Open bar, cash bar, or signature drinks??

Mtess1

On the big day what are you guys doing??  I think we're gonna have a few hours of open bar.  Then we scored around 60 bottles of wine from  our friend with a winery at a cheap price.  (We will serve this around dinner.) Champagne is included in our package for all the toasting.  Yes we like to drink!   

TayBeach2013

Open bar is included through the entire reception; no champagne toast though and I'm not paying extra for it lol.  We'll definitely have a stockpile of beer and liquor back at the hotel where we will all be staying.  The hotel pool area has a bar which will (thankfully!) be closed at that time of year, but our rooms open up to that patio and we'll still have access.

Jlp818

Oh lordy this is such a touchy subject on theknot!

In our area and group of family and friends an open bar for the whole wedding is almost unheard of.  Sure, we have been to about 3 that have had open bar the whole wedding but those weddings were very posh.  But the other 20ish weddings have either been one hour, just wine, or none at all. 

 So according to theknot etiquette board we are VERY tacky people.  lol

  As of now, we are having two bottles of wine on each table plus an open bar up to $2,000, and a champagne toast and will be covering non alcoholic drinks the entire night. 

Even with that amount I am still nervous.  Our venue is on a really curvy back road and we have a lot of heavy drinkers on both sides.  Hopefully everyone will be responsible and not drink and drive!

TayBeach2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_september-2013-weddings_open-bar-cash-bar-or-signature-drinks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:26a515ec-8009-4599-b81d-5edee3b3fb3cDiscussion:c7aa7f35-05af-4491-8f67-648ecc19f32ePost:3312ab6b-7951-4970-9555-45ac3da1f584">Re: Open bar, cash bar, or signature drinks??</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>Oh lordy this is such a touchy subject on theknot!</strong> ... So according to theknot etiquette board we are VERY tacky people.  lol  
Posted by Jlp818[/QUOTE]

Haha easily a landmine subject!  I'm one of those people who thinks this is a regional thing.  In my area everyone would be sober and pissed at a cash bar because we wouldn't have brought wallets (this happened at a bridal shower recently - the invitation read "refreshments provided", so we were all like cool!  And then we realized that the lady behind the bar expected cash for drinks AND tips, as the "provided" refreshment was water.  I was tempted to take my gift off the damn table).

mpickl

We'll be doing an open bar with mid-grade beer, wine, and liquor. Champagne just for the bridal party (I LOVE champagne). FI firmly believes that signature drinks are a way for venues to drive up bar costs (he should know, he works at one!) so we won't be having one of those. Champagne will be my signature drink.  

Jlp818

Tay: yikes!  I would take "refreshments provided" to mean all freaking drinks are compt as well!
Mpic:  ohhh i'm a champagne girl too!  I want pink champagne in my glass at all times at our wedding.

I wish our venue had some sort of package but it is just consumption. 

KSerafin17

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_september-2013-weddings_open-bar-cash-bar-or-signature-drinks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:26a515ec-8009-4599-b81d-5edee3b3fb3cDiscussion:c7aa7f35-05af-4491-8f67-648ecc19f32ePost:3312ab6b-7951-4970-9555-45ac3da1f584">Re: Open bar, cash bar, or signature drinks??</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>Oh lordy this is such a touchy subject on theknot</strong>! Posted by Jlp818[/QUOTE]

Just seeing the words "Cash bar" in the headline mad me nervous for a minute. Good thing OP didn't posted this on E-board, jk haha!

We are doing one hour open bar for cocktail hour, closing the bar for dinner hour and then opening it back up for 4 hours of the reception. I am still debating on the champagne toast... it is extra and I dont know how many people will actually want to drink it. So we may skip that.

GoofyAssChick

Our caterer is only providing the bartender(s) and non-alcoholic drinks.  We are providing all of the alcohol ourselves to bring down costs.  We agreed to only do beer, wine and champagne.  It's less for us to have to buy and store and I feel more comfortable not supplyig the hard stuff. With our wedding being in a barn out in the country I don't want our guests overdoing it and getting in an accident. 

DMoore421

We are having an open bar for cocktail hour And for the whole reception I believe. So total 5 hour open bar. Beer, wine and some middle of the line liquor for our venue anyways. My mom ONLY drinks Bacardi and diet Pepsi no beer or anything so we had to go with the bar package that included Bacardi rum. FI will probably drink mostly beer with a few shots thrown in and I really drink mostly vodka and sweet tea... My mom would flip at a cash bar... She would rather skimp in other areas and have open bar then ever dream of a cash bar Most everyone will be staying at the hotel so I don't have to worry about drivers and we have a bus to and from the after party as soon as I book one .

MandiNewMommy

Free beer and wine and pop.  Anything else you gots to pay. 

Dont care what people think it is my day...this what I can afford and what I am doing.  If you dont like A. Dont drink B. Dont come! 

