Tacky for Cash Bar at Rehearsal dinner?

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Thank you! I also feel that most people wouldn't want to get smashed the night before the wedding, but our friends do like to drink (an FMIL also has a drinking problem which no one talks about so I feel should would absolutely take advantage of the open bar) I'm hoping they are happy we asked to have them offer it.

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I'm the first in my circle to get married, so there's nothing "common" or "Uncommon" about my wedding and what I'm doing.

Also, I Personally wouldn't surround myself with anyone who would talk badly about us among themselves cause we didn't cover their bar tab two nights in a row.

We're considering just doing open bar for the first hour and anything after that would be cash bar. Our guests will only have to wait 24 hours to get drunk on our dime, if they so wish.

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Open Bar for the first hour is honestly just an idea we had to just to get people a drink through dinner.

I know personally I don't plan on drinking the night before, cause I would get hungover, and be a horrible person to be around the next day lol, but I know some people in our circle (especially the plus ones of our bridal party) would appreciate a drink with dinner.

View Quoted Comment Is there any older family or friends in your social group who is familiar with customs whom you can ask? A social circle is your entire family/friend group you interact with regardless of age as opposed to someone else’s family/friend group who has different traditions and expectations.


If you do cash bar, warn your guests via word of mouth as not everyone carries cash these days, to social events or otherwise.

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I asked my mom before posting here, and my mom was also unsure of protocol which is why I turned here.

Our Rehersal dinner is only our Bridal Party (which is friends, cousins and siblings all our age), our parents and our ring bearer who is 6.

Etiquette-wise, covering everything at the rehearsal dinner is the way to go.

I think you should have open bar or at least just beer and wine. People aren't going to get drunk at a rehearsal dinner, but they may want a glass of wine or two. It probably won't amount to very much if no one's drinking that much.

It might be worth a chat with the venue themselves to see what they can do for you for a rehearsal dinner- especially since it's someplace you frequent for special occasions. When I initially reached out to ours it looks like we can customize just about everything in terms of what we pay for vs what we could ask others to do. I think our plan is to cover food and then allow the party to pay for their own drinks as we will likely be opening coming to the restaurant/bar to the rest of the guests as an optional informal welcome party. But that being said, to offset this and as a way to say thank you for all the travel and effort of my bridal party I'm going to be paying for hair and makeup on top of their day of gifts. So I think it really depends on what you can afford and what you imagine to be acceptable in your own social circle.

My family is paying for my wedding - it is quite big, open bar, black-tie optional, and fairly expensive. My fiance's family doesn't have as much money and were a little worried about the rehearsal dinner. We invited JUST the wedding party, their SOs, parents, and grandparents, and it is still 26 people. The cost to upgrade to an open bar from a cash bar was a difference of almost $500 and that just wasn't feasible. Honestly, it depends on who is going to your rehearsal. It IS your rehearsal, and if it family and friends they should know whatever your situation is. Also, the way I see it, they're all about to get as much alcohol as they want the next day lol so if they want a glass of wine or something that evening it isn't too much to ask that they pay for their alcoholic beverages.