Open Bar vs. only serving Champagne Toast and beer and wine

I think serving regular drinks is just fine for your renewal and I'm sure he'll be just fine with going to a bar afterwards for everybody to eat, drink, and be merry..with their OWN money! That's what I'm planning on doing for my wedding and I think it's a great idea and a great compromise for the both of you! Good luck!!

Two things come to mind when I think of beverages, budget and your guests. If you would like to serve liquer, you have options such as open bar for the first 2 hours, or you'll pay for the first $500 in which guests will have to pay after that point. It's a bit of a hybrid between the cash and open bar. Your budget will help guide the decision of open vs wine/beer... the type of guests you are going to have will tell you what kind.

Thank you both for your replies. My sister did that for her wedding and gave no indication that the rest of the night (after having an hour or 2 of open bar and the rest cash bar) as a guest at a reception, I felt offended having to pay for drinks at a Semi-formal Wedding. Ours is very casual for a Crawfish Boil/BBQ. I've suggested doing signature drinks to him such as Hurricanes which I love and is a signature drink in Louisiana, and suggesting to have a drink that he loves as a compromise. As a guest at a reception, nobody expects to pay for their own drinks and very few guests bring cash to weddings. I don't want any guest feeling obligated to fork over cash for drinks, but at the same time I don't want to be rude and let them know it's a cash bar besides for paying for drink tickets. He's against the drink ticket idea for as much as we're willing to pay. At least the after party I won't feel mean for making guests pay for drinks.

I would be interested in hearing what everyone recommends as well!

We were thinking of having free non-alcoholic drinks, free beer and wine, and two signature drinks that follow our fall theme. I'm thinking mulled wine and a gingerbread Manhattan -- whisky and gingerbread syrup, since we also have a Scottish Celtic theme and no one in the wedding party actually drinks scotch.

The estimate from our caterer was about $600 for free wine and beer for approximately 75 guests, but I think that may be a little low, and it doesn't include the signature drinks.

Hope this helps, and advice from anyone else would be much appreciated! I was worried about people feeling insulted at coming to a formal wedding and getting a limited amount of free alcohol.

I guess I'm posing this also as a parent and having not only our own child there, but kids will be at our reception and I know my brother who will be 17 will be tempted to get people to buy him drinks (I'm very overprotective of my younger brother) and was going to suggest to him since he hardly sees my son where my bro lives in Mass, we live in VA and my sister and her kids live in TX is while we're at the afterparty with our guests that he could have a night in with my sister's twins and my sons (some uncle/nephew bonding time). I wouldn't want him too drunk to take care of our kids, especially since my sister and I won't leave our kids in the hands of just anyone. I think for the fact of kids being around, the more non-alcoholic options that are available, they'll be content with that, and if anyone wants to have drinks later. Would it be rude to even just do open bar for 1 or 2 hours and then serve wine/beer the rest of the night and non-alcoholic drinks?

Why not make the day last longer!?

I would think regular drinks with an option to have wine and beer would be a great compromise! Have out enough for everyone to have a couple and let them drink at the after party. Nobody will will even remember about how great the open bar was after the fact...but you guys might be remembering that tab for a while...

We are doing beer, wine and sodas at our reception to save money. One of my bridesmaids went to a wedding that did this and she said it worked out great. Besides, most people like one or the other anyway and I think it's a good compromise between no alcohol/cash bar and an open bar.

For those opting to have beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks (or anyone that has been to such a wedding!) do you think it is acceptable to also provide a cash bar in addition to the free beer and wine? Or best to have a limited selection only, so that everything is free?

Your idea of serving beer and wine is a happy medium. I would also suggest not having a champagne toast and letting your guests toast with what they're drinking at that time. It will save you money. You might want to consider beer, wine and a signature drink along with the soft drinks you mentioned. Your bartender can also keep an eye on anyone that has had too many drinks and stop serving them alcohol. You may want to consider having taxi cab business cards available for those who may need a ride home at the end of the night.

Vanessa Alce

Alce Events Inc.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I especially love the idea of having business cards for a Local Taxi Cab company onhand, however that might add to my research for the vow renewal, but well worth it, especially if we can't have it at a resort and are lucky to see if one of my hubby's relatives would just be kind enough to lend us their back yard for our event, granted we pay for everything. Since it is a destination Vow Renewal for us, I don't know of any taxi cab companies out there, which is why I'm trying to figure out having everything within walking distance from eachother so that cab fares won't be expensive. I love the idea of Beer since it goes with a Crawfish Boil, as well as having wine on hand for the non-beer drinkers, and soft drinks for those who do not want to consume alcohol. I could always tell my hubby if he wants his fave drink of a Tequila Sunrise to be a drink offered, we can do that as a signature drink with hurricanes and a champagne/sparkling cider toast.

And if we have the after party at a bar, if anybody wants anything else to drink, they can pay for it themselves at the bar.