Cash bar

It's not a regional thing, it's a social group thing.

I'm from New England as well (Massachusetts) and I have NEVER been to an open bar! I've heard of an open bar for 1hr during cocktail hour but that's it!

I think it's a rude person thing, rather than regional.

I am in the Boston-area also and I've never been to or heard of an open bar wedding until coming on here. I think it is regional for sure. Or it depends on your social circle.

I think it's more of a social circle thing than a regional thing. I'm in Oklahoma, from Texas, and never been to a wedding with a cash bar.

I'm also in MA and I think I've been to a pretty even mix of cash/open bar weddings.

I think it's a social thing rather than a regional thing. I've lived all over Virginia, from the extremely liberal North right outside DC to the extremely agricultural and conservative far Western Blue Ride Mountains...and never have I ever been to a "cash bar" wedding.

I've been to one open bar, three with beer and wine, one without anything. Honestly I didn't judge any of them. Never have seen a cash bar wedding...

Most people on here will state that cash bars are rude because guests pay a lot of money to attend and in gifts and cash bars force them to pay for their drinks as well. I've only been to a few cash bars (I'm in Illinois) and those were primarily for weddings that had relatively few people that drank alcohol. Had they had an open bar, they would have been charged thousands of dollars for people who didn't drink. I thinks it's more of a personal thing, but the general consensus is that cash bars are rude to guests.

I'm from new jersey and have never gone to a wedding with a cash bar.

I've never been to a wedding that wasn't an open bar but it probably is a regional thing. Everyone on here is so quick to throw the etiquette card down but if you're from a place where it's done a certain way that becomes the norm

It definitely depends on your social group WAY more than your region. I've been to 5 weddings in the Boston area and all of them have been open bar.

I have been to over 1200 weddings and I have never seen a cash bar (njny) It's not a regional thing, It's a cheap ass thing.

I'm in southern NH, and it's not a regional thing. Weddings I've been to have been open bar. Some have been limited to beer wine and signature drinks, but I've never had to pay for anything at a wedding.

Courtney many places will let you do a hosted bar, which means you only pay for what your guests drink. That is different than a pp open bar.

It's regional where I'm from because of the laws. I'm not saying it's illegal to have an open bar, I just mean that some of the packages that exist in other places, like all-inclusive do not exist where I am. I've never been to an fully open bar in Alberta. We had an open bar for our cocktail hour and it cost over $2K, we also had wine on our tables which wasn't included in this cost. Most people here provide an open bar for a portion of the wedding or at least provide wine at the tables.

Even company hosted events are not open bar (like Christmas parties).

ETA: For the 2K figure, we had 93 people in attendance, some were vendors so weren't drinking, my side of the family doesn't drink so that cost is for approximately 50 people for an open bar for 1 hour.

Ill be honest only cash bar weddings ive seen were from tacky, cheap people.

Same thing. I never realized how "bad" it was until WW!

I got chewed out about this topic by others on here about defending a brides option for a cashbar. I can't stand the idea of couples being pressured to pay for something they don't feel like they can.

I've never been to a wedding that WAS NOT open bar. I didn't know wedding cash bars were a thing lol I'm from the Midwest!