Who is paying (or paid) for the alcohol at your wedding?

I'm paying and I'm electing cash bar I love being different. 1. I don't think it is rude. Alcohol isn't a necessity. I made see that soda, water, and coffee was included in the meal price. If people want more, that's their choice. I also will say, no one in my family drinks. I have a few recovering alcoholics, so we never have alcohol at any party. I think it really depends on your guest list. There will be maybe 10 people (including FH and I) that aren't going to be over 50 years old. So I'm not having a big wedding party. It's more just of an expensive dinner. If I was having the full blown reception, I would probably lien towards open bar because it's a different type of event. Do what you feel is right and right for your guests.

FIL'S are paying for our bar. You don't have to do anything expensive. Whe it is customary a x polite to offer something to your guests I do not think it is rude to do a nosy bar of just beer and wine if funds are tight.

We're planning on doing beer and wine instead of a full open bar. We're not big drinkers and neither are most of our guests. And the ones that will drink will probably prefer beer or wine anyway.

I went to a close friend's wedding a few weeks ago, and they were having a cash bar until the night before when his parents said it was tacky and rude and paid for an open bar. I'm so glad it was because even though I don't drink too often, the wedding wasn't that great of a time, so the couple drinks were necessary, haha.

Our open bar is included in the catering cost. We are paying for it.

As everyone has said, do not have a cash bar. You should provide at least some sort of alcohol for your guests, whether you choose to just do beer and wine or if you choose an open bar. Typically whoever is paying for the wedding covers the cost of alcohol. Ours is included in our venue cost.

We hosted our guests and paid. We had a consumption bar and had to prepay. at the end of the night, we got $200 refunded to us due to not consuming as much.

I dislike cash bars completely. I think if you're hosting their food, host their beverages unless you prefer a dry wedding.

Emily: is "I love being different" code for "I love being rude and cheap"? It sounds like you wouldn't spend that much to do consumption anyway.

Hey guys, what do you think about charging admission to my reception? Or maybe scalping tickets? I love being different!

We paid for all the alcohol at our wedding.

That's completely different then alcohol. If you can't have a good time without it, there is a much larger problem there. That's all. Everyone has their own opinions. And not everyone is going to agree. Don't make it personal. No need for that. I was just trying to make light of the situation since I know how these threads end up.

Not personal against you, Emily--doesn't matter to me what you do at your wedding. I'm just pointing out the problem with your reasoning. OP has been receptive to advice, which has why this hasn't turned crazy. Why would you persuade her to do something that makes her a poor host after she agreed that consumption was the way to go?

Yes, people can have fun without alcohol. But, will some people be disappointed if it's not available or if they have to pay for it? Yes. Does that make them alcoholics? Absolutely not. You avoid disappointment (and side eye) if you host a bar. If you don't, expect people to grumble and/or take money out of their cards (yes, it happens). People shouldn't have to open their wallets at an event you're hosting. Even if you throw out the "cash bars are normal in my area" argument, your guests will likely notice--and appreciate-- the gesture of providing complimentary drinks.

Just host it, OP. It doesn't sound like you would even spend a ton, and this way, you won't offend anyone. You're on the right track.

My mother is paying for the wedding and open bar is included. I am not much of a drinker so if my fiancé and i were paying and couldn't afford to do a full open bar I would just do some signature wines and beers and leave it at that.

I believe everyone should pay for what they find important and most importantly what they can afford. If open bar isn't in the budget for them or not a priority as they are religious and don't drink then so be it. I would just have to pay out of my own pocket but I wouldn't look down on them. Its their special day and they want to share it with you so just enjoy. If you can't have a good time without free liquor then......

I paid for beer and wine. We didn't have any hard alcohol. I know people here are bashing cash bars, but they're not uncommon in my area and I personally am not bothered by them (but I'm biased because I'd have maybe one alcoholic drink).

That said, if you can afford a consumption bar, that sounds like a good option.

My guests are traveling 1,200 miles to watch me get married. The least I can do is give them some booze.

ETA: FMIL is covering our bar cost. She has elected a consumption bar and will pay the tab at the end of the night.

We will be having an open bar. In the beginning I thought about a cash bar in order to save money but then I started thinking back to all of the weddings I had been to that were open bar and how much more fun I had because of the open bar. lol Then last month I went to a wedding that was cash bar and it sucked. I saw a lot of people who had brought their own bottles of liquor and was filling up their tea glasses with liquor because they didn't want to pay $8 for a drink.

We paid for ours ourselves. Of course, we got a real deal--$250 for 60 guests for 5 hours.

I'm having the same problem I'm not getting married til may of next year I'm in my early 20 and my FH is in his early 40 so we have a lot of age range in out guests but a lot of heavy drinkers in my family so my mom suggested we do the first 2 drinks free then do like 2$ a drink as donations for the bride and groom we have 4 kids and house all that stuff we r doing a beach wedding very low key I'm planning everythin myself so I was thinking buying bulk in the few beverage's we will have for mixed drinks beer wine and wine coolers but still unsure

We're just having beer soda n wine cash bar for all else our venue doesnt do a per person charge its per drink and alot of his family are in mid 20's and every party we go to theres full drinks left at every table our bar bill would be thru the roof

Our parents are contributing some money to the overall fund. So no one in particular is specifically paying for it, the money is just being pooled. That being said, from day one, our priority was good food and open bar. We found venues we liked, but the open bar was charged by consumption and we knew that our bill could be monstrously high with the way our friends and family like to party. We ended up going with a beautiful venue that was not our first choice simply because the package deal including open bar was very affordable. However, I personally don't find it rude to not offer open bar depending on the circumstances. I have been to two weddings that were at a VFW and an Elks Lodge, I knew beforehand that the couple was obviously on a budget and I expected cash bar. However, if you are holding your wedding at a really nice venue and not really holding back in any other areas, it looks tacky to not have open bar. Your guests will likely care more about booze than flowers. So if you're budgeting thousands for beautiful floral centerpieces and then having a cash bar? yea..not ok. Just my opinion.

We are paying for everything. If you can't afford an open bar, consider a limited bar with just beer and wine.

We are paying for the bar tab ourselves, but we are doing a capped bar. Meaning, we are giving the bar $X, and when the bar tab hits that amount it turns into a cash bar. That being said when we did the math we are providing each guest approximately 8-9 drinks each which should be enough for the night and we anticipate it not turning into a cash bar.