Beer/wine or Totally Open

I don’t think it’s tacky, alcohol is expensive so do what you can afford. We’ve been to weddings that had open beer & wine and others that were totally open. I don’t mind either way as a guest. But we are doing totally open for our wedding.

You should have whatever you can afford. It’s perfectly fine to have just beer and wine.

When I was attending friends' weddings like 15-20 years ago, open bars were not common and it was a big deal when someone had one. Over time, it has become the standard, so while I don't think it's "tacky" not to have one, it is probably what most guests have come to expect today and why you'll see a lot of people on here advise against making your guests pay for anything. That being said, you should certainly still feel allowed to stay within your budget, whatever that looks like. Could you tell us what you mean by "open but not completely open?" If there are some things covered and others are not (i.e. liquor), be prepared for guests to gravitate to whatever is free.

Beer and wine is a perfectly acceptable option if you cannot afford an open bar. As long as you’re not asking your guests to pay for their drinks, you’re good.

Beer and wine is totally fine. That's what my brother-in-law and his wife did for their wedding and nobody said anything about only having those as options.

My friend who got married last year had pop, one red and white wine, and some tap beer for free and everything else was a cash bar. I think it was fine and no one minded. As a bridesmaid I got a couple of drink tickets (which I shared with my FH) and then just paid for my other drinks (though I alternated between hard alcohol and pop). It was no big deal. I think the idea of "having to have an open bar" is tackier than having any type of cash bar. Pressuring brides to cut their friends and family just to have unlimited alcohol makes it seem that alcohol is more important than celebrating your day. As long as you have something that's free other than water (pop, lemonade, a signature cocktail or beer and wine) people should be happy.

I think beer and wine only is fine

My daughter had beer, wine, and champagne at her wedding but then she had a signature drink for her and FH. That way they didn't have to stock every type of alcohol/mixer.

Serve what you can afford that you know your guests will drink. Don't offer what you can't afford.

Its not rude but it's a know your crowd I don't drink wine or beer I am more of a whisky drinker but most of our guests are gonna be drinking beer and or wine, I think you should be fine with a beer or wine bar

Bear in mind that guests should not be opening their wallets so only serve what you can afford that is free on their part.

Do what you can afford. If you can do open bar, do it. If it’s absolutely a tight budget and you’ve made cuts to the guest list, save the dates, decor and other not-as-necessary things and you still can’t swing it, beer and wine is acceptable.

Our venue only allows beer and wine (canned beer and boxed wine at that) , so by picking that venue that decision was made for us. The venue choice is the perfect location (a hall in a county park...on the water) and worked with our budget. I would have liked the option for a signature cocktail, but honestly with our guests beer and wine would be what they would drink anyway. We have gone through a distributor that can get us a great local craft beer selection...and that will be a huge win for many of our guests. We actually changed directions on who we were going to use for our bartender so we could have more freedom to get the craft beer options. So really think about what the bulk of the guests will want, and make your decision from there.

We’re Having A Wine && Beer Open Bar With Liquor To Purchase .

My FH and I elected for a beer/wine bar with no cocktail options because we know our crowd, and they won’t want cocktails. Our bar service actually highly recommended it, and it saved us thousands. Additionally, we have asked them to cut people off if they seem tipsy (of course, using their judgement); while we want our guests to enjoy themselves, we do NOT want trashed guests at our wedding. So while it’s an “open bar” of beer and wine, it’s not a “drink as much as you can” type of open bar.

I don't think it's tacky at all!


We are doing 2 signature drinks only for the cocktail hour and the rest of the night will be beer and wine only. Spirits, mixers and garnish can get very expensive!