Open Bar?

View Quoted Comment With your logic you don’t really have to provide food then if you don’t want to, right? Clearly no consensus is being made here other than there are different types of hosts. Some are more gracious and accommodating than others..

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This is a good idea depending on what route I go! Thank you!

Can you just do a signature cocktail for cocktail hour or champagne and beer and wine for dinner?

We are having an open bar for the 1.5 hour cocktail hour then for the reception we are paying on a consumption basis, we can put a cap on it if needed, but the liquor, beer, and wine are only charged to us at $3 per drink. It works out in our favor rather than paying a fully open bar because we have several guests that do not drink, and several that won’t have more than 2-3 drinks.

View Quoted Comment I agree completely 100%

I suggest like many others that you look into just beer and wine. There are some weddings that do cash bar but if you do that then be sure to put that on the invite. For my wedding we are doing 3.5 hours of open bar for a 4.5 hour reception. My FH and I decided that we wanted to give our guests an hour to sober up before everyone heads home.

View Quoted Comment That’s a really good deal! That’s probably almost what I’ll end up paying as I am purchasing all the alcohol.

You can designate a time frame or certain amount of money you are willing to spend on open bar and once reached the bartender will close your tab.

We aren't doing open bar at all and according to our venue most people there don't . Cash bar with some free beer and wine.

I'm not a big drinker and don't approve of drunkenness so I have no intention of paying for other people to get wasted.

We are hosting beer and wine for one hour (cocktail hour w/ appetizers immediately after the ceremony). After that, a cash bar will be available- if guests want hard alcohol, that will be available for purchase as well. We can't afford an open bar all night and quite frankly don't care what others think- as a guest, I don't expect free alcohol all evening.

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That was what my FH wanted to do. We've been to a few weddings in MA that were just like this, hence why we got the idea to do it. I will definitely be making sure that we at least host free alcohol for some portion of the night as the FH and I want to. Just going to have to call my coordinator and find out all the info! Thanks for commenting!!

Put like a few hundred down and once that's gone then everyone can buy their own, or buy the first round....we are doing cashbar so we can control how much people are drinking.

View Quoted Comment Absolutely ! I do NOT want drunks at the wedding. It would be dry if I had it my way.

View Quoted Comment You act as if people can’t control themselves and your bartender will overserve people. NEITHER are true.

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Because no one ever gets wasted paying for their own alcohol, right?

Never been to a cash bar wedding, never seen anyone sloppy drunk, except the groom's brother at one wedding, but he was trashed before dinner from bar hopping during the 3 hour gap. Bartenders will cut people off.

People can get just as drunk at a cash bar wedding as an open bar wedding. Only difference is in hosting level.

Our venue says almost everyone does the cash bar. Sure people can drunk on their own liquor but at least I won't be morally responsible for that drunkenness and it's repercussions .

I'm not doing any sort of open bar. Most people go to weddings to get drunk on someone else's money and I don't feel obligated to do that. Some might think it is rude, but honestly, the people I am inviting mean a lot to me and if they want to get butt hurt about having to pay for their own alcohol, that just means they care more about partying than being there for me during my special time.

View Quoted Comment I agree completely! I'm already paying $15/plate for food. I think that should be enough. Are you here to support us or mooch?

I think location also plays into whether free alcohol is considered "appropriate hosting ". I live in a county where the sale of beer has only been legal for about 5 yrs and hard alcohol still isn't. NO ONE would expect free hard liquor.

I would not recommend it. The worst thing is to have it switch. I've had this happen and was really annoyed. Also, it means that people will hoard drinks when the bar is open so they can have them for later. Then your guests are drinking warm watered down drinks.

Cut your guest list until you can afford to provide alcohol, even if it is wine and beer.