Home

Steamboat Springs — Greg Stetman has seen enough weddings to be considered an expert on all things booze.

The majority owner of Central Park Liquors spent this summer catering five weddings a weekend -- 38 in all. “It’s been absolutely through the roof,” he says.

When it comes to lining up reception libations there are important things to remember. It all starts with knowing the basics, he says. How many guests will you have, where is the wedding being held, and what type of alcohol do you want?

“We help people be a lot more accurate on what they order, which saves them a lot of money,” he says.

The company has been been doing weddings for 19 years and has a program that calculates the number of drinks per person for the event. Whether you want just beer and wine or a full bar, Stetman says plenty of money can be saved by paying attention to amounts.

“If you’re having a wedding with 150 people we can break down exactly how many drinks you need,” he says. “And it’s very accurate.”

If you’re just working with alcohol, Stetman says to start planning at least a month out. If you want a catering trailer as well, book at least 90 days in advance. “We’re already booking next summer with those,” he says.

Other considerations for Steamboat weddings are the altitude and dryness. He says most people think they need more alcohol than they really do. With the high altitude, visitors tend to drink less. And with the dry climate, more water is needed.

“We help with that entire thought process,” he says. “We steer people in the right direction.”

For more information, including a calculator to see anticipated prices, visit www.cplsteamboat.com.