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May2be
Beginner July 2011

Ideas needed for drinks 'vouchers'

May2be, 31 January, 2011 at 08:55 Posted on Planning 0 14

As we have gone over budget on our wedding we now do not have money available to put behind the bar. We have a drinks package that covers us all day and through the meal until the bar opens at 7. We still want to provide the first drink in the evening for everyone especially for those that are only coming to the evening. Does any have any ideas of a system we can use to allow one free drink per guest, rather like a voucher, ticket or some sort of token?

14 replies

Latest activity by Ricky, 14 April, 2026 at 07:17
  • ajdown
    VIP September 2011
    ajdown ·
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    Firstly you need to make sure the venue are happy with dealing with that - not all are.

    You should be able to design a simple thing like that yourself using Word or any similar package, then just cut them up and hand them out at the end of the welcoming line (if you're having one - a nice job for a junior bridesmaid or groomsman).

    You do need to be careful though as some people's idea of a 'free drink' might be a triple shot of spirits or something else expensive - it may seem stupid but specifying "glass of wine, pint, single spirit plus mixer or soft drink" means that everyone knows what they can do.

    It is unusual these days to have a 'free bar' all night anyway, so you don't really need to worry about not having one - and personally if you are going to do the vouchers thing I'd only give them to evening guests rather than those you've already been feeding and watering all day.

    Is there any reason you still want to give out free drinks even though you've already gone over budget? I really don't think anyone will be offended these days if you don't offer one - and, let's face it, if they were only coming to get free booze then what kind of friends were they in the first place?

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  • Browny
    Beginner June 2011
    Browny ·
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    I'm giving each guest a free drink voucher as part of our favours. We're doing our own bar though so we didnt have to ask permission from the venue or anything.

    I just designed mine on visaprint - I waited until a free business card offer came through on my email and designed it in keeping with my stationary! So all I had to pay for was postage of just over £2 I think!

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  • ajdown
    VIP September 2011
    ajdown ·
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    Fair enough - and the Vistaprint idea is a great one.

    By choice, we aren't providing any alcohol at our wedding - shloer for toasting/welcome drinks, fruit juice and water on the tables, although there is a pay bar in a side room from our room so if people want alcohol they are welcome to get their own. Therefore evening guests aren't "missing out" and we don't feel we need to consider drinks vouchers.

    Like you, we're going to be - or very close to - over budget and it's just not something we feel, based on those we've invited, is really worth the expense, although I accept that our circumstances, circle of friends and guest list are probably not "typical" to most, let alone most round these parts.

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  • Houdini
    Beginner August 2010
    Houdini ·
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    We did similar to you and just printed something off on Word onto parchment paper (left over from our favour tags).

    We told the venue about them and specified on the voucher what drinks were included. We also stopped guests with children using their vouchers for alcohol and buying soft drinks by specifying adult and children vouchers! The people we thought would do this didn't show though, I probably wouldn't have bothered if I'd have known that! ?

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  • Storky
    Beginner May 2011
    Storky ·
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    May2be, can't add much about how you go about making/distributing the vouchers but I have one idea that might help if you want to limit the choice of drink available to your guests.

    When we used to run functions at my old law firm, we were always told the mantra of 'No doubles, bubbles or shots' when it came to drinks at the bar. Might help you to keep costs down.

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  • S
    Beginner
    SoontobeMrsSSmith ·
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    I think a token would be much more classy than just handing out a ticket. Maybe you could find something weddingy? I've seen bags of small horseshoes and wedding bells and things like that.

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  • vintageangel
    Beginner October 2011
    vintageangel ·
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    I got vintage carnival style tickets from ebay, heres a pic not very good though its the pink tokens (ignore the other bits dont have a pic on its own)


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  • May2be
    Beginner July 2011
    May2be ·
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    Thanks for the tips. Definately some things there to consider. @AJ I think for us it is just because we are having a weekday wedding and we would like to do a little something to thank our (particularly) evening guests for coming seen as they have likely done a day at work before coming along.

    I like these tickets vintageangel and was definately the kind of idea I was looking at. I will also have a look and see what vistaprint has to offer!

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  • SarinaCain
    Beginner March 2011
    SarinaCain ·
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    Have you spoken to the venue? Ours offered casino chips but as drink tokens.

    You can tell the venue that its only for wine and beer for example. They are used to that kinda thing.

    We were going to have a cocktail hour and now thinking may not be able to afford it so may just give the evening guests some tokens.

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  • WelshBride-ScottishGroom
    Beginner April 2011
    WelshBride-ScottishGroom ·
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    Hi, we are doing this for our welcome drinks as our venue is only offering welcome drinks for £500 no matter what the drink is!!! so we asked if we were able to have money behind the bar so everyone can choose their own drinks and they said that was fine.

    The style of the tickets will be like theatre tickets as we are getting married in a theatre, they will be handed out with the order of the day, and when handed in for a drink the ticket will be punched and handed back as a little momento.

    it is a little more work but not too expensive as am doing it myself. good idea about childrens designs then i can make sure everyone has had a drink on us x

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  • Waleed
    Savvy December 2026 Dubai
    Waleed ·
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    You could design custom drink tickets or tokens (you could even use the best print on demand services to create these) with a fun design that matches your wedding theme. Hand these out with the evening invitations or at the entrance. This way, you can easily control how many free drinks are given out, and guests will feel appreciated without overspending. You can also ensure that after their first drink, they can pay for additional beverages themselves.

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  • J
    Beginner November 2025 East Central London
    Joel ·
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    Hi everyone, I have been reading through all your ideas about drink tokens and it is actually really helpful. We are in a similar situation with trying to balance the budget and still do something small for our guests. One thing that helped us a bit was keeping an eye on small savings elsewhere, like checking a few coupon sites when ordering wedding bits and prints. A couple of times I found working codes on topforless.com and it covered little extras like stationery and favour supplies, so it made the overall planning feel a bit lighter.

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  • L
    New Jersey
    Larry ·
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    That’s a really helpful approach, actually. We’ve also noticed that small savings here and there can make the overall budget feel much easier to manage. I’ve checked a few discount and coupon sites myself when ordering wedding bits, and sometimes you really do find a working code that covers things like stationery or decor. It’s a nice feeling when those little wins add up. The drink-token idea is starting to seem more realistic now, especially after reading everyone’s suggestions. It’s good to know there are simple and budget-friendly ways to still do something thoughtful for the guests.

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  • Aleena
    Beginner July 2026 Fife & Angus
    Aleena ·
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    If you want to keep things simple for your guests, you could create small personalized drink tokens that they can swap at the bar for their first round. Another great way to save your budget is to look for Dunkin coupon codes online to grab discounted gift cards or bulk coffee carafes for the morning after. Using physical tickets or even a special stamp on their hand works perfectly to keep track without any confusion at the bar.

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  • Ricky
    Beginner April 2026 Bedfordshire
    Ricky ·
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    If you're unsure about what to order for your wedding, make sure to check out dunkin donuts nutrition facts —it can help you plan better and choose options that perfectly fit your budget.

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