Open Bar?

Epolos89

So on my club board there are girls from all over and many of them are having open bars and saying regionally for them it's a must and their guests would consider them rude or tacky if they didn't have one. But some girls are not having one. A lot was chalked up to where they live and what are the norms there. I soon realized, I have no clue what the norms are here lol.  I haven't been to a wedding in a long time and I was too young to drink then so I didn't notice whether or not there was an open bar.

So...are you having an open bar?

andyandkimberly

I really think it's your own preferance and if you can afford it. My fiance and I are paying for our wedding ourselves and we wanted an open bar because just face it, people have more fun when there is alcohol. It just wasn't in our budget once we found out how much it was going to be. It could easily top our food and beverage minimum. We talked to our wedding planner and she suggested doing beer and wine with a signature drink or two. If our guests want more than that they are on there own.

christina ina

We are in the same situation as PP. Due to costs, we decided to have a cash bar. I am working on providing wine to our guests free of charge, though (venue allows us to bring in our own wine with a $12 corking fee per bottle, which is half the cost of serving their wine).

anglyn

We had an open bar. However, we got married at a vineyard and they served wine, champagne and beer. We also had a variety of sodas, coffee, sparkling cider and water.

I wouldn't let people pressure you into doing an open bar.

I've been to weddings with just beer and wine bars, champagne toasts only, open bars during certain hours and wine and champagne on the tables...

I'm not a big fan of all cash bars. There should be something available because I wouldn't pay for anything. I never have enough cash and I'm not that big of a drinker that I NEED a drink. There should be a variety of non-alcoholic drinks available though. I hate going to an event realizing that its coffee, iced tea and water only.

Epolos89

Thanks ladies! We are having wine during dinner, sodas, water, punch, and then possibly a cocktail hour of hosted bar with the rest being a cash bar.  We are also having a champange/cider toast.

Aimee8314

If you decide to go with any type of cash bar - I would definitely have your bms or your mom spread that around.  I know when I go to a wedding I don't bring a bunch of money because I assume the bar will be hosted.

MrsJG2Be

I went to a wedding reception last year and the bride & groom provided beer, soda, bottled water, wine and champagne. If you wanted a shot of whatever you were on your own.

I think it depends on your budget. FI and I are having a dry wedding; we're not paying for beer or wine since he doesn't drink nor do his parents. however my mom and grandparents are buying some wine for themselves and some of the others who may want wine.

adgenya

We had an open bar, but we were also able to bring in our own beverages. I think if you did beer, wine, and a signature drink, that is more than acceptable. I am not a fan of open bar for a little while, and then cash bar afterwards. 

 

Like pp, when I go to weddings I expect drinks to be hosted so I bring little, if no, cash. I'd make sure it's casually spread around by word of mouth. 

Epolos89

It's just such a crappy decision to make because it is soooooooooo expensive to have an open bar if you can't BYO alcohol.  Plus, our families are not big drinkers at all so it would basically be a waste except for the few people who  may have a couple of drink.  I can't justify spending thousands of dollars so a handful of people can have 1 drink.  But I also know that it's sort of weird to expect people to buy a drink at your wedding.  So it's a bit of a toss up

carolynnmarieg

FI and I are getting help paying for the wedding, including dinner and beverages...and I still have trouble justifying in my mind the huge jump in per-person costs between beer/wine bar and full bar, so we're going with the former.

katie&justinanderson

I'm surprised how many people are saying how expensive an open bar is.  At our venue, the cost for an open bar, with the top brands of alcohol is only about $5 per person more expensive than doing beer and wine.  Talk to your potential venues about their alcohol policies - you might be suprised at how much less it is to do a full bar instead of beer and wine.