of paying for a package up front. The price difference may not be as noticeable up front, but with BOC you have the chance to get a refund after the event.

My worry about doing BOC instead of a premium liquor package is Disney's policy of charging for each shot. Not that I anticipate a bunch of folks throwing back long islands, but...

Would it be financially sound to get the soda/juice/water package and then BOC for alcohol? Or does the entire thing need to be BOC? I can see me getting nervous every time I see a half-consumed diet coke laying somewhere! I will have to crunch some numbers....

We had our brunch reception at ADH in November 2008 and it was wonderful. We had 50 people. Our ceremony was in Italy at 9:00 and our cocktail hour started at 10:00 upstairs in ADH and then at 11:00 everyone went downstairs for the reception.

As lurkyloo said, we did a Bill on Consumption and got so much money back. People were not drinking that much that early in the morning. We used the muffins and pastries from the Tinkerbelle brunch and served that upstairs along with coffee and tea. We had a special champagne punch set up and had the glasses rimmed in pink sugar. Everyone loved them. We paid extra for the coffee and tea at the cocktail hour. Coffee and tea is included in the price of the brunch - but that is when it is served with the cake after your meal. As it was so early in the morning - and everyone had to get up early to make our 9:00 ceremony - we wanted to give them coffee and tea.

Not sure what they are offering now as our wedding was over four years ago, but I just wanted to say that ADH a wonderful place for a reception.

One of our favorite shots of our day.


Linda

Thank you so much for sharing your pictures; everything looks wonderful! And, am I right in guessing that those were Village People hats?!

I have heard that there is a limited list of drinks they will do for a signature cocktail and you can choose from that list. Does anyone have insight as to what might be on that list? A champagne punch might be a very good option...

That is good to know about the coffee and tea! We don't plan on having a cake (I can't have gluten and DF just isn't a "cake person" ), so I wonder if we could opt to have them with the buffet?

I'm also planning to look into having lemonade and cucumber water at the ceremony itself for guests. I figure there's a chance that, even at 10am, it will be hot in that July sun. If I'm going to force them to stand the heat to accommodate my med school schedule and need to use my resident discount, the least I can do is keep them hydrated!



All of the weddings I've attended have had full open bars (just the thing to do in our social set, I guess), but, then again, all of those receptions have been dinner receptions going late into the night.



We will also be having a DP, so another option would be to do BOC beer & wine at the reception, and then perhaps a bar for the DP? The thought being that it's a far shorter period of time and later at night...


Now it just sounds like all we do is drink! I promise I'll have questions about other things than booze

 

[lurkyloo]

Would it be financially sound to get the soda/juice/water package and then BOC for alcohol? Or does the entire thing need to be BOC? I can see me getting nervous every time I see a half-consumed diet coke laying somewhere! I will have to crunch some numbers....

You could do it that way, but I wouldn't. The packages are just a waste of money, IMHO, and the whole "leaving a half-opened drink" thing is a scare tactic. Where are all these guests wandering off to, anyway?

You might be interested in this interview I did with a Disney bride who had bars at 6 different events over one weekend. Even with a crowd of discerning drinkers, she got tons of money back by going BOC.

 

[lpizzuro123]

Yes, those were Village People hats. We all had alot of fun with them. Our DJ brought them. We had not requested them and it was a surprise - but one we loved. Glad you liked seeing the pictures. I think it helps so much.

We also had a DP in Epcot later that night in UK Lower. We only served desserts and had a coffee bar with different flavored syrups - no booze.

All weddings we have been to in our area (NY, NJ, CT) have had an open bar. I could not imagine having people come all the way to Florida from our area and not offer them drinks.

They did include plain ice water at our ceremony site although I like your idea for flavored waters.
Linda

 

[ChickyRootie]

It probably also depends on how many people at your event enjoy to drink, and what they enjoy ($$$ ). I'm sure some drinks are more expensive than others. The BOC sounds like a great idea in case you have a few non-drinkers...that way aren't paying a per person rate for some people who aren't even drinking at your event. That's good to know!!! I'm dreaming of an Escape WDW VR (someday...)and while my husband and I enjoy some libations, most of our loved ones don't!

Quick side note, at one of the Italian restaurants in Epcot (Tutto Italia?) a few years back, I ordered a glass of Pinot Giorgio. The waitor asked if I wanted a 'full glass'... "uh...of course..." (not sure what that meant...)Well not until the check came did I find out a 'full glass' meant a $21.00 GLASS of wine...yipe! LOL...

