Offering beer and wine rest is cash

I see more guests saying "No thank you" and covering their wine glass with their hand when a server comes around with FREE wine to top off their glass than I do people double fisting/getting drunk.

You make the call on how to host based on your budget. Anything else is trying to justify your choice.

An open bar of beer and wine is wonderful and very generous.

I totally understand the tight budget. There's been a lot of over time worked for us to budget as well, but if you left it at open beer and wine, you'd be just fine! Add a signature drink if you're concerned about the hard liquor... any kind of cash bar option is normally frowned upon... We nixed it because it made sense when you're understanding it from a guest's perspective. My only concern is if your guests have to go downstairs to get the beer/wine as well, and get caught up in the mix with regular restaurant patrons. Good luck!

UO: Just hosting beer and wine is fine. I also think having liquor as an option is fine as well. You're giving a hosted option. If I wanted an actual drink I wouldn't be offended at having to pay for it. However, I might be irritated that I was limited to just beer and wine.

@Rachael: No.

UO: I actually think this is fine. When people only host light beers, I would rather pay to have a porter or stout than have a free bud light. If I liked mixed drinks and didn't like beer, I would rather pay to have a mixed drink than drink free beer. With that said, a lot of people on this forum are against having any form of cash bar so I would prepare for some of your guests to also be annoyed by it. Hosting only beer and wine with no other alcohol drinks is completely fine. My venue is bare bones so I thought it would be very confusing to have open beer and wine bar + cash liquor bar so I'm doing only beer and wine and after I find out my total guest count, I may upgrade to include a signature cocktail.

I would be happy with this. I don't drink beer and I like a glass of red with dinner but I don't want to drink it all night. I'd rather have cocktails as an option for purchase than not at all. If there was no offer to purchase I'd be bringing a flask or if there was a bar onsite I'd go there. Either way I'd be purchasing a cocktail so I'd rather you at least make it convenient for me.

We're doing the same, except we will not offer liquor. It works just fine, everyone gets a drink anyway.

You should be fine with only beer and wine. I would not include the cash bar for hard liquor (it can be confusing for guests). You can do a signature drink if you still want to serve hard liquor.

Did you plan this post hoping for an opportunity to call people mean?

I agree with hosting beer, wine, and sig drink but as the OP is indicating, if this is a public restaurant with a bar downstairs, how is she supposed to stop people from going down and paying for their own drink? She can't. If they want to purchase their own, they will. However, she doesn't have to promote that option. She can have little tent cards or menus listing the hosted options.

I don't see how a cash bar for hard liquor would be confusing to the majority of guests. I don't think I've been to a single wedding where spirits were free. Beer and wine was always provided but I always knew that if I wanted a vodka, I'd likely be paying myself.

Natalie, I was at a wedding just last week where 'well drinks' were free, but call brands were more (I personally think well drinks are fine for most wedding groups....). Every time someone ordered a "jack and coke" for instance, the BT had to explain to them that bourbon and coke was free but Jack was a charge, which inevitably produced looks of confusion on the guest's face, a pause to decide and then time to ring it up. It gummed up the works.

Just beer and wine is fine.

Beer and wine is fine if that is what you can afford. Everyone on here is paying for their own wedding in some way, shape or form so youre not going to get much pity there. Part of the reason we are having a longer engagement is because I know we are going to do a 4 or 5 hour open bar with premium to top shelf liquor and beer and wine. So we are saving our money for that. Our top three budget expenses are food/alcohol, dj, and photographer. We know this and are planning accordingly.

Well that is confusing. I know for our wedding though (and the majority of weddings I've been too) the alcohol that is on offer for guests is written on the menu.

So if you went with beer/wine and cash for rest would it all be at the same bar? You said the bar is downstairs. If the beer and wine are being served upstairs then I would just advertise it as beer and wine. If someone wants a mixed drink so desperately then they will ask someone and be directed downstairs to the other bar.

But if all drinks, including beer and wine, are being served downstairs then I think it gets confusing. So in that case I would stick with beer and wine only. Which is perfectly fine.

Please just offer beer and wine. It gets really confusing to guests if you have to pay for some things and not others.

@celia and that's why I upgraded to the premium bar. It will cost me an extra $400, I got rid of the soloist and trio idea and just went with a violinist to cover the cost.

I think just beer and wine is fine.

We are also paying for our wedding, and have a child, and have regular bills like everyone else.

Beer and wine is fine.