Lets talk semi-cash bar

I think a wine and beer bar is perfect. I can't imagine anyone complaining about that, especially if you're paying!

If people really need/want liquor, then they could pay cash...if it was me I would just drink something else instead.

I don't think you can really give some people free drinks and have other people pay, and it's virtually impossible to gracefully switch gearrs in the middle.

Wine / beer / soda is fine. Lots of weddings here do that, even in the pricier venues.

We are thinking of doing unlimited beer and wine and if guest want liquor then that would be cash bar. I don't see anything wrong with it and I think it's regional thing also cuz weddings I went to did cash bar and I wasn't offended about it.

I say do whatever you can afford but don't put anymore stress on your budget

Just do the open wine and beer bar. I'd rather attend a wedding with a limited bar than one where I had to start paying for drinks that were free at first.

Also, and this is just my opinion, I think it could rub people in the wrong way if they see that the bridal party is getting something not available to everyone.

Where I'm from.. It's very common for there to be a cash bar. So screw all the froo froo cash-bar is a no no, everyone will be upset with you notion. If you can't afford it don't stress it. People are at the reception to celebrate you and your FH, if that is going to cost some of them money so be it.

We are having a cash bar, we will have our own liquor license for dinner where the bar will be closed for the dinner and speeches.. with free wine that will be a gift from my dad. Our friends are respectful enough that this will be more than alright.

We're doing a Toonie bar so we still make some money back from it but our guest aren't paying like 4 dollars for a beer.

I would do beer and wine. Not a fan of cash bars. Also I definitely wouldn't give certain people free drinks. Just my opinion though.

Full cash bar = bad

Beer/wine free = okay

Beer/wine/liquor tab = good

Full open bar = awesome

That about sums it up

Maybe the wedding party thing is a regional thing?? Just about any wedding I've been to been in the wedding party and parents get whatever they want. If you have a bridesmaids dress/tux/corsage the drinks just get added to the tab. Most of which will be drinking beer anyway.

I did not mean aunts and uncles etc.

I've never seen it happen except in rare instances where the bridal party has a separate cocktail hour, with really expensive scotch and champagne. Once they join the rest of the group that stops.

Be careful offering guests liquor on a liquor tab. I've often seen people start dancing and set down their drink. When they forget where they put it they just go get another one. I think they forget that even though drinks are free, someone is paying the bill. For that reason, I'm doing a beer/wine/soda only option.

We will still have liquor but it would be up to the guest to pay for it. Of our bridal party only 1 or 2 people would actually be drinking mixed drinks. That's why I am offering it to them. The rest of us are mainly beer drinkers.

@Ashley It must be a Midwest type thing, cause I thought this was totally normal lol

We're also doing wine and beer for guests, with a cash liqueur bar.

Every wedding I have ever been to has been completely cash bar....including soda.

I am paying for soda/juice/coffee and if they want to drink they can pay cash. I'm getting married on a Monday, I'm not willing to pay 4k for beer that probably won't be drank anyway.

Beer and wine would be fine. Where I live, 99% of weddings are open bar so maybe I'm just used to having free alcohol at weddings. Also, I agree with some of the previous posters that it may be weird to have the wedding party receive unlimited booze while everyone else is paying. But that's just my opinion -- do whatever you feel will work best for your guests.

IMO, you do whatever YOUR budget allows you. I'm having a cash bar for the alcoholic beverages. FH and I looked at all our options and our budget and quite simply we weren't going to spend tons of money for people to just get completely drunk.

We are doing unlimited beer and wine and then the venue has a full bar that people can purchase other liquor if they so choose.

I wonder how regional the trend is this might be. Most weddings that I have gone to will have a couple bottles of wine on each table to go with the meal, but a cash bar.

Honestly, I have talked with the venue host, wedding planner, photographer (just because he's been to over 160 weddings), and they all recommend AGAINST an open bar. I like the idea of a toonie bar, it isn't much but helps to moderate things a *little* bit more than an open bar would. I have been to two weddings that have had an open bar, and both had people drink past the point of control and end up throwing up. These were adults too, who the wedding party then needed to take care of and call a taxi for them, or arrange for someone to drive them home.

Perhaps you could put the $1500 toward beer and wine to have available during the dinner time, and a cheap cash bar after? $2-3 per drink, enough so that you make back the cost of the drinks and your attendees don't feel like it is too much.

Hklo: I agree with you! I don't want to have to take care of people who drank too much. And for us, a cash bar was a way of offering alcohol and pretty much make sure people don't pass that point.

I agree with you ladies too! Cash bar gets taken advantage of and no one wants to have to babysit. If they get to the point where they're puking, most likely they paid for it lol