Cash Bar or Nah?!

Personally I think asking guests to pay for anything is rude. To save money maybe do beer and wine only

Personally, I would not choose to have a cash bar if at all possible. More than that, if you have no choice but to have a cash bar wedding, I'd be mindful that supplying alcohol for some guests (e.g., wine for your wedding party) and not others might seem particularly rude. Daughter attended a cash bar wedding, but champagne was brought out for the wedding party and parents, served to only them, and then they all toasted each other while the rest of the guests stood there and watched them.... Daughter found that incredibly rude.

A licensed bartender will ensure than underage children are not drinking alcohol, so that shouldn't be a concern. And, a bartender can monitor all guests who are drinking to make sure they do not drink to excess, and they will cut people off if necessary. I'm not sure what other expenses you'd be able to prioritize, but reasonable alcoholic beverages for your guests might be a nice priority.

A cash bar is fine, but don't have special drinks just some guests and not all. THAT is crazy rude

My brother and his wife had a cash bar at their wedding and it was completely fine. I don’t think it’s at all rude to have a cash bar. It’s YOUR wedding! If people want to buy a drink then that’s up to them, but you have supplied everything else for them to come and celebrate you and enjoy the evening.

I know it’s taboo on here and some people call it rude but I am having a cash bar. I have absolutely no room in the budget to even provide beer and wine. Which I know some people would say not to have alcohol at all then but I know my crowd. They would rather pay for drinks then have no drinks. Lol I paid $100 for a bar tender and I’ve also paid for a champagne toast for everyone but that is my max unfortunately. Do what you’d like but I wouldn’t buys some for a certain group and not others. I think that would be worse.

Idk why people keep saying it’s rude to have a cash bar. This day is a celebration of you and your partners union. People don’t necessarily have to drink to enjoy the celebration.


That being said, stick within your budget. Definitely don’t buy drinks for some and not for the rest of the people though. Have you considered hosting a drink during cocktail hour if you are having one, or even just for an hour? That might be an option if you don’t want to do a full-cash bar. We’re hosting an open bar for beer, water, and soda, and then a drink during cocktail hour. Capping it at $2500. Anything beyond that is cash. Stay true to your budget, especially if you guys are paying for everything/majority of the wedding yourselves.

In my circle, you do not host a hosting and ask guests to open their wallets. Host a smaller wedding. Or host just beer & wine.

My venue does not charge for underage drinks. You tell them number of kids and ages and the lessen the cost. If you cost afford full bar have beer and wine.

I am having a cash bar. But like others have said, you need to know your guests. If you have a group that has to drink and think that it is rude to have to buy their own drinks then you know what they will say but if your guests are more understanding and are there to actually enjoy your day with you than you should be fine with a cash bar. I have a budget and that budget has no room for alcohol other than a champagne toast. I am not going to cut back on food or guests or any other part of my wedding so a small amount of people can get drunk and act like idiots for free. I don’t think you should have to sacrifice your wedding vision for a particular group of people.


Just be sure to let your guests know before the big day so they are not prepared and they can bring money.

Our families would be offended at just the thought of a cash bar, but that's us though. You have to know your crowd. Having wine only for the bridal party seems super rude to me, it isn't fair. You should serve at the minimum like champagne to all the guests. At LEAST that. Like unlimited bubbly or unlimited wine. That will save you a lot of money for sure. But cash bar + only wine for wedding party is like a spit in the face haha. Hope everything works out for ya

I've been to only one wedding with a cash bar. There was a lot less drinking and a lot less partying/dancing than I'm used to at weddings but I don't know if that was the cash bar or the crowd. I think it depends on what's common with your group of guests. For my family & our friends, not having at least beer and wine open bar would be pretty tacky. But that's not the case for all groups.

View Quoted Comment My thoughts exactly...thanks!

View Quoted Comment Lol thanks...yes the champagne toast for all guest comes free with the venue...maybe I should have included that in my initial post lol

Guests should never be expected to pay for anything when at a hosted event. I would find other ways to trim the budget and at minimum offer a limited bar (beer / wine only) vs cash bar.

I would rather go to a wedding with a cash bar, than a dry wedding. If you can’t afford it, then you can’t afford it. I know people say it’s rude but open bars cost thousands and thousands of dollars and some people can’t afford that! We will be doing beer/ wine at our wedding. I think the kegs we will have are $250 each, which isn’t bad. Look into all of your options!

View Quoted Comment I agree...thanks

I think you should do what you and your future spouse can afford and want to do. My FH and I are doing a full open bar for our guests b/c we wanted to. My FH hates cash bars and doesn't want our guests to pay for anything while they're at our wedding. We budgeted for a full open bar and can afford to do it, so that's why we're doing it. If your budget is tighter when it comes to the bar/drink options, maybe do a beer and wine bar in addition to soft drinks and water. That will cut costs. My FH and I budgeted $1,500 for just liquor for our wedding (no including soft drinks, bottles of water or mixers), but we only spent around $1,000 b/c we got a ton of discounts at Total Wine (and we still got the good stuff). I personally think we got wayyy too much and will be returning more than half of it, but my FH wants to be prepared .

No matter what option you go with, I think supplying the alcohol yourself (if your venue allows it) is so much cheaper than having a venue supply it. And if you are able to supply it yourself and have to get your own bartender, let them know they can put out a tip jar (if you're okay with them doing that), and they will most likely lower their price for you - at least our bartender did. No matter what option you decide on, if you have a Total Wine near you, use them for your liquor if you can. You can get discounts for buying in bulk and can return any unopened bottles after your wedding.