Cash Bar/Open Bar

jma1983

The reception venue we selected does not provide a bartender or beverages. So, we're buying all of the drinks (beer, wine, liquor, soda, juice, etc) and providing the bartender. I'm torn as to whether we should have open bar or charge for drinks? What about giving out drink tickets for 2 drinks and then charging like $1-$2/drink after that? Or, just open bar? I'm so weird about trying to collect money from my guests for a party we invited them to! There's going to be about 250 people...so beverages will be a HUGE expense! Thoughts? Suggestions?

danieliza1127

Cash bars are generally considered very tacky and rude.  Your guests shouldn't have to pay anything at your wedding.  250 guests is a huge wedding, but it's still your responsibility to host and provide.  If you choose to have that many guests, you still have to provide for them.  I would consider either having no alcohol or just beer and wine if cost is an issue for you.  It's perfectly fine to have just beer and wine if you can't afford to provide a full open bar with liquor.  That also saves you from having to buy all the extra mixers like juice.  Also, forget champagne.  Most people don't drink it so it ends up being a waste of money.

vgmartinez

If cost is an issue, I recommend just providing beer and wine. If you are buying all of the alcohol and then charging for drinks, it might come off as if you are trying to make money from your wedding. We'll have around 200 guests so we're only doing beer and wine so if our guests want a special drink, they'll pay the venue directly. We won't see any of that money.

megk8oz

I also agree to just do beer and wine (And maybe have like 1 or 2 mix drinks if you can swing the extra) ... or maybe cut down your guest list if having the money to cover it is the issue. Please do not have a cash bar. Nobody should have to worry about whether or not they have their wallet on them at your wedding.

trix1223

If you invited friends and family to a party at your home, you wouldn't charge them for drinks.  You shouldn't charge them at any function that you host, and that includes your wedding.If you want to keep costs down, don't have any alcohol.  If you do provide alcohol, you can certainly have a limited bar:  beer, wine only, or perhaps add in one other popular choice.Drink tickets:  as bad as a cash bar.

lyndausvi

Yikes.. It' bad enough to have a cash bar, but when the couple is the one getting the money, well I'm speechless.

laurening

Don't charge and provide beer and wine only (and of course, soda and juice). You don't need 10 different varieties. 2-3 beers and 2 wines (a red and a white). There are many good, very inexpensive wines out there. Try to find costs to cut elsewhere. Doing favors? Getting  mongrammed napkins, etc.? Don't. Skip all the little stuff and put the savings toward the alcohol. A majority of people would rather have an open bar and they'll remember having to spend money at the wedding rather than how pretty the centerpiece was or what the favor was.

duckie1905

Just buy the booze and let your guests drink what they'd like.  As for drink tickets; your wedding isn't a carnival so dont' turn it into one.  I would find it weird if you had to buy the alcohol and you decided to charge your guests, almost like you were trying to turn a profit.Open bars are the norm in my social circle; cash bars are considered extremely rude and/or tacky.Just budget for alcohol appropriately.  You also have the option of serving just beer/wine if that works out better for you.

Leah&Christian09

I'm so weird about trying to collect money from my guests for a party we invited them to!You're weird about it because it's rude.  Your wedding isn't a kegger where you charge $5/cup.  It's a party that you are hosting for your guests.  Buy the amount of booze you can afford, and provide it to your guests at no cost to them.  When it's gone, it's gone.  You can probably cut costs by buying in bulk and doing a limited bar-beer/wine only or something.

jenn.daniel

Don't charge for drinks. If you can't afford it, don't serve alcohol, and just serve soda and water. Or just serve inexpensive beer and wine if you can't afford liquor. Try to get the alcohol from some place that will let you return unopened bottles.

rashost

I know that everyone says that cash bars are rude etc but sometimes there is no way around them. My venue does not allow outside alcohol to be brought in and the majority of our guests are heavy drinkers. It would literally be thousands of dollars to provide an open bar. If you have the money that's one thing. I just hate how brides are guilted into thinking that they have to have this or they have to have that. I've been to weddings with cash bars they are no problem. Do what works best for you. There is really no reason to let other people make you feel bad about the descisions that you make for your wedding. Do what works best for you.

lyndausvi

rahost - I think there is a difference between a venue profiting from serving alcohol and the couple.

jma1983

I'm not looking to profit. That's why I said maybe $1-$2 for drinks after a certain amount of time...not to profit, but maybe to help with some of the cost. But, I think it's pretty clear that most everyone agrees that it's out of the question. And, I like the beer/wine suggestion. It keeps it simple and lowers the cost significantly. Thanks for everyone's input! It's very much appreciated!

lyndausvi

Asking your guests to spend $1-2 sends a strange message.  If I only had 4 drinks I would think "They could not even spring $4 for my drinks all night?"

lyndausvi

oh yeah, if you do end up doing it, check with your venue.  If they might not have the correct license to allow alcohol to be sold.

Leah&Christian09

I know that everyone says that cash bars are rude etc but sometimes there is no way around them.Sure there is.  Have a dry wedding if an open bar isn't in the budget.  Alcohol isn't a requirement.  If you couldn't afford steak, would you offer a cash buffet or just serve chicken?

megk8oz

Jma, if you go the "beer & wine" route, believe it or not, if you by in bulk, you'd be surprised how much you can actually buy for like $200/$300.Beer, I'm not a real expert on (I rarely drink it), but Sutter Home sells 2 liter bottles of wine for like $8 (And I'm from NJ, booze is pricey here), and honestly it tastes fine, unless you're a real wine snob, you wouldn't be able to notice a real difference. If you just buy several bottles of like a chardonnay and a merlot, you'll be fine.Last year a friend of mine got married (they had about 100 guests) they did beer, wine, and 2 signature drinks (The bride and groom each picked one), 1 was a Bahama Mama ... and I really can't remember the other, but I do know that they only spent like $150 total on alcohol and it went over great with the crowd.Best of luck!