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Savvy June 2021

Bar Situation

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Taylor, on March 8, 2021 at 9:36 PM

Cannot figure out what we want to do about the bar situation. We anticipate having about 200 people at our wedding. The groom's family is from small, midwestern towns where cash bar is typical. My (bride's) family is from Chicagoland area and used to a bit more lavish weddings where open bar all night is standard.

Our venue does not do any type of drink package per person, they just charge per drink. The drinks really arent terribly priced. $4/beer, $5-6/mixed drink, $7-8 for fancier drinks. However, I'm worried that if we just do open bar, all of the people used to a cash bar will think I have a rich relative and go crazy, racking up the bill 😂 I should also note that we will be paying for the bar bill on our own.
Any ideas on how to cater to both sides of the family, finding a happy-medium without looking cheap or tacky?

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23 Comments

Champion December 2022
Michelle · on March 9, 2021 at 12:42 PM
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There have been many posts on the forums where this is the case. Just because some venues are more honest than others does not mean that all are.
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Expert September 2022
Courtney · on March 9, 2021 at 12:54 PM
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Yea if you're concerned I would just do beer wine and the lower-shelf liquor or a couple of signature drinks. There's always some people that get a little more crazy at weddings than they would at home, but that's because it's a party atmosphere and people are inclined to cut loose a little more.
Calculate how much you think it will be and then add an extra $500-$1000 just to be safe if you can. It sucks your venue doesn't have a per-person cost, but beyond seeing if your venue would be open to a per person cost (if it's even legal in their area), there's not much else you can do about it.
If your FH's family was used to the same lifestyle as yours, would this even be a question?
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Master April 2021
Michelle · on March 9, 2021 at 6:50 PM
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Definitely much cheaper way to go. Spent $193 on 4 cases of beer, 3 bottles of spirits & 1 bottle of wine. Venue supplies soft drinks & mixers.
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