Is a cash bar okay for my circumstances?

Host a consumption bar or beer and wine only. FOR FREE

Do whatever fits your budget. If you can't afford it your loved ones will understand.

I don't think a cash bar is okay under any circumstances. You're still asking guests to subsidize a part of your wedding expenses. Ask the restaurant about a consumption bar. You'll only pay for what people drink, which shouldn't be much if you describe your crowd and wedding correctly.

Other than that, you can cut your guest list to a size where you can afford to host everyone properly.

At minimum, offer beer and wine. Guests should never have to take out their wallets at your wedding. Not having a shower or any other pre-wedding events does not change that.

Guests should have alcohol & paid by you. Whether it's open bar, consumption bar, or beer & wine only, do supply alcohol. If you can'r afford any of that then cut you guest list so you may host your guests.

Cut the harpist and ice cream truck and serve beer and wine, for free.

Cut the ice cream truck to have the funds for a consumption bar of only beer and wine.

My mom/Family thinks it’s acceptable too,my mom personally thinks open bars are a hoax from the wedding community.
I would rather have an open bar than a harpist, but I would rather get free ice cream then alcohol your call

View Quoted Comment

My entire family thinks the same way. I have only ever gone to one open bar wedding, and that was just last year. I didn't even know open bar weddings were really a thing until wedding wire.

I agree with pps, cut the unnecessary extras (harpist and food truck) and do consumption beer and wine. If no one is really a big drinker, it won't be very expensive.

Personally, I'd super side-eye something extra like a harpist if I had to buy my own glass of wine for dinner.

You won't get many people to condone a cash bar on here - it's not wonderful etiquette, to be sure. In most situations I'd say cut the ice cream truck and have an open bar, but you know your guests better and it sounds like maybe they'd rather have the ice cream. Besides "etiquette," the problems I see with a cash bar are that 1. even if you spread the word, it'll still catch some people off guard and they'll end up awkwardly thumbing through their wallets and maybe having to say "nevermind" or ask another guest for a loan just to get a drink. This happened to me at a gala once (we had paid a lot for tickets and assumed drinks would be free based on that, but they were $15 each and we had maybe $10 in cash left after cab fare, so a friend we didn't know well ended up buying our drinks and to this day I remember the whole event by that embarrassment) 2. It could end up defining your night and be all some people are going to remember. 75 people is still enough that even if none are big drinkers, several will be highly anticipating booze - a lot of guests find this one of the best reasons to go to a wedding (sorry, that's the cold truth). 3. The fancier the rest of the details are, the ruder it makes you look if you skimp on the bar, essentially saying your décor, fancy restaurant, dress, etc. were most important, and your guests have to pay their own way to pick up the slack.

So I would try to squeeze something into your budget at all costs.

I would cut the harpist or at least the ice cream truck. Have a consumption bar. If few people drink the bill shouldn’t be high.

I don't think a cash bar is ever good etiquette or "okay". Consumption bar sounds like the right option for your situation.

View Quoted Comment Lol at call good hosting a hoax 😂 Love your mom

A cash bar is never appropriate under any circumstance.

Cut the harpist and ice cream truck and host beer and wine only. Or wait a few years (you are young there is no rush) and save money to properly host your guests.

Another option is to do a consumption bar (you and your FS pick up the bar tab at the end of the night but, you are only paying for what people consume).

To be honest, $700 doesn't seem like alot and it looks like you have more than a year to go to save the cash if you choose to do so. But every budget is different so a consumption bar might be the way to go. That tends to work for couples with a light drinking crowd. Just be sure your food meets the food and beverage minimum before the drink costs are included.

I would cut the harpist and the ice cream truck. Have a consumption bar.

Just do a consumption bar and only pay for what is drank. If they truly aren’t big drinkers, your bar tab will be very small. We had an open bar for three hours and a consumption bar towards the tail end of our reception. Our guests were all pretty big drinkers but they weren’t during the last hour and a half. The bar tab was so minimal, it didn’t even make a difference and was a great way for us to save instead of paying another full hour of an open bar per guest.

View Quoted Comment Just cash bars, and you don’t have to harass my entire families beliefs, I’m sure some things your family thinks doesn’t match up either.
I am doing an open bar at my wedding.

Yeah I really don't think there is any circumstance where cash bar is OK, and certainly not this one. Cut your guest list if budget is an issue, but you are asking your guests to help foot the bill for your party and that is not OK no matter how old you are or how much you are willing to spend. Cut the harpist and Ice Cream truck and do a consumption bar with beer and wine.