Closing the bar during dinner

Oh that's different. I wouldn't want that cause even when I go to weddings normally around dinner is when we all go get a drink and mingle. Take some celebratory shots together...

I plan on doing this- actually my catering coordinator planned on doing it and made it seem like its not a big deal.. Everyone will probably get a drink at the cocktail hour before dinner, and there will probably be a last call before dinner announcement 15 minutes before & if your guests really need another drink between that time & the end of dinner- they should probably hydrate anyway LOL! It may help that my venue is 2 stories so it helps separate everything (dinner + food on 1st floor, bar up on second with dance floor). I really don't find this weird at all and wouldn't be offended if I went to get a drink and they said I'd have to wait until the dinner service was over.

My experience with that (I was a corporate planner) is when the bar is closed (usually to save on costs), wine with each course is served, i.e., white wine with appetizer, rose' for 2nd course and red (cabernet sauvignon and/or merlot) for third course as red wine wine goes best with meat. This makes for something elegant and makes the meal more special and having staff pour each kind of wine is a real treat for your guests.

You may opt to close bar all together during reception, but offer this special wine during the meal, and then open bar again for just beer and wine. Do a champagne toast, of course.

If you are having a cocktail hour, you may choose to do white wine (goes best with lighter food), beer and a "specialty" cocktail to lower the alcohol costs. But again, that depends upon the venue and what kind of deal they will give you. A full bar is not necessary if you don't want it, and folks love beer and wine, but I wouldn't have a full bar for part of it and then close it as your guests will feel gyped (and it's kinda tacky.) Go all out with alcohol or just do beer and wine, a champagne toast and if you can swing it - a specialty cocktail. You can also see if your venue can set up a special cash bar for the drinkers to buy their own mixed drink, but I'm personally not a fan of this, but you know your crowd and what they like. But this is done all the time. Good luck!

Here's a great link for specialty cocktails: We're doing the "Black & White" Martinis

https://www.brit.co/signature-cocktails/

View Quoted Comment Same here. Seems odd! If trying to save money, just offer beer & wine.

We are having a plated dinner and the bar will remain open during dinner. However our venue has servers who will be available to bring drinks to the tables as well as wine at the table. We are also having Champagne at each place for toasts during dinner.

I have never seen the bar closed though before.

It is a norm in my area for the bar to close during dinner hour. Now when I say close... it doesn't actually close. it turns into a cash bar. If a guest wants to double up so they have two drinks at the table for dinner that is also a norm if you will lol

My open bar will be cash bar during dinner hour.

We are providing the alcohol so we arent closing the bar during dinner, however we will probably be close to or just out of the liquor for our cocktails so we will probably be down to the wine and cider for dinner and the start of dancing but we will be switching to just alcohol free options an hour before the end so that people sober up a bit before leaving.

We're closing the bar for an hour during our dinner. At our venue, we only get the bar for 5 hours, but that can be around a break time. The person we talked to at the venue told us that's what most people do there. Our cocktail hour starts at 4:30, dinner at 6, then guests have to be out of the venue by 11. So the bar will be open 4:30-5:30, closed 5:30-6:30, then open 6:30-10:30. I feel a little weird about closing the bar half an hour before dinner, but we'll have the DJ announce a "last call" before dinner and assure guests that it'll be open again soon!