Would it be too tacky to have a cash bar at a wedding reception?

Question

I have been to weddings where there was an open bar & people got falling down drunk, underage kids were drinking, people made fools of themselves and if you aren't serving dinner, this is far more likely to happen.

Answer 1

I've never been to a wedding with a cash bar. I've never seen falling down drunk people or minors being served. We offer rides home for anyone who wants one. Most venues would be sued for liability just like a bar if this happened. Of course I'm in Michigan and maybe we have stricter liquor laws here. They do card everyone.

Anyway I feel as a host, it would be insulting to my guests to charge them. If you can't afford to serve alcohol, don't. Have a dry reception. Another option would be just to serve beer and wine. You can also limit what you serve. No one says you need to have 21 year old single malt scotch.

Answer 2

I don't know if I would call it tacky. I think its totally lame...never been to a cash bar wedding. I've been where it was a cash bar until after dinner, and that was ok. Everyone at your wedding probably broke the bank a little to get you all the gifts you're gonna get to start your new life. The least you can do is treat them to a meal and some drinks.

You also have to guestimate how much everyone will drink. If there are a bunch of booze hounds there they won't mind paying for their drinks, but if you don't expect that many inebriated guests, then why not flip for the bill.

Just an opinion. Congrats.

Answer 3

Yes, it is tacky. You are throwing a party, you don't ask the guests to chip in. If you can't afford an open bar, then don't have one. There are options though. You could have a champagne toast and wine only, beer and wine, or any other combination you can think of. If guests don't like it....tough! It's your wedding and you do what you can afford. Just don't ask the guests to pay for what you cannot. Depending on where you have the reception though may dictate if you can pick and choose your alcohol. You may not have a choice. It's either full open/cash bar or nothing. I was lucky enough to get married in a museum where the caterer didn't supply the alcohol. I found a state store that helped me purchase the right amount of alcohol for the # of guests I was having. I stayed with my budget. Any unchilled wine and unopened bottles of liquor I was able to return and get some money back. Good luck with your decision

Answer 4

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 5

Absolutely, a wedding is no different than any other party you might have even though some people don't feel that way it is. It's no different than a birthday, christening, anniversary, etc. a party is a party but today folks seem to think they have to spends thousands of dollars for a wedding and they don't have a house yet, it's your future folks and the only reason people have big fancy weddings is to impress others.

Having gotten that out of my system let me tell you why it's tacky, people are spending money on your gifts and it is your party so they shouldn't have to pay for their drinks as they don't have to pay for their meals which is this other tacky thing I don't get. A solution would be to pay for wine and beer and soda and if they want something stronger then they have to pay for it themselves. I went to an occasion where they did that and it was fine.

Good luck.

Answer 6

I thought Id add my 2 cents. When my BF and I started discussing a wedding I found out about an almost disastorous family wedding because it was ALMOST a cash bar, last minute they paid for an open bar.

On his side of the family, if nothing else, there MUST be an open bar. Even if that means someone else in the family paying for it (or several people contributing).

I think its silly. Ive been to weddings where every table got a couple bottles of champange plus free sodas, and after that it was a cash bar.

Answer 7

YES! Would u invite friends over for dinner or a party and then ask them to pay $2.00 for a soda or $4.00 for a glass of wine? Many guests will be upset by it. I've never been to a wedding with a cash bar and if I did go to one, I would think its tacky.

-Ask your reception hall how much money an open bar would be. Consider limiting the amount of hours the bar would be like only cocktail hour and 1 hour of dinner and not having high-end liquor brands. It might be cheaper than you expect.

-If your wedding is during the day, just have one or two alcoholic drinks like sangria or peach bellini. If at night, offer just wine and beer along with sodas. This way you save while not making the guests mad.

Answer 8

Yeah, it is tacky... but it's often a necessary evil. If you need to go this route, make sure that you have *some* drink available for free. It could be a Champagne punch or the house wines. People will know that an alcoholic beverage was provided, but if they want that rum and coke - it's available, but they are on their own.

(We did open bar for 4 hours at our reception (we're middle class) - it was part of a package, and really was A LOT cheaper than we thought it would be. We have left receptions early when we discovered that their white wine was $5 a glass, and I knew I could buy the whole bottle of that brand for $6.)

Answer 9

I know people say it is tacky to have a cash bar and that you should only serve beer and wine instead. I understand where you are coming from about people getting sloshed and acting like fools all over the wedding.

What my HTB and I have planned is we are going to print up drink tickets. Each person (ahem, adult person) will get their set number of drink tickets, say 5 each, and they can get whatever they want for free. After that its cash bar with free non-alcoholic drinks all they can handle.

People have knocked me as being tacky (and I will concede that its not the norm) but the way I see it's responsible since we can't afford to pay for cars to drive everybody home after they sit and get tanked for a few hours at the reception. I'm not going to have 100 DWI's out on the road because of my wedding.

Answer 10

Not at all. For my daughters wedding we had open bar for the first $250, then it was cash after that. But we also had a keg of beer, wine with dinner and champagne toast.

I wouldn't be offended attending a wedding that is cash bar only for all alcohol. Its so expensive, and I think the money could be put to better use. Like a home or college/staudent loans!

Good luck!