Finishing soon… 2 more posts… ahhhhh…
10. Wedding fanfare with misty effect (dry ice effect) for the bride and groom’s march in
Another standard stuff… before the wedding march in nowadays, you will see a few of the poor guy waiters getting ready the dry ice. As the blissfully married couple marches in, the dry ice has become a staple, with the smoky feel. Frankly, it is something that is not too important but you can’t do without. Even if you don’t find this in your package, it should still be included one way or another. But check just in case (like any kiasu Singaporean).
11. Corkage charge waived (or a special charge is indicated)
This, my friend, is a key thing to bargain for. And it can be the main differentiator between the various hotels. I must put a ***** for the importance of this. If this is not handled properly, it can burn a big hole in your pocket.
What are corkage charges?
For any wine / liquor you buy from the outside (not from the hotel itself), the hotel can and will impose a corkage charge just for opening the bottle and helping you serve it. I am not a alcohol person and so are most of our friends and relatives. But if you know that there are a substantial number of people taking liquor or wine, you got to look into this.
On weekdays, hotel normally provides free flow of beer, and on weekends it can be free flow or by barrels. On weekend, a free barrel is often given. Unless it is free flow, it is NOT recommended to introduce beer during the cocktail section. It will result in lots of wastage (half drank glasses everywhere) and the guests may be drunk even before they eat. Normally if they have it with the food, they will tend to drink less as the food will occupy a fair portion of their tummy. If you do not have free flow of beer, pray that you will not exceed the free barrel they give you. You should have one brother in charge of the beverages, to make the decision of whether to open one more barrel when the time comes (700++ per barrel is not cheap!!!).
As we move to the newer generation of people, the popularity of wine is now >>> beer (an assumption here, may not be true for all cases). So wine is more important. I am not particular about wine, so I can use the hotel’s wine. However, after using up the free bottle of wine per table, it is decision time. Do you continue drinking the hotel’s wine or use your own outside resources. Here’s the mathematical breakdown:
A = Hotel Wine = 1 straight hotel cost
B = Outside Wine = 1 outside source cost + hotel corkage charge (C)
Normally, outside wine cost < hotel wine. But the corkage charge can be a biggie…
If B > A, then it is only wise to use the hotel wine. Here’s where bargaining comes into play. You got to lower down C to the lowest value possible. Ideal value of C = 0, zero, nil, ko-nok! So bargain with the coordinator for the lowest C you can get, ideally no corkage charge. Because once C = 0, B << A and your decision becomes a no-brainer, take B!!!
If the hotel insists on having a high corkage charge, your A >> B, then there is no real choice actually… take the hotel wine.
At the end of the day, make sure you get the liquor you want, look at your guest’s preferences and allocate your finances wisely. No point wasting money on an extra barrel of beer, or too little corkage waiver..
My word of wisdom for all GTB: Think about it, you are paying for the liquor that people will sabo you with. If you are not a drinker, why sabo yourself with your own money?
