Lisa, I do agree, I didnt know about the extra cost for the drinks, that is weird! Do you still have Desiree's email address? Maybe you can ask her what happened at her wedding? I feel like they ALWAYS try to charge you for stuff but I've heard that a lot of things are negotiable. Like I said, Desiree got a free cocktail hour at no charge and on their blog it says that they "often times" can give a complimentary cocktail hour, but sometimes it costs extra if there is no space available. Maybe you could wait until you go down and make a last minute decision? Sorry I'm just trying to help! i wasnt trying to be mean!
I just emailed Ael with a few more questions. They said you only get 2 hours total for dinner & dancing? I thought I had something different in writing for them, I will check it out for you!