Love11506

We are going to have an open bar with some signature drinks.  Really its to give my guests an idea that you can order other stuff than just the normal drinks. We will have the list below in a pretty frame and in a prettier font!

 

Cocktails

Something Old

White Russian

Vodka, Kahlua, Cream

Something New

A Little Piece Of Heaven

Coconut Rum, Peach Schnapps, Cranberry juice, Orange juice, Pineapple juice

Something Borrowed

Amaretto

Amaretto, Sprite

Something Blue

Blue Martini

Blue Curacao, Lemon Vodka, LemÓn, Orange juice

 

armywifeplusthree

We wont be having much alcohol if any. My family is very religious and we aren't really drinkers. So this isn't something we really want. We rather save the money !

BostonGIrl4732

Oh boy.  Held my breath when I opened this one...

We're having an open bar.  My circle is used to them and I don't think people would think to bring their wallets.  We're having a daytime reception though so I don't think the drinking is going to be too out of control.  I hope (my family is crazy when it comes to alcohol).  On the plus side, our reception is on a harbor cruise, so they have to close the bar a half hour before we dock (thanks to local laws) so that should help a bit.  We'll see.

We're probably going to host an after-party.  We're thinking about hosting beer and wine and if our guests want other drinks, they just go to the bar at the restaurant.  We haven't decided 100% about that yet (still waiting to see where some of the other numbers fall).

melissadt90

We will be having a cash bar, I'm really nervous to be posting this cause of how touchy of a topic it is on the knot. Anyway I have never been to a wedding that had an open bar I guess it's not that big where I'm from. We just can't afford for others to be getting drunk  on our dime. Please don't flame me! 

drmass2013

My family is a family of drinkers *sigh* and me and FI are wine lovers, so we are having an open bar w/ some signature drinks. We are renting a beach house so most family will be staying there and the hotel for other guest and we have a lot of family in the area. We want everyone to have a great time at our wedding so it's open bar for us 

APDSS22

I think we're doing a beer and wine only bar.  Everyone coming to the wedding pretty much only drinks beer and wine anyway, so it's not going to be a big deal.

HHF0913

We are open bar for the whole wedding, between ceremony and reception, cocktail hour, dinner, and the rest of the night including after party.
My fiance wouldn't even hear of having the bar close during dinner hour.
We are also providing a shuttle from the reception back to the hotel so everyone can enjoy and no one gets hurts.

Tkortier

Our reception package includes an open bar (6 hours) including wines and a champagne toast.  This is what is normal in our circle and since it is included I was fine with it.

Mtess1

We re gonna have to space out the open bar. We ve set aside 5k for this and our reception is from 4pm-1am. So when that money is gone so is the open bar! (Although my mom said if the party is still jumping she might increase that, and she doesn t even drink!) Lots of our guests will be staying at the hotel so they re all down to stay up late with us.

kward006

This has been a horrendous discussion. My FI wants no alcohol, where as I want beer/wine bar. He is so stubborn and will not budge!

DMoore421

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_september-2013-weddings_open-bar-cash-bar-or-signature-drinks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:26a515ec-8009-4599-b81d-5edee3b3fb3cDiscussion:c7aa7f35-05af-4491-8f67-648ecc19f32ePost:8562cd5b-210e-473b-8c32-a1196226e264">Re: Open bar, cash bar, or signature drinks??</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh boy.  Held my breath when I opened this one... We're having an open bar.  My circle is used to them and I don't think people would think to bring their wallets.  We're having a daytime reception though so I don't think the drinking is going to be too out of control.  I hope (my family is crazy when it comes to alcohol).  On the plus side, our reception is on a harbor cruise, so they have to close the bar a half hour before we dock (thanks to local laws) so that should help a bit.  We'll see. We're probably going to host an after-party.  We're thinking about hosting beer and wine and if our guests want other drinks, they just go to the bar at the restaurant.  We haven't decided 100% about that yet (still waiting to see where some of the other numbers fall).
Posted by BostonGIrl4732[/QUOTE]

our after party i going to be at my fav neighborhood bar - we are getting a bus and getting  people to and from the bar but other than that anything they drink at  the after party is out of their pocket - i would have just cover 5 hours of their drinking at the cocktail hour / reception - and will have the bus for them so they do not have to worry about drinking and driving - if they want to keep drinking after that it's on their dime :)

oxdelaney

We're having an open bar and a champagne toast. The champagne toast was thrown in as a special for booking our venue last month. I don't drink champagne so I'm not that into it. But open bar was a MUST for our friends and family.

To fix the worries about transportation, we will be providing transportation back to the hotel for our guests.

