Is it god awful and tacky to have a cash bar at a wedding reception?

Answer 1

Not at all! My ex and I put a few hundred down on the bar and told the bartender to start charging when the money ran out. We didn't have a single complaint.

Answer 2

In your country a lot of Weddings receptions are at the home, in which case the booze should be free. In the UK, most receptions are at a Hall/Club/Restaurant where there is a pay bar anyway. We normally supply the wine and Champers for the main afternoon meal, a complimentary drink (Maybe a Bucks Fizz or a Pimms) for all on arrival too. For the evening dance, a free drink on arrival and a buffet, the rest is pay as you go. As the other poster says, if you really can afford it, the bar would be free, but most people cannot and therfore do not expect it. Mind you, in the UK, "Free Bar" means it is compulsory to drink 4 times your body mass in alcohol.

Answer 3

It depends on your situation but I think for the average couple it is not tacky. We are doing a cash bar because for starters neither one of us are big drinkers so we don't want a bunch of drunks ruining our wedding. It can also be a liability issue. If guests purchase their own drinks from a licensed bartender it is a lot harder to hold the hosts responsible if something happens. Lastly... it's freakin expensive! Personally I would rather spend the evening enjoying the company of our families and friends than only invite a few select people so that they drink as much as they want. I also think people will understand since as long as you aren't rich! We are poor students so our guests should be lucky that we can even afford to feed them : P

Answer 4

Not only is it a bit tacky, but it is extremely rude. Your guests are coming in to celebrate a wonderful event in your life!! They are taking the time out of their lives to be happy for you, the least you can do is provide alcohol along with everything else...

Most parties don't fare well without alcohol either and more people are likely to drink if it is an open bar.

Answer 5

What I've seen at most receptions is there's open bar for 2-4 hours, and then cash bar. I've even seen a few weddings where it's just cash bar, too. It all depends on what your budget is. You should always provide the beer for the entire reception, though. Bud Light goes over the best.

Answer 6

Yes it's tacky and cheap! Why not eliminate the bar all together if you cannot afford to buy your guest's drink's. You could have a "dry" wedding and just serve punch, coffee, tea, or you could also try and buy your liquor and mix ahead of time as to save on getting hit with a big expense at once...or save up for it.

Answer 7

I'm gonna say "no" or people wouldn't still do it. My friends had a cash bar and no one complained. Now, they did have free drinks for the wedding party (just something to consider).

My husbands family are a bunch of non drinkers for various reasons (mainly because one of his aunts was killed by a drunk driver) so we didn't have any liquor at our wedding. No one complained. Half of them didn't notice it not there (his family) and the other half went out afterwards (my family). Besides, depending on the time of the reception, it might be too early for cocktails (our wedding reception was at 2).

Answer 8

i don't think it is that bad. Perhaps you could afford to do a cocktail hour while guests are waiting for the bridal party to arrive. Usually pictures are done between the ceremony and reception, so this could be a good time to buy the drinks for your guests. I know that with the people that I know, I will never be able to afford an open bar. This is your day, not their day to get hammered for free.

Answer 9

It's not "God awful", but it's not something I personally would do or suggest. If you can't afford to have an open bar, a nice alternative would be to not have a bar at all. You can offer beer and soda only. Or make a nice punch or Mimosa with orange juice and sparkling white grape juice. For the toast you can get those individual bottles of champagne to be brought out at toast time. The thing is, it's your wedding, do what you want. But asking people to come celebrate YOUR choice and then asking them to pay for it, just doesn't seem right. Especially since they are already giving you a gift. Good luck.

Answer 10

I say yes. I know alot of people probably wont agree with me and thats fine, but your inviting people to celebrate with you and expecting them to pay for their own drinks. I just dont think its right. they usually have to buy something to wear, then most give gifts and on top of that they will have to buy drinks. I've been to cash bar weddings and they ended much earlier then the open bar weddings and alot of people talked about it afterwards. I had an open bar and it really didnt cost me that much. I skimped on unnecessary things like wedding favours and big fancy cakes that nobody eats and kept the flowers to a minimum. we didnt have a professional photographer either. we used the photos my brother tool and they were nicer then the ones we had taken at a later date by a professional that was a gift. saving on that stuff gae us money to have open bar. If I was having a fancy party at my home I wouldnt expect my guests to bring their own booze so I would never expect them to buy their own at my wedding.

Answer 11

I think it is a little tacky. It just depends how you handle it, though. It is not tacky if you are having your reception at a restaurant and you provide beer or wine, but if your guests want fancy alcohol, then they pay for it. It would be much less tacky if you do provide one alcoholic option, then if the guests are unhappy with that, they can buy something else on their own.