What’s worse: Dry wedding or cash bar?

Is only having beer and wine an option?

Personally i I would much rather pay for a drink myself then to be told I absolutely cannot have one at all. I think if it’s a dry wedding, people will end up leaving during or shortly after dinner.

I prefer a dry wedding. There’s nothing I hate more than traveling to a wedding, paying for a hotel, buying a new outfit and purchasing a gift and then being asked for my card when I try to order a drink.

I think it depends on the formality of the event and the couple.
A very formal wedding I'd expect to see open bar, casual weddings I've only heard of doing cash bars.
A brunch wedding might not even have alcohol depending on how early it is.
If couple isn't big into drinking or religious you shouldn't expect liquor.

I’ve been to both and it’s honestly whatever to me. However, my circle is tight income living in CA, so having alcohol is a luxury that some can just never afford. I would rather a cash bar to at least buy a drink than nothing. I think it’s a ‘know your crowd’ thing. I’m having a full open bar and that’s super unheard of with my crowd 🤷🏼‍♀️

I agree with know your crowd, but also, if you spend a lot on other things (large invite list, large WP, expensive dress), you might want to revisit.

Dry weddings are worse. I can choose not to purchase drinks from a cash bar but at least I have the choice

I have been to so many weddings through the years and never found cash bars a problem, but on sights like this you would think it is the end of the world.

Ugh tough decision. A dry daytime wedding is fine. If was an absolute must for a night time wedding I'd say cash bar is better than no bar. Rather have the option of alcohol at night.

If the wedding at evening and the normal length of time, I’d say a dry wedding is deff worse. I don’t think cash bars are the worse thing in the world but I would find it really annoying to not have the option of having a drink with me meal or during the reception if I’m willing to pay for it.

I think cash bar is better if it's between the two. Maybe I'm not the right person to ask because I'm not much of a drinker (I'll have a glass of wine at a wedding, MAYBE 2...?) but I really don't *mind* paying for my own drinks. I feel like alcohol is a luxury and if the couple can't afford it, why should they have to pay for my luxury? Of course it is nice to offer and honestly I'd give up most other things to try to budget at least a limited bar to serve your guests, because it IS really nice to be able to give them that. But PERSONALLY I wouldn't be offended by a cash bar if I knew the couple didn't have much money (now, if they have a ridiculously extravagant wedding in other ways..... i.e. tons of flowers, absurdly expensive gown, favors, photo booths, etc. and there was a cash bar, THEN I'd probably be annoyed).

But yeah to more directly answer your question lol, I'd rather the option to buy my own drink than not have the option to have one at all.

I’d rather pay than go to a dry wedding, as long as I know ahead of time

Both would be thumbs down in my opinion. That is unless it was a brunch or early wedding, then dry wedding is fine. Maybe that is just the culture of my family and my husbands family, but we really believe cash bars are tacky. And a lot of people need a little pick me up to get on the dance floor, so dry weddings have a higher chance of not having as much hype.

if I’m being honest I would probably bring my own flask to a cash bar wedding 🤭

Imo dry is worse. Some people like to have a drink when they celebrate. I'd take a cash bar over no bar at all.

IMO dry is worse. I wouldn’t mind a cash bar as long as I know in advanced.

I think a cash bar is wayyyyy tackier than a dry wedding and I'd be more "shocked" than if I attended a dry wedding. That being said, at a cash bar I could at least get a drink while I judge silently...

I would prefer to fork over some money for a drink than no alcohol at all.

I really don't think either is THAT bad, if we're being honest. Maybe it's just my crowd and the weddings I've attended in the past talking, but alcohol is like, an extremely unimportant aspect of a wedding to me and I don't even think about it. It's really a know your crowd thing; in some circles dry weddings are the absolute norm and in some circles alcohol and having an open bar is like the most important part of the wedding, and the latter seems to be the case for most weddingwire users. It is what it is, but so long as you're making decisions that align with what your crowd generally expects, you're fine.

Both are terrible (a dry brunch wedding is fine). A cash bar is slightly worse because it feels insulting to the guests, like “thanks for coming to our party and bringing us a gift, buy yourself a drink!” 🤨

View Quoted Comment I agree with you!! I don't understand. Reading some of the conversations make me feel guilty for not being able to afford an open bar lol

I guess I’m the worst of all because I think both are great!