Open Bar

I think it is cheaper to do one or two. I would say do what you can within your budget.

I would think two might be ok if you’re also doing a full bar. Maybe one light & one dark? I don’t know beer so I’m not much help!

I think 3 sound perfect!! It’s an open bar, your guests will love you!

I think whatever you prefer is what you should do!
i know we will be getting 2 different beers (a light and a dark) for our wedding day. i think the guests will appreciate whatever you decide!

Are you going to have guests pour their own drinks? From everything I’ve heard and read, it’s always better to have at least 1 bartender to serve instead of guests doing it themselves. A lot of people on WW went without one and the guests ended up getting drunk super quickly and started causing trouble, and the alcohol was finished before the end of the night.


We’re providing our own open bar but will be hiring a bartender for this reason. If you’re also having it at an outdoor venue (instead of a house, park, etc.), I would check with your venue that they don’t require you to have a bartender. Ours (and the other byob venues we saw) required one

Without bartenders, how will drinks be made? Regarding beer choices, 2 or 3 beer choices is good. I would do a basic light lager (Miller, Coors, Bud) and maybe a darker craft beer that is local to your area.

You may want to be clear on the legalities of this--many venues prohibit self-serve bars/bartender-less events with alcohol.

We are doing 3 beers with our open bar. I would recommend a bartender though as mentioned previously. Ours was $420 for 1 bartender, 2 servers and 6 hours of service. Will def be worth it in the end.

I think two beer choices is plenty. Since you're doing a full open bar, guests will most likely go for the liquor over beer and wine when it is offered for free. We're also doing a full open bar. We're only doing two kinds of beer, two kinds of wine b/c we know most our guests will go for the liquor.

I think three is good. Typically I see a light beer, a craft beer (stout, IPA, something more unique), then something like a mexican beer. We had 6 but that's just because our package came with that many.

Please hire a bartender. Who is mixing the drinks? The guests? You need one for liability and to cover your behinds if someone drinks too much. They can cut people off, as well. If we married in our backyard I would have hired a bartender, lol!!!

I'm definitely going to recommend a bartender as well. Aside from the legal reasons (really do double check), a bartender can enhance the experience.

Allowing guests to self serve increases the likelihood of them over serving which means guests get drunker (and rowdier) faster and guests drink more, meaning you actually spend more on alcohol. Also if you are getting wedding insurance, your premium may be higher if guests are allowed to self serve, and if not, you may be liable for any guest that causes damage or injury because they are too drunk. Having a bartender is well worth the expense and could actually save you money in the long run.

If you were having a super small wedding and close friends and family only, I wouldn't emphasize the bartender so much but for 85-90 guests it really is necessary. Most venues and bartending services we looked at recommended a bartender per every 50-70 people, so you might even need two if you are having liquor and mixed drinks, or at least a bartender and a bar back.

View Quoted Comment Thanks for all the insight! Especially about hiring a bartender! Looking into that!