For us, we just want our wedding to be a giant fun party where everyone has a great time. So alcohol was a predominant focus

greeneyes04

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_september-2013-weddings_open-bar-cash-bar-or-signature-drinks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:26a515ec-8009-4599-b81d-5edee3b3fb3cDiscussion:c7aa7f35-05af-4491-8f67-648ecc19f32ePost:76b21d9a-3f38-43ec-aac6-9053c8362323">Re: Open bar, cash bar, or signature drinks??</a>:
[QUOTE]We are going to have an open bar with some signature drinks.  Really its to give my guests an idea that you can order other stuff than just the normal drinks. We will have the list below in a pretty frame and in a prettier font!   Cocktails Something Old White Russian Vodka, Kahlua, Cream Something New A Little Piece Of Heaven Coconut Rum, Peach Schnapps, Cranberry juice, Orange juice, Pineapple juice Something Borrowed Amaretto Amaretto, Sprite Something Blue Blue Martini Blue Curacao, Lemon Vodka, LemÓn, Orange juice  
Posted by Love11506[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>LOVE your idea for a signature drink list! Very cute & creative!

</div>

greeneyes04

We are having our reception at a county park so our reception is from 4pm-9:30pm (got to be out by 10pm) Also they do not allow hard liquor so we are providing beer, wine, champagne, and all non-alcoholic beverages. Bar will open at 4pm and last call will be at 8:45pm. The park we are having it in also has a campground down the hill from our venue so if people want they can camp there and the after party can be back at the campsites. FI & I are renting the cottage and parents/immediate family will be staying in the brand new cabins. There is also a hotel not far & I hope by not having hard liquor people have sober drivers for those who are driving home or staying in the hotel.

I have only been to one reception that was cash bar and I did not have cash on me, it was in the middle of nowhere, and there was not an ATM. Needless to say we couldn't drink which of course made it less fun. I only dance when I have had a few in me! 

Wesolowskia

We decided on an open bar. Both of our families are drinkers to the point that at a previous wedding in FI's family, they didn't have an open bar so one of his aunts paid the venue that night about 4000 to have one. We almost went with a cash bar in hopes she would do that for us and save our money lol

mpickl

Although this is normally a touchy subject, I think it is so great that everyone on this board is so respectful of everyone else. I know I have said it before, but we have a great group of ladies here! Thanks for making my job so easy.  

bluebfalo

Our package comes with 5h open bar of platinum brands, a champange toast, and wine with dinner service. We will be having one signature cocktail blueberry lemonade vodka...

Jlp818

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_september-2013-weddings_open-bar-cash-bar-or-signature-drinks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:26a515ec-8009-4599-b81d-5edee3b3fb3cDiscussion:c7aa7f35-05af-4491-8f67-648ecc19f32ePost:8fb3f69b-d5f9-4137-bb50-901fc0d09057">Re: Open bar, cash bar, or signature drinks??</a>:
[QUOTE]Our package comes with 5h open bar of platinum brands, a champange toast, and wine with dinner service. We will be having one signature cocktail blueberry lemonade vodka...
Posted by bluebfalo[/QUOTE]

Mmmmm! I freaking LOVE blueberry lemonade vodka.  Great idea!

zantster

We'll be doing an open bar throughout and since the reception is at the same hotel where we'll be staying that helps for those who need to stay over.  I have not had to open my wallet at weddings I've gone to and don't want my guests to either.  There will also be shuttles to and from another hotel where we booked rooms as well as between the church and hotels.

jessica2244

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_september-2013-weddings_open-bar-cash-bar-or-signature-drinks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:26a515ec-8009-4599-b81d-5edee3b3fb3cDiscussion:c7aa7f35-05af-4491-8f67-648ecc19f32ePost:3e675da6-b7b5-423f-ae09-8cd98bc0cc69">Re: Open bar, cash bar, or signature drinks??</a>:
[QUOTE]Although this is normally a touchy subject, I think it is so great that everyone on this board is so respectful of everyone else. I know I have said it before, but we have a great group of ladies here! Thanks for making my job so easy.  :)
Posted by mpickl[/QUOTE]

Agreed!!! we ARE the nice board!!!! that being said - i'm having an open bar the whole time (including before the ceremony) and providing transportation for the guests.

jessica2244

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_september-2013-weddings_open-bar-cash-bar-or-signature-drinks?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:26a515ec-8009-4599-b81d-5edee3b3fb3cDiscussion:c7aa7f35-05af-4491-8f67-648ecc19f32ePost:3e675da6-b7b5-423f-ae09-8cd98bc0cc69">Re: Open bar, cash bar, or signature drinks??</a>:
[QUOTE]Although this is normally a touchy subject, I think it is so great that everyone on this board is so respectful of everyone else. I know I have said it before, but we have a great group of ladies here! Thanks for making my job so easy.  :)
Posted by mpickl[/QUOTE]

aaaahhhhh! TK is eating my posts!!! just wanted to agree with the above...we are the NICE board! :)