Open bar vs Cash bar

Your initial recommendation is a good balance.

Might be better to do an open bar within your budget like wine and beer only instead. If you do go with a cash bar make sure your guests know! The last cash bar reception we attended wasn't well advertised and there were no ATMs on the premises. Folks were leaving to go get cash or just leaving early altogether.

Edited: Spelling

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Now my response:

I agree with OKD. Your suggestion is the best. Have a signature drink, red and white wine selection, and then a couple half barrels. Come up with an alcohol budget, consider your guest list (who drinks what? and how much?), then purchase through your venue a signature drink, wine, and beer. Cash bars are NOT popular on here and are considered "hot topics" as it's rude to ask your guests who you are hosting to pay for something. Another option would be just beer and wine.

The route we did was ONE keg of beer (a higher quality, local ale), 2 different red wine, mulled wine, and 1 white wine (we couldn't serve liquor at the vineyard due to county laws). Our sweet red wine (a blackberry merlot) was by far the most popular. We ended up having several more cases brought out (it was the most budget friendly option luckily!) and had a limit on our budget so when we reached $X amount, the bar would be cut off. We never reached that amount though.

Wine and beer!

Wine, beer, a sig drink. Please, no cash bars.

Thanks for you advice! I always thought the idea of a signature drink was great! Thanks Everyone!

No cash bar. We are doing an open bar with a selection of beer and wine. We are being billed per consumption afterwards. This works best for us as we are having a small wedding with only a few drinkers.

I like your compromise. Sounds very reasonable.

Please, no cash bar. Your guests aren't going to the club or the local tavern for the evening; they are going to a beautiful hosted event (and you are in charge of hosting whatever is on the menu -- food or drink). My preference, if I were you, would be a signature drink for the bride (something fruity and feminine), a signature drink for the groom (something vodka,whiskey, or rum based), a white wine, and a red wine You don't need a full top shelf open bar. Consider using lower grade liquors in your signature drinks to save some money. Cash bars are a consolation prize, and dry weddings have a different atmosphere (and tend to end earlier -- and they tend to incite people to do liquor runs for the car bars). Beer, wine, signature drinks -- all of them are affordable elements that allow you to host cocktails without breaking the bank.

Wine and beer is what I did!

Cash bars are a huge etiquette faux pas. Don't do it. It's rude and it's called not being a good host. People talk. Maybe not to your face, but definitely behind your back. Just do beer and wine and if you can't afford that, there is absolutely no shame in having a dry wedding. People do it every day and it's a much better alternative to a cash bar.