Alcohol byob?

IDK, I dont think it sounds like a great idea. But you can do what you want. Good luck. =)

Tough decision. FYI there isn't just one or two kinds of keg beer, you can get the standard Bud or Coors, but you can get Sierra Nevada and other premium selections. I also just learned that you can order from BevMo.com (depending on your state) and they're having their 5 cent wine sale (select wines; buy one bottle & get the 2nd of same bottle for 5 cents). We're going to do a brunch reception to save lots of $, and I just picked up the champagne for mimosas tonight. I spent $33.22 for 8 bottles of cheap champagne that should have cost $69.72. I'm thinking about going back tomorrow to get the rest of the case just because it's the 5 cent sale lol

Also if it's going to be a hot day in May, you could have a refreshing fruity signature cocktail, so they have their choice of beer or the drink. Malibu rum + pineapple juice just a splash of cranberry juice. The malibu is darn cheap for rum, a tin of pineapple juice is about $2, and the cranberry is just a splash per drink.

You know your friends and family better than anyone else. You know whether they'd be put off by it and honestly, if you are having a casual wedding and enjoying time with your crowd, why not do BYOB? I think it will work out fine, especially if you do choose to offer the sangria and champagne for the toast. Your wedding sounds like it's going to be a blast either way

Unless you want your wedding to resemble a fraternity party I wouldn't do it. It seems tacky.

I'm having a similar wedding (casual at a Lake House with a smaller guest list) but I am going to be accommodating those tastes. We made the choice in our budget to have a smaller guest list to be able to accommodate tastes. I think you can find a compromise such as getting a keg of your favorite quality beer, some red and white wine, and your favorite hard liquor, and FH favorite hard liquor. If anyone won't "settle" for one of those 5 options, then they can bring their own. I think most people will find something they can like in 5 options, seriously.

9 times out of ten. even though people have a particular favorite alchohol They will drink whats provided to them for free. So don't worry about satisfying everyone. People will still drink it

I agree that most people will drink whatever is offered if it's free. How many people are you inviting? Are the majority big drinkers? And if you want, you could just do beer and wine and cut out the hard stuff all together to help with the costs.

I see where you going with the casualness, but i think you should still offer the alcohol. and OMG the Coconut Rum, Pineapple and Cranberry is my FAVE drink, its refreshing and yummy and beachy.. and damn its been SOOO long since i've had it! anyhow, lol. a keg would work, are ppl going to be staying there overnight or driving back? i doubt many will drink so much that they are sh*tfaced. but mmmmm CoconutRum, lol

I agree 100% with JJ! A beer, wine (one red, one white) and no hard liquor would do the trick! NO is going to say "Do you believe she didn't have X brand of alcohol?" If they do they are not your REAL friends and shouldn't be on your guest list anyway since you are having a small wedding. Nix anyone you think will say that and give the space to a REAL friend. ;-)

I'm doing that. We are providing different beers and a few different types of liquor. We have been telling our guests if they want to bring anything else, then that is fine.

Sound advice....I wouldn't do a BYOB but you can certainly do wine, beer, and that Malibu drink whichs sounds so good I WANT SOME RIGHT NOW EVEN IF IT IS 11:30 IN TH MORNING!!!!

ahem, yep. Do a toast with Verdi or Frexinet, and call it a day. Sounds like a great time.

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to pull the tacky card.

Only you know your family and friends. If you are having a casual wedding and your family and friends don't care, then why even stress about it?

I like the idea of beer, wine and a signature drink, malibu w/ pineapple and cranberry sounds delish!

I wouldn't do BYOB, I think even if your wedding is casual you should provide your guest with food and beverages!

It's not 'pulling the tacky card'.......it IS tacky...in certain areas and for certain crowds. When people come here for advice, they are going to get varying opinions from all over the country. What is perfect and customary in NYC might be overdone (and thus tacky) in other parts of the country. And visa versa.

A wedding is not a Memorial day barbecue. It's a hosted party that marks a once in a lifetime event. It should be treated differently than a frat party or a potluck. Obviously, the OP thought so too, or she wouldn't have asked about it.

There have been a LOT of great ideas here! And I have a hunch that even if you think your guests won't care...they will.

I am doing the same thing. We are having a small simple wedding with 54 quests invited and we will be providing a keg of bud and a keg of bud light, champagne for the toast, but anything else my quests are more than welcome to bring there own.

I disagree with Celia Milton to say its "tacky" Im very surprised that a "wedding planner" would be so rude to tell a bride that her wedding is "tacky". Your right a wedding is not a barbecue but if that is what the bride and groom want and that is what they like then so be it. A wedding is not just a "hosted party event" it is a time to share your love with your family and friends and celebrate your new lives together as one. The wedding isnt just about the party and spending alot of money, for some of us its more important to have the gathering of close friends and family by us on that special day.

Do what makes you happy Lovebird and what you like, not what others think. Best of luck to you.

Fyi - celia did not call it tacky... the awesome theif post six posts earlier did. celia is not a wedding planner she is an officiant if you want to be technical -- and as such - i can assure you has been to infinitely more weddings than any of us, giving her particular insight a view we would never have.

i personally do not care how casual a wedding is - you are a host, and therefore you provide for your invited guests. if you only want to have beer and wine, do it. if you want a signature cocktail - go for it. but, in the end you provide for your guests.

Actually Celia said it was tacky, and she is totally right.

I think I might have my wedding at the zoo and play wizard quest! Would that be tacky?!?!?!?

I had a small, casual, low-budget wedding. Heck, my venue was a pub, the decor was DIY, and I drank Yuengling out of a stein. But never in a million years would I have told my guests to BYOB. It was iffy in college, and it's hella inappropriate now. What's next, having them bring their own boxed lunches to the reception? Or maybe their own chairs?

Your wedding is the first event you will host as a married couple. Put your best foot forward and provide drinks, even if it's just beer and wine.

And you may think your guests wouldn't mind and it's no big deal. But the hard truth is that NO ONE will ever tell you the bad stuff about your wedding. They will smile and say it's the best gosh-darn wedding they've ever been to...even though on the inside they're seething about the cash bar, late start, general disorganization or interminable speeches. So instead of listening to people who will blow sunshine up your behind, listen to the honest views here.

Celia did agree that it was tacky.

I was in a wedding in September that the invitation stated you could bring your own alcohol. I asked the bride and she said they were having a ton of liquor/beer/wine, but had some friends that might want to bring their own. The Hall allowed outside alcohol too.

The other brides who discussed that if you buy it, they will drink it, are correct. Just pick up a couple cases of beer (less hassle then a keg, you can shop a couple weeks before), some wine, and people will be comfortable. If they don't like your choices, they won't drink it. But they won't complain. Most people do not attend a wedding or reception in order to get drunk. Hopefully your friends aren't those type. Other brides on this board will also disagree that yes, people attend expecting to drink.

As to what Celia said, it IS tacky in CERTAIN PLACES and to CERTAIN CROWDS.

I have been to a lot of weddings around my area and not a single one has ever had free alcohol, be in wine at the dinner or drinks at the reception, not one. A lot of people on here think that that's tacky, but here, it's the norm. None of my guests would even expect an open bar (although it would be nice bonus for them, I'm sure) so here, that isn't tacky at all. In your area, where open bar is the norm, then yes, a cash bar or BYOB is tacky (a lot of reception sights wouldn't even let you BYOB around here, so it's a moot point for most).