 

[EllieMD]

Yes, those were Village People hats. We all had alot of fun with them. Our DJ brought them. We had not requested them and it was a surprise - but one we loved. Glad you liked seeing the pictures. I think it helps so much.

We also had a DP in Epcot later that night in UK Lower. We only served desserts and had a coffee bar with different flavored syrups - no booze.

All weddings we have been to in our area (NY, NJ, CT) have had an open bar. I could not imagine having people come all the way to Florida from our area and not offer them drinks.

They did include plain ice water at our ceremony site although I like your idea for flavored waters.
Linda

We are also looking at UK lower for our DP. Honestly, the DP location might be the most difficult to choose! France and one of the mini-Italies are also great viewing spots.

That's nice about the ice water; did you know ahead of time it would be there? I wonder if that comes standard...

It probably also depends on how many people at your event enjoy to drink, and what they enjoy ($$$ ). I'm sure some drinks are more expensive than others. The BOC sounds like a great idea in case you have a few non-drinkers...that way aren't paying a per person rate for some people who aren't even drinking at your event. That's good to know!!! I'm dreaming of an Escape WDW VR (someday...)and while my husband and I enjoy some libations, most of our loved ones don't!

Quick side note, at one of the Italian restaurants in Epcot (Tutto Italia?) a few years back, I ordered a glass of Pinot Giorgio. The waitor asked if I wanted a 'full glass'... "uh...of course..." (not sure what that meant...)Well not until the check came did I find out a 'full glass' meant a $21.00 GLASS of wine...yipe! LOL...

Yeah, it's a pet peeve of mine at restaurants how, often, the cocktail prices aren't listed in the drink menus. I managed a tapas bar for years and was adamant that our prices be in plain sight!

You could do it that way, but I wouldn't. The packages are just a waste of money, IMHO, and the whole "leaving a half-opened drink" thing is a scare tactic. Where are all these guests wandering off to, anyway?

You might be interested in this interview I did with a Disney bride who had bars at 6 different events over one weekend. Even with a crowd of discerning drinkers, she got tons of money back by going BOC.

This is the EXACT info I was after; thank you!!! It really fleshed out the info included in the Passporter book and touched on all of the subjects I was wondering about. Really put my mind at ease with being confident about requesting BOC at the planning session.

Not only that, but I got my bathroom cleaned in the process of listening. All around winning.

 

[lpizzuro123]

Yes, we knew about water being at the ceremony location. They told us this at our planning session and it was in our contract. That morning my DH's dad was not feeling well and they were actually able to get him a Coke. Not sure where they got it from - as we were in Italy in Epcot and everything was closed - but they did it.

We loved our UK Lower location for IllumiNations. Not sure about France - but actually one of our favorite places to watch Illuminations is from the larger of the two bridges in Italy. Not sure if that would be included in one of your Italy places.

Linda

 

[lpizzuro123]

My fiancé and I are planning on a 10am Wishes wedding at SBP with a brunch reception at ADH. We had first thought an in-park ceremony at Italy, but the headache of the charter bus made us re-think that pretty quickly!

Not sure how many people you have coming to your wedding, but we had 50. Out of that 50, I think 40 stayed at POFQ and the rest stayed at The Boardwalk. We had the charter bus pick everyone up at POFQ and then The Boardwalk. They then brought everyone in through a private entrance to Epcot (I think our guests enjoyed this the most). After the ceremony, it brought everyone over to ADH.

Our reception was over at 3:00 and the bus waited around for everyone. I believe it would have made a run to POFQ at 2:00 if anyone wanted to leave early.

At 3:00 everyone staying at POFQ returned via bus to their resort. Everyone staying at The Boardwalk was able to just walk back to their room.

We had our DP back in Epcot but we did not charter a special bus for this. Everyone from POFQ took regular Disney transportation over to Epcot and met a guide at the front of the park and got lead into Epcot and our DP location. Everyone staying at The Boardwalk, MY DH and I included, met a different guide and walked into Epcot from the International Gateway. I was able to still wear my gown as we were lead in.

It does not heart to ask about an in-park wedding at your planning session. It was so wonderful to be in Epcot before the park opened for our own special time there.

Linda

 

[lurkyloo]

This is the EXACT info I was after; thank you!!! It really fleshed out the info included in the Passporter book and touched on all of the subjects I was wondering about. Really put my mind at ease with being confident about requesting BOC at the planning session.

Not only that, but I got my bathroom cleaned in the process of listening. All around winning.

I love it!