Should You Have an Open Bar at Your Wedding?

The question of whether to have an open bar at a wedding is a tricky one. Many people will tell you that having anything other than an open bar is tacky since your guests may be paying lots of money to attend and buy you a gift. However, open bars can cost thousands of dollars, which not everyone is willing to spend on their big day. Here’s what you should know about having an open bar at your wedding.

Wedding Drink Options at a Glance

Let’s break down some of the options you have when it comes to providing drinks at a wedding:

• Open bar, fully stocked (wine, beer, and cocktails)

• Open bar, limited stock

• Consumption bar (you pay for actual drinks ordered)

• Limited drinks per guest

• Cash bar only

Open Bars

An open bar means that the wedding hosts will pay for their guests’ drinks. The most expensive option is to pay for a fully-stocked bar that can serve wine, beer, and mixed drinks. Your other option is to provide beer and wine for your guests and maybe a signature cocktail or two.

If you’ll be buying the bottles yourself, as opposed to letting the venue or caterer stock the bar, it’s much less expensive when you limit the number of cocktails you’re serving. Otherwise, you end up paying for entire bottles that may only get used once or twice all night. Make sure not to forget any of the essential items for hosting an open bar.

Consumption Bar

A consumption bar is a little different from an open bar. Typically, you partner with your venue or a bar catering service so that you only pay for drinks that your guests actually order. This can be a better option than buying all the bottles yourself because you don’t end up with all that extra booze at the end of the event. Some people even do things like covering the first $2,000 to $3,000 of drinks and then switching to a cash bar.

Limited Drinks Per Guest

Where things get dicey is when couples try to control the number of drinks per guest in order to save on bar costs or when they only have a cash bar available. Lots of people see this as tacky, especially if your guests are paying for flights, hotels, and apparel, not to mention a decent gift. 

If your guests are not huge drinkers, then a ticket or bar check-in system may not ruffle anyone’s feathers. However, some people do see weddings as an opportunity to party, and they may balk at having to pay for their own drinks. It very much depends on whom you’re inviting and how much you care whether they take offense.

So, should you have an open bar at your wedding? Yes, but most couples these days limit drink options to just beer and wine. If you do have cocktails, serving a small signature collection is a fantastic trick for keeping the costs down.