Bar announcement for reception

View Quoted Comment Sure, I've been to BYOB events. These events are no host events where someone simply offers their home up, and everyone helps to cover all costs.

The excuse of alcohol is expensive so I'm going to make my guests pay for part of the event I'm actually hosting, is a head scratcher. Reduce the budget for things that don't actually impact guest comfort. A less expensive venue, simple or non existent center pieces, a less expensive dress, a less expensive (but still tasty) meal, fewer of no decorations are all places to cut the budget. The best way is to cut the guest list, only invite your absolute dearest friends and family (and their significant others). Or just don't have alcohol available.

A marriage is a right. A wedding event/party is a luxury. Have the event you can afford without hitting your guests up to help pay for the luxury.

My FH and I don't really drink, so when people come over to our house for a party or dinner, we don't provide alcohol. Personally I think it's really stupid that people have to get wasted to enjoy a party and that proper hosting has to include alcohol but I have certain strong feelings about alcohol because of a family tragedy.

We're providing soft drinks, coffee, tea, and lemonade, and punch. If someone wants to buy a drink they can go for it. My family is not going to disown me or refuse to support me because I don't buy them a beer.

I've been to weddings with open bars and cash bars and for the cash bars it was always just word of mouth. I'm not worried about the news not spreading because my family is close and it will spread. I think including it in your website is a good idea but including prices might be overkill.

Make it well known before hand. Like it or not, having a cash bar affects what people give for gifts. It is not at all uncommon for people to take cash from the card they were going to give the couple for drinks once they get to the wedding. I've only been to one cash bar wedding in my life and about 1/3 of the people did that.

And in the scenario of a wedding, cash bar just means that the bride and groom aren't hosting their guests and that the guests need to pay, not the form of payment.

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Thank you for listing all the places we can cut the budget- and already have. If you read the original post, you'd know it's all close family and a very small number of our closest friends- 50 people. I'm doing all the decor myself, and it cost about $100. Our venue is affordable, and the meal options we chose were the cheapest options.

We're having the event we CAN afford, because we don't think alcohol is a necessity. To quote you, "I don't understand" why people suggest a dry wedding instead of a cash bar. Alcohol is a luxury. Guests can pay for it if they want it in addition to the "party" we're hosting.

We've heard zero pushback about the bar, and we're not concerned with people being upset by it. They're family. We've made our choice, and you can make yours- I reiterate the "You can go on all you want telling us why we shouldn't have one, or have a modified or consumption until you're blue in the face- it's what makes sense for us and what we've chosen" from my OP

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I'm not really bothered by that, we're not concerned with the gifts at all. We've been living together for years and have everything we need. Thanks for the heads up though!

I am having a cash bar but only charging 3 bucks for hard liquor. Beer is free in our case. We did not put anything on our website about it. Most weddings I have gone to take cash and cards. I would not put the price on the website.

View Quoted Comment 50 people is hardly a small event and is indeed a luxury.

I can't stop you, I'm not the wedding police. I just don't understand not hosting guests well.

I just don't understand why people think it's OK to charge guests for alcohol when they wouldn't charge guests for dinner or cake. I mean, why stop at alcohol?

I've (thankfully) never been to a cash bar wedding, but I would absolutely adjust my gift based on what I expected to spend on alcohol that night.

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And it's your right to adjust your gift- that's fine by me if someone does this. I don't really care about the gifts. We're stopping at alcohol, because we feel that's where our obligatory responsibility ends. If we had an extra $5k lying around, of course, we'd have an open bar. But we don't, and we don't feel ashamed or bad about alcoholic drinks being extra. That is why we think it's okay. Asked and answered.

View Quoted Comment Why on earth would an event for 50 people have a $5000 bar bill?

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Open bar is about $30/person per hour. Modified is $20. Then add tax/service fees/gratuity. Those are my options, which are not doable.

View Quoted Comment I'll agree that is ridiculous. How much are they charging for each drink with the cash bar? I'd roll with the cash bar but give the bartender my credit card and have all purchases put on it.

View Quoted Comment Beer- $5
Wine- $6
Well drinks- $8
Premium brands - $10 & up
We considered putting a certain amount down and then turning it into a cash bar once that runs out, but guests may be confused when it shifts to cash bar. Our BM/GM would run us dry 😅

View Quoted Comment Offer beer and wine, that's all that is necessary. I'm going to assume you are planning a 4 or 5 hour event. Estimating 2 drinks for the first and one each hour after, which tends to balance the heavier drinkers with the lighter ones, and 40% to cover taxes, fees, and tips, you'd be around $2000.

Omg.. are we still arguing about this?! She didn’t ask if a cash bar was appropriate or not.. she asked how to inform her guests that she was having a cash bar. Her mind is made up!

I take your envelope and for every drink I have to pay for it comes from there.

I've only been to one cash bar wedding in my entire life and that was last year. I believe the wording was something along the lines of "Dinner, dancing, and cash bar to follow". I was grateful to be given a heads up because this is not common in our area. However I understand in other areas or circles it is quite common, so whether or not to include it on your invites is a know your crowd sort of thing.

View Quoted Comment Now I wouldn't cut people I want at my wedding and the include other people's random s/o.

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You can take the envelope and walk right out the front door, I'd help you find it. Not because you'd use to to pay for drinks, but because you think your comment was warranted I'm not sure why everyone seems to think that taking money from what they wanted to give us would bother me?

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Thank you! I'm not sure why everyone thinks I'm going to change my mind, or see a different point of view all of a sudden?? That wasn't what my question was about. I wanted to know how best to inform guests ahead of time so they weren't caught off guard. I'm fairly certain I'd have more success talking to a brick wall lol. Either way, this post has been really helpful to me in regards to my original question!