Bars

You can do beer and wine Only. Or you can provide 1 or 2 liquor choices. We we able to bring all our own alcohol which saved us so much money. On beverages all together we spent around $500 and had a ton left over.

This is completely up to you and your SO, and is probably a know your crowd type of thing. For us, an open bar was a top priority. All of our friends and family enjoy having cocktails, dancing and celebrating at weddings; and open bars are the norm for our social circles. It would be very odd (and disappointing) if anyone in our family/friends circle were to have a dry wedding. However, if your family and friends are not drinkers, or dry weddings are normal in your circle, then having a bar at your wedding probably wouldn’t be a priority.

Our venue allows us to bring our own alcohol and my FHs father is paying for all the alcohol. We are sticking to beer, wine, soda and water. The venue has a bar area set up so we are paying a friend of a friend to be our "bartender" and pass out drinks and when they are gone they are gone.

Serving beer and wine only is a great way to save money.

You do not have to have a bar, but honestly, every dry wedding I have been to has been very boring and most guests leave shortly after dinner.

That’s a know your crowd thing. There is no “one size fits all” answer as every group is different in what they prefer and don’t.


Some groups don’t drink at all and won’t miss anything beyond sodas and coffee, and still have a blast because it’s the people who make the party. I’ve been a guest at a number of dry weddings that were more fun and lasted longer where people didn’t want to leave than with alcohol. They may choose to have a nonalcoholic bar with coffee/cocoa/cider/Italian sodas/boba/lemonade and the list goes on of what is available.
Some people prefer beer/wine only and don’t offer any liquor options, citing that people get drunk faster. Plenty of people get drunk on beer and wine alone and not everyone likes the taste so you are leaving an entire group in the dust by sending the message that they can drink beer/wine or water. Signature drinks popular on Pinterest and other websites as liquor choices are not universal favorites. Better make sure you have plenty of non alcoholic beverages for those who don’t drink. Other groups know that their guests don’t drink beer/wine so they offer liquor. Talk to your VIP guests who will be attending: parents, siblings, friends, as to what they prefer. That will go miles further than strangers online who don’t know your crowd or their preferences.
Another option is to have a bar for the drinkers and a bar for the non drinkers. That way you have something for everyone without sacrificing hospitality.
For our guests, we have many non drinkers who can party harder than many drinkers. The drinkers among our families and friends don’t like beer or wine at all so those would be a complete waste of money but they do love liquor, ourselves included. Contrary to popular belief, liquor doesn’t make you drunk faster, nor is it more expensive.

Agreed that it is a no your crowd thing.

For us - we will not be having a traditional venue / dancefloor - so the wine and beer open bar is lovely for us ( I didn't feel necessary to go for full liquor).

Also - we have big wine and beer drinkers so obviously this wouldn't make sense if your crowd doesn't drink much wine etc..

That being said - all the weddings I have attended this year have been cash bar - and I still had a great time!