Drinks budget

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YES!!! I think you should allow guests to purchase drinks if they want to. I know i am in the minority (of those that post here, not those in the general population). I would MUCH rather 'open my wallet' to purchase a drink than being told I can't have one at all. Do not over stress about this or blow your budget - just spend your $2k on alcohol and then convert to a cash bar. i would probably just stick to beer/wine though (I think people may drink less of those). Good luck - do what you think feels right for your guests and you and FH.

View Quoted Comment Yeah I agree, thank you!

I'll go totally against the grain here... you're young, your fiance and his friends are young... do you know if any your friends will be staying on-site? When I was your age and heck, even now, there's a certain group of heavy drinkers that I know will pregame it. I would imagine this situation will be the same with some members of your party and if I had to guess, I'd say they're in the same age range, right? You and your fiance need to be upfront with them about the budget you're on and let them know your trying to make sure there's enough funds to cover the bar needs of all the guests and not just the hard partiers. I can assure you, unless they're d-bags, they'll understand. I'm sure that plenty of them will be bringing their own alcohol to the rehearsal dinner and to their rooms if they're staying on-site and such, as has been the case at every single one of the weddings I was in as a bridesmaid in my twenties.

Now if you were my age (41), I think people might have different expectations. But nobody would want you or your family to go into debt so the hard partiers can get drunk on your dime. I would gladly and happily pay for a drink or 2 if I knew going in that the open bar was limited to an hour or 2.

I think people here get a little too hung on all the rules and traditions. I've been to lavish weddings and budget weddings and the make-or-break, "Yeah, that was a fun, cool wedding and I'm glad I was invited to be a part of their day" has never once hinged on whether or not there was an open bar and/or how much alcohol I got to consume. You know your guests best...approach the heavy drinking "bros" and the party girls to let them know the budget (and maybe provide pregame drinks for them but do also be careful with approach...you don't want them drinking too much before go time).

#2 - I may have missed this but how is champagne only $2,000? Seems like a lot.

I really wanted to do open bar so I cut on the guest list, cake, and even some of the extra stuff for the wedding. My main focus is food and drinks and make sure the music is on point, but I was still wondering how much would it cost for a open bar for 40 People? (Open Bar will only serve 2 signature drinks $3.50 / Beer $4.00 / Wine $4.50) I don't drink so I dont have any knowledge on what people drink at a wedding.