How to handle wedding food and beverage minimums for small guest counts
Most venues set food and drink minimums intended for large parties of 50 to 70 people, leaving small weddings unable to meet the high spend threshold. Couples end up facing thousands of dollars in unreachable minimums or inflated drink costs that vastly exceed their actual menu choices.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Renting through city parks department websites to use tables, chairs, and kitchens with freedom to bring in separate catering
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The restaurant gave me a $9000 (!!!) food and drink minimum for 70 people.”source ↗
“The thing is, on their menu, the most expensive per person package you can get is $70 a person. Which adds up to be $4900, not even close to $9000.”source ↗
“Do they expect 70 people to spend $4100 in drinks?”source ↗
“most venues have food and beverage minimums that cover closer 50-70 people... so I'm really struggling to find something nice within our budget!”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How many drinks to buy for a party
- 3What happens if you don't hit your wedding venue minimum?
- 2Is it okay to ask wedding guests to pay for their lodging?
- 13How to avoid chaotic seat scrambling at a reception
- 6How to handle wedding guest list additions at the last minute
- 2Why do restaurants charge a fee for sharing a meal?