18
Apr
2012
Apr
2012
A Bride Asks – Open Bar or Not?
Having an open bar can cost a lot of money. If you’re lucky, you’ll find an awesome venue that gives you reasonable prices for their open bar. Otherwise, you’re left with a few options: limited open bar, beer & wine only, or sometimes a cash bar. Making this decision can become difficult because you want your friends to be able to enjoy a few drinks but at the same time you have a budget to stay under and within that budget might be other more important areas you’d like to spend more money on. So I am interested, what did you have at your wedding and why? What were the reasons for your decision?
We understand that bride and grooms have budget constraints, but an open bar is almost a must.
There are ways that we have constructed couples’ budgets so that they can have an open bar.
If you absolutely cannot fit it into your budget, a great way to incorporate beverages is to come up with a bride and groom cocktail (or a couple of choices) and only serve that.
We decided we would cover a consumption bar of wine and beer up to a set amount that is within our budget. Our limit should cover the first hour, which is when most people get their drinks. We liked that we know every dollar we are spending is going to someone’s drink and we are not paying for someone to go crazy at the wedding. Plus it doesn’t limit our offering to one random crazy drink no one likes and if someone wants a shot then they can pay for that.
we are actually not having an open bar or serving any alcoholic beverages at out wedding. both families have a tendency to over indulge and there are a lot of struggles with alcoholism in the immediate family so we decided it would be in our best interest to not serve any alcohol.
we’ve decided that in lieu of an open bar, we will have unlimited beer and wine and two simple signature cocktails. Not only will this help u stick to our budget, but it will help keep the vibe relaxed and low key.