My wedding is going to be at a very prestigious resort, and no one will be expected to be drunk. All of my guests know this is to be expected, so does anyone think it's necessary to have an open bar? I just don't want to have to pay for an entire bottle of liquor if only one person is drinking gin and tonics or something. Is a beer-wine-champagne bar better for this situation? Thanks!
2007-06-25 07:12:09 · 40 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
Ok no open bar is def, tacky. Not only are your guests giving you a gift they also have to pay for there own drinks? If your wedding is at a fancy place like you claim no open bar will make you look cheap! I f you are reasponsible adults which i'm guessing you are, everyone should hold there liquor and not do anyhting stupid. I've been to several weddings in my life, all open bar, and nothing crazy or bad has happened, liquor has only made it even more fun! I would doube think it beofre you go through w/ it! Either your friends and fam need to grow up and learn to hold there liquor or you need to stop being cheap and cough up the couple hundred bucks!
2007-06-25 07:28:17 · answer #1 · answered by NY Yanks Girrl 4 · 6⤊ 1⤋
If your reception is at a prestigious resort, an open bar is expected. In most cases, an open bar would be a set price per person for a set length of time, not by bottle opened.
I know there are people who do get drunk at weddings, but that really isn't typical. Guests generally appreciate drinking whatever it is they normally drink, whether it be a gin & tonic or a beer or whatever.
Beer/wine/champagne is fine, but I believe open bar is always the most preferred option.
Cash bar is always the worst option.
2007-06-25 07:41:58 · answer #2 · answered by melouofs 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I've planned and performed at hundreds of weddings and I've NEVER done one that didn't have an open bar. Likewise, I've never seen a beer/wine/champagne bar at a wedding either (except at a few backyard/home weddings I was invited to that were on a tight budget).
You don't have to go crazy on the bar particularly if you don't think people will be drinking a lot. You should not be charged for bottles of liquor that have not been opened. If you paid for them up front, they should be credited back to your account. The opened bottles are then yours to take if you want and if the resort keeps them, you should be credited even more because you know that leftover liquor will be either sold at their own bar on regular business days or used for cooking in their restaurant.
And since you're having the wedding at a "prestigious resort", having just a wine/beer/champagne bar will look cheap by contrast. As far as not wanting your guests to get drunk...they're your guests...not your kids. The idea is for everyone to have the best time possible and if someone does overdo it, it's for the resort staff or your family members to deal with it as discreetly as possible so as not to ruin your special day.
2007-06-25 10:37:10 · answer #3 · answered by Chanteuse_ar 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If no one is expected to be drunk then, go with an open bar and pay based on consumption. You know the crowd so, you will be able to put forth the best decision.
As for a cash bar being tacky, again it depends on the crowd. I've been to a few weddings that have had a pay bar and nothing bad happened. I've been to a wedding with an open bar that had someone get into a serious car accident from drinking too much alcohol, but that's a personal decision that he made. Anywho, you just have to know your crowd.
2007-06-26 11:25:11 · answer #4 · answered by Gabrielle_Wills 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The level of available liquor has nothing to do with being tacky or not. It's perfectly acceptable to provide beer, wine, and champagne and let it go at that, or a single champagne toast, or hold a completely dry reception. None of these options is tacky, though some will obviously be more popular with certain guest lists than others.
The only liquor option that is tacky is any version of making the guests pay for their own drinks.
If you prefer to offer your guests beer, wine, or champagne, I think most people can find something to drink among those choices...or they can have something non-alcoholic.
2007-06-25 07:35:56 · answer #5 · answered by gileswench 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's like this: You are hosting a party. So you offer what refreshments you can afford, and that's that. If all you can afford is beer, wine and champagne, that's fine. If you can only afford wine, then go with that. I've been to many weddings that didn't have alcohol at all, and they were lovely, too. It's not tacky to refuse to have an open bar (even though the leftovers would be an excellent start on your own liquor cabinet . . . :-)
2007-06-25 07:29:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Cut the bull... "no one will be expected to be drunk..." You don't want to pay for an expensive open bar and that's okay. Usually an open bar is by the drink not by the bottle. Beer-wine-champagne (water and soft drinks) are just fine. Have a cash bar available for those who "need" something else.
2007-06-25 12:01:55 · answer #7 · answered by jayjay 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is my take on it -
Whatever you choose to serve at your wedding is your choice, and your guests will ultimately be fine with whatever you choose. Some couples choose to have no alcohol, whereas some have only wine and some have a full bar. Again, this is a personal choice, and there's no right or wrong answer.
I know that in some parts of the country, cash bars are the norm, and that some people will say that open bars can be perceived as an open invitation to get obnoxiously drunk. You'll have naysayers either way...
Whatever you decide to serve at your wedding should be served at no cost to your guests (Yes, I am saying open bar). They are guests at your wedding. You are the hosts of the event. If they were your guest in your home, you wouldn't charge them $5 for a glass of wine with dinner, would you? This should be handled no differently.
I know people will disagree with me, but I firmly believe if you're hosting an event with guests, they're your guests and asking them to pay is rude.
2007-06-25 08:23:26 · answer #8 · answered by sylvia 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think a lot of people assume that a wedding means free food and lots of booze- I mean, why else get dressed up and by a $200 gift if you can't get loaded? LOL. All kidding aside, I think that providing SOMETHING to drink, i.e. champagne and beer and then having the resort charge for mixed drinks is perfectly ok. Most of the time, people stick with the champagne anyway because it goes with dinner and is more "classy" when you are at a nice reception. One wedding I went to had platters of champagne glasses with strawberries in it, and if you wanted harder stuff you had to pay for it. We were actually happier with the berry champagne instead of a mixed drink.
2007-06-25 07:48:14 · answer #9 · answered by Dig It 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't have to have a premium bar, if you and your friends and family mainly drink beer, wine and champagne, I think it's fine to go with a bar that just serves that (along with juices and pop). Open bars can become very expensive.
You can talk to the resort and see if guests that really want other liquors can purchase it, that way you don't have to worry about just one or two people having a drink from a bottle and they can either have a drink that is offered or they can get one that they prefer.
2007-06-25 07:20:29 · answer #10 · answered by MICHELL G 1 · 3⤊ 1⤋