Open bar... the norm?!

View Quoted Comment We are still looking at our options but we have several friends that did have a 1 hour unlimited bar and then guest could purchase after... we thought what a great idea plus we are having only a private family and friends reception...

People expect open bars, and I know people that actually get mad when there is a cash bar. Which I find to be pathetic. The bride and groom and/or families have paid thousands of dollars for this wedding, and alcohol is ridiculously expensive. I wanted to do a cash bar, but where we are having our reception we aren't allowed to "sell" and therefore have to have an open bar so we are only getting enough for 2 drinks/person.

View Quoted Comment That logic is flawed. First off, guests pay plenty...whether it be in their time, travel, or gifts. You, and potentially your family are the ones determining the amount of guest, therefore setting the budget. Why would one get mad because guests are expecting an adult to host properly? What is more accurately "pathetic" is treating your wedding like some fundraising party. Minimal effort and money put forth, but expecting everyone to be generous and open their wallets for your benefit.

I’m in South Florida every wedding I have attended here or back in my country were open bar. I went to a wedding in Minnesota a couple years ago and was completely in shock when I found out it was a cash bar. I had never heard of that before and didn’t even have money on me!

View Quoted Comment Don't let some stranger bully you into getting something that you can't afford. You deserve to celebrate this once in a lifetime event with your loved ones, whether it means a fully open bar or not. You do what works best for you

I grew up in the south and have only been to 1 wedding that wasnt open bar. Some only had beer and wine, but I still didn't have to pay.

I also think if you and your friends and family only do cash bars to the weddings you have been to. Then if you are inviting them it would be expected to have cash bar. If your friends have hosted an open bar of alcohol to any extent, I think it would be nice to do a similar thing for your day when they come to celebrate you.

Where I live (SF suburbs) it is absolutely the norm. Sorry to be blunt, but I think the type of host you are is completely tied to socioeconomics, with the exception of for religious reasons. I would have been mortified to do anything but an open bar because that would reflect badly on me and my family as hosts. If it came down to it, I would have cut my guest list to properly host the guests I could afford.

Every event I have been to, except one, has been hosted. I even went to a party to celebrate a friend becoming a CPA, that had an open beer and wine bar.

The one exception was a friend who was a former LDS and whose parents are still LDS. She had her wedding without alcohol and it completely killed the party. People couldn't leave soon enough and no one wanted to dance. So that's the risk.

I live in Austin, Texas and I've never been to a wedding that wasn't open bar. Wedding aside, personally, I would never have a cash bar at any event I am hosting.

For the a wedding, the way I look at it is my favorite people in the world are giving up their personal time and spending money to attend an event to celebrate my partner and I, the least I can do is I buy them a nice meal and buy their drinks.

I attended two weddings, both cash bars. I didn't think I was poorly hosted, I wasn't expecting an open bar. I really didn't care that much. I also had no idea it was consider tacky before WW. I live in the New England area.

I live in Vegas and am from LA. I’ve been to a cash bar and an open bar, for me it was easy. I want my guests to have their choice so i always knew i would love hosting an open bar. We’re doing beer, wine, well and call liquors, if they would like premium then that is the only thing they will pay for.

I've lived in the Midwest my entire life and have attended plenty of weddings. Every one of them was open bar. Granted, a few only had kegs of beer, but there was enough to last all night. I've never been to a wedding without alcohol provided by the bride & groom, and every wedding has been in Missouri or Illinois.

I’m from the Midwest and I’ve never been to a cash bar. I’ve been to a couple dry bars, but most have been either open bar or beer and wine. Never been to a wedding with drink tickets or any weird junk like that.

Literally half of the weddings I have been to did not have an open bar, so I have been very surprised to see the passionate responses to anything other than a full open bar. The fact that people deign to accept wine and beer "if you have no other choice" seems a bit condescending to me. I have never had an issue with not having an open bar at any wedding I have attended. I honestly don't think it is as "norm" to have an open bar as some of the more vocal members here wish to say it is.

I'm in northern CA (closer to Oregon border) and I have been to maybe 6-7 weddings here that have ranged from no alcohol to beer and wine with cash for hard alcohol to open bar
I still feel like it is poor manners to expect the couple getting married to provide an open bar. If you can afford it and want to,that's great but it shouldn't be expected.

I’m from PA and have only been to open bars! We are on a budget and we are having an open bar but only beer and a red/white wine! If that’s an option, maybe try that! It will save us a good amount but still have options for the guests! A win/win!

View Quoted Comment I agree with you. From what I’m gathering it really depends on where you are from as to what’s expected. Until WW, I did not know open was even a common thing! FH and I did searching last night and learned a lot regarding open bar. We still are not doing more than a couple kegs because that’s normal here, no one will be offended as everyone suggests.

Ontario, Canada. I’ve only been to cash bar weddings. Actually, when looking for venues, I have found that very few wedding packages included prices for an open bar. I would like to have one, but I think that for many people, an open bar wedding is not something they originally thought of because they have been to weddings before with cash bars and thought nothing of it. I think a lot of people that come to WW asking about cash bar may have been shaped by their experiences.

NYC/NJ/PA/DE/VA open bar is the norm. Sounds like it is very dependent on your area.

That's what I was thinking when I first joined WeddingWire! Of all the weddings I had been to in the South, I may have been to only one open bar wedding (all the others were dry weddings and a couple of cash bar weddings).

Granted, I'm now in the DMV area and have been to several open bar receptions, both here and in the Midwest. Those individuals getting married were older to than the Southern individuals, which budget probably paid a factor.

Needless to say, open bar to dry wedding, I had a fantastic time at all the wedding receptions!