Is 3 hrs. Hosted bar enough? Event 4-11 pm

I think those times are classy and considerate. 9pm is a fine time to stop serving drinks, but if you're worried, you can always cut the pre-ceremony drinks and lengthen the drink time before hand.

Autumn

Let me start by saying I don't mind dry weddings. However, I forsee a few problems with off and on service. Most people who do drink like to have a drink with dinner. Stopping service at this time seems less than ideal. Also, people may do a mad rush to get alcohol before last call and leave shortly thereafter. It really just depends on your guests.

What are they drinking with dinner?

Is it going cash bar from 9 on? I'm not a fan at all of cash bars but maybe it could be an option for guests? Or better yet, is it possible to do till 10 and leave just the last hour dry?

As for signature drink, do you have one? Or are you saying margaritas are what you guys drink all the time so that's it?

I doubt many people will stay til 11 if you stop serving at 9. Most people will leave when they finish their last drink and they’ll talk behind your back about how rude that was.

View Quoted Comment We are unable to switch to a cash bar after. We dont normally always drink margaritas but the wedding is in AZ, and maybe just use the one cocktail drink in the bar package as the signature drink? Dinner will be non alcoholic and whatever they got right before the bar closed for dinner service.

We are doing 4hrs of open bar as such:

Ceremony at 4. Cocktail hour at 430, bar Open 1hr during cocktail hour
Closed at 530pm for beginning of reception and dinner - this will include a separate champagne toast and there will also be wine with dinner.
Open again from 7pm-10pm, the end of our reception is 10pm.

If we did not have the champagne toast and wine with dinner, we would have had open bar...however we feel like we are giving people ample time to get "special" drink to take with them to dinner and providing 2 different types of alcohol during dinner so they should be fine!

I know that as a guest I would be a bit put off by having half the reception as dry. If you close the bar during dinner how are you letting guests know? I would also be one of those guests who would leave at 9pm (or however long it takes me to finish my last drink) and be a little salty about it. My FH would be too sincw he likes to have a beer with his dinner whenever possible.

Sorry there will be champagne toast at dinner

Here's my two cents.... mostly stated before.

I would want to have a glass of wine with my dinner and I KNOW my FH would expect a beer with his dinner. If people finish first are they expected to wait until everyone is done to get another drink? I think it should be served straight through. I also know a LOT of people who don't care for champagne and won't drink it, my FH being one. And I will drink it but unless it's certain kinds I would be much happier with wine. Champagne is a dessert drink, not a dinner drink.

And as someone else stated, I would serve until 10p. It gives people a chance to sober if necessary before driving. Cutting them off at 9, you'll probably see a lot of people leave when the alcohol goes.

I’ve heard of the bar closing at dinner but only after the DJ makes an announcement so people can grab drinks.
I’ve never heard of it closing more than half an hour before the end of the reception. You need to extend it.

I personally think that’s good. I live in a big city where everyone drives and most places cut off alcohol an hour before an event ends. I would enjoy the 3 hours as i wouldn’t indulge that long anyway. If you could do 4 hours that would be good though. This is a reason I’m considering bar on consumption versus hourly hosted. The last hour people begin leaving anyway so i wouldn’t worry about the last one

If you close your bar early expect to for the dance floor to be deserted for a while while everyone gets in line for a last minute drink. It happened at a wedding I went to recently. They announced that the bar will be closing and then they would be starting the first dance and cake cutting. Everything was delayed by about 30 minutes because so many people got up at the same time to get a last drink. They also started leaving after the spotlight dances and cake cutting.

Ours is ceremony at 4 cocktail hour starts at 5pm with open bar till 9pm our reception is over at 10pm so an hour before the reception ends the bar will close.