Alcohol plays a part in most weddings. At times it can be a very costly exercise! 

Many reception locations have their own bar and they expect all drinks will be purchased from them. 
Others are fine with you providing your own wine for the tables but they expect to supply all other drinks. 
Some say they will fit in with whatever you want. 
Other facilities have no liquor on hand and you need to organise the whole thing yourself.
It is important to check your options when booking a reception venue.

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Champagne is the drink most associated with weddings but good champagne is very expensive. 
Fortunately New Zealand has an excellent variety of quality sparkling wine at reasonable prices.
At the table most guests will expect to have the choice of sparkling, red and white wines. Also ensure there is a sufficient quantity of non alcoholic options.

Usually there are drinks available for the guests before the bridal party return from their formal photos. 
A bar can be set up for this and the variety of drinks can be as wide as you can afford!
Don’t run out of booze! As a general guide you will get five medium glasses out of a 750mm bottle of wine. 
How much will your guests consume? Almost impossible to estimate, that’s why it’s a good idea to take advantage of the ‘sale or return’ option. 
If your requirements are being met by the venue management then you can be sure they will have plenty on hand.

As a rule of thumb allow a couple of glasses before the meal and three during the meal. A punch bowl set up before the breakfast is very popular.

It is not a good idea to serve better quality wines for the top table. People will notice and may be offended. 
Instruct waiters not to automatically top up glasses!
Don’t be embarrassed to have a pay bar after the breakfast. Many would say it’s better not to serve spirits at a wedding – wine and beer is all that is needed. 
The theory behind that is that some guests will become drunk sooner and of course it will be more expensive if you are paying for it!