Open bar?

We are doing open beer/wine, but we get to provide it all, so it won't be as much as some others. Cash bars are totally faux pas on these forums, but I have been to wedding before with a cash bar.. I think it just depends on where you are in the country and social norms. Could you do a limited open bar somehow to cut costs? Or only beer and wine?

Cash bar is very unpopular on these forums; just a heads up. I would say that for weddings, open bar is pretty usual/standard though. It’s definitely preferred by guests. I personally wouldn’t want my guests to pay for their drinks so we’re taking care of that, but we are buying all the alcohol ourselves so it fits our budget better (plus venue doesn’t provide). Obviously it won’t be a full premium open bar, but we are gonna have a lot of variety.
It’s totally up to you in the end. If you have the budget, I say go for it. Even if you just do open bar with only beer and wine, that’s a popular option for people on a budget. Some people opt for beer/wine and a signature drink or two. Talk to your venue about your options to see what works best. Do what you are comfortable with in the end, though. Good luck!

We are having open bar, but ours is included with the price per person. Bar will be open for cocktail hour, then close for dinner (standard in our area) with wine on table for dinner, then reopen for 3 hours after dinner. Bar includes draft beer, liquor, wine, and a signature drink along with all the mixers and bartenders.

Can you do a beer and wine bar? That is generally cheaper than a full open bar. I've been to weddings with that and it was fine. I've also seen beer/wine with 1 or 2 signature drinks. I would talk with your venue and see if they are willing to work out some options for you.

We will have a modified open bar. I suppose this is a regional thing, however, I'm confident that in any region your guests will appreciate an open bar. I live in Kentucky, so not a super high cost of living area, and I've never been to a wedding with a cash bar.

I think you'll find this varies by region, with some areas this being a must-have, others not so much. We're doing an open bar the whole time. I would say if you can afford it, definitely do it, because unless you're having a dry wedding (perfectly fine if that fits your crowd), it will add to your guests feeling taken care of, which is definitely one of my goals.

Should also add, if you can't afford it, don't stress, there are lots of modifications you can do, as you're hearing from others.

I am having and open and it is included in my pricing with my venue. Check with your venute see what they will offer you within your price range or your package. You can modify your drinks to your budget. Go with what you feel comfortable with.

I’m having an open bar. However, that’s unusual in my circle lol Most do dry weddings. It’s a know-your-crowd thing imo. I’d rather have a cash bar than no bar just so I can get one cocktail for the evening as I like a drink with my dinner 😊

In my area, open bar is the norm

I agree with what others have said about how it really depends on where you live.
We’re having an open bar because it’s included in the price per person (7.5 hour open bar), but I have a friend getting married 3 months after me who has a non-consecutive open bar that will close during dinner. So it all just depends.

We’re doing open beer and wine. We’re not even allowed to have liquor at our venue so that helped make our decision!

I dont know where you're from, but this is a bit of a regional question.

We're from the midwest. Cash bars are super common here.

I think almost any reception I've been to has had a cash bar. I say that and know that many of the weddings I have gone to have been thrown by people with plenty of money. (No shade, just facts.)

My fiance hates cash bars... til it comes to pay for an open bar. (And I say that knowing the weddings he's been to have been thrown by people less well-off than the weddings I've been to.)

Our venue doesn't have an established bar, so we're doing wine and beer only. Maybe a specialty cocktail or two, we'll crunch those numbers when we get there.

But it was a compromise as we didnt have a cash bar, and we dont have to worry about funding an open bar.

I'm having an open bar. I haven't been to a wedding with a cash bar, but I have been to weddings with limited offerings such as beer and wine only. I prefer open bar personally but if you can't have it, nbd. Just be sure your guests know ahead of time!

It really depends on your budget and the area you live in! We are doing an open bar, but we have to purchase all liquor, beer, and wine. Can you do a semi-open bar with beer, wine, and some signature drinks to cut the cost down?

I am not against a cash bar, but you do have to think of it from a guest’s perspective. They are coming to an event probably not expecting to pay for anything - especially if they give a gift. In addition, will they know to bring cash for the amount they want to drink? I know that I personally hardly ever carry cash on me that would get me past a couple drinks. Everyone is different. If you go this route, I would put it on your website somehow so people can expect it!

I think cash bar is a bit outdated. Could you do beer wine only?

We had an open bar! We would never have had a bar where people had to pay for their own drinks. We would have done beer/wine instead to make it cheaper.

5 of the weddings I’ve been to have been a modified open bar (beer/wine/signature drinks), 3 (not including our own) have been an open bar (beer, wine, liquor), and 2 have been dry (one was a cake and punch reception and one was a “normal” wedding).

Look at it this way - if you invited your friends and family to a party at your home, would you expect them to pay for their drinks? Probably not...you would purchase whatever variety you wanted to serve, and your guests would survive with what was offered.

That's how I look at a wedding. Does it need to be full bar? No - it should be what you can afford to provide so your guests have reasonable options without having to reach into their wallet.

It depends a lot on the region. In my area (NY metro area), open bars are the standard. When we were looking at venues, all of them actually included open bar as part of the standard package. The bar is also open the entire time of the cocktail hour and reception.

It's a nice thing to do for guests if you can afford it. I view at as a hosting thing: I invited you to my party so I am serving you food and drink. However, I don't know if anyone would really be furious if they went to a wedding with a cash bar. In my area, they just may be confused at first.

We have a 6.5 hour premium open bar (it was included in the cost of the venue/food) but comes out to about $6k for 200 people. I think it it's in budget, definitely go with the open bar, or at least beer and wine and charge for liquor. It's not a requirement (unless your in my family lol) but it is definitely a nice thing to provide if you can.

So many people on here are super judge about cash bars and make it seem like it’s the most rude thing you could ever do to a guest. BUT I have never been to a wedding where it was not a cash bar nor have I ever been offended as a guest that I had to pay for my own drinks. So, that being said we are having a cash bar. I know it’s an unpopular opinion on here but even if I did have an extra $4,000 floating around I would use it toward the honeymoon over paying for my guests to get drunk in a heartbeat. That’s just me though