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One of the first wedding questions among my group of college friends seems to be, “Is there going to be an open bar?” I’ve been to receptions that range in the bar department from cash bar to kegs to open bar to only wine to only punch.
Our venue has a pub attached to the ballroom and offers various packages when it comes to the drink menu.
If we could, there wouldn’t be a second thought about an open bar for the entire night! But it just isn’t in the cards for us with our budget. We decided to go with a package that includes sparkling fruit punch, champagne toast, coffee, tea, soda, draft beer, and four wines. We will be spending extra per person to open all the taps of beer, so there will be a variety. Guests will be able to purchase hard liquor if they really need it. Depending on our final head count, we are leaning toward adding a signature drink or two.
I know this can be a touchy subject on the boards, but what are your thoughts on alcohol at the reception?
We did it similar to that set up. We had fewer selections though, 1 beer and 2 wine options. We also had a full bar if guests wanted to purchase something different (which surprisingly many did). I think that’s a perfectly fine selection!
My venue only allows you to serve beer and wine so we are getting a keg and bottles of some of our favorite craft brews along with red and white wine.
We are doing wine and beer only during the wedding. There will be an afterparty if people want hard liquor, but it just didn’t fit our budget or vibe to have it at the wedding.
My friends RD had the same alcohol situation you are leaning towards and it was great! I usually just have one drink anyway, so I grabbed a glass of wine and forgot about it. But it was nice that people could purchase a mixed drink if needed, at a wedding people probably will.
Open bar was included in the price so this wasn’t a worry for me in regards to budge. Thankfully. But I’m an open bar kinda bride.
We are having an open bar, but thats really all I have ever known! I havent been to any other type of wedding, so I would be in no place to judge
I don’t think we will be able to afford an open bar. And honestly after attending a couple of weddings this summer, I’m not sure I want one. A friend of ours got married in May and they had a cash bar at their reception, and it was great! Drinks were still pretty cheap, they had top shelf liquor, and a huge variety of beer available. I think it keeps people from getting too drunk, and you get served better drinks. I don’t know if this applies to ALL weddings, but at reception halls here in St. Louis, if you have an open bar, you’re being served crappy, cheap alcohol, your drinks taste watered down and disgusting, and the only beer available is Budweiser and Budlight.
I really didn’t want to do an open bar. We’re having a large wedding and paying for it ourselves. But SOOOOO many of our guest complained, when my mom offered to pay for it, we picked beer, wine & soda. Still annoying but I’d rather not hear about it for the next decade, so we caved.
I think you did perfect. That is what we are doing for the at home reception. We might add one or two signature cocktails but only because we can bring in our own booze. 
I think that’s a totally reasonable bar! We are doing an open bar, but that’s because it is the ONE thing my fiance said he really wanted. However, my sister did beer/wine and 2 signature drinks and I thought it worked out great!
We’re the 5th wedding out of our circle of friends - 3 of the 4 had open bars. We’re definitely doing it.
But, our reception site allows us to purchase and provide our own alcohol, so it’s MUCH MUCH cheaper that way.
What you are doing sounds perfect. You have a nice selection of beverages for your guests to enjoy. I personally dislike “dry” weddings….just me….but give me some wine and I’m a happy girl 
With four wines and a variety of beer, your guests will be happy!
I think your plan is a great one. That wide a variety of wine and beer should keep people happy, and if there are guests who can’t stand beer or wine then they can purchase a liquor drink. We considered forgoing the liquor at our wedding, but I really wanted to be able to provide that luxury for our guests because I knew some of them would appreciate it immensely, so we bought a few bottles from the liquor store and got cheap mixers from the grocery store. It wasn’t too expensive since we had a pretty small wedding and a bunch of non-drinkers.
Our bar sounds similar to yours; there will be 3 choices of beer, 4 or 5 choices of wine, soda, coffee, tea, and a champagne toast. We aren’t sure if we are adding a signature cocktail or offering cash-bar for the liquor yet.
I think what you will offer is very acceptable. Our venue lets us buy our own liquor and supplies the bartender, so an open bar is affordable. Now, we just need to figure out what to buy!! 
Both FI and I are not drinkers, but our guests are, so it was a must we thought.
I’ve been to weddings with open bars, I’ve been to dry weddings, and I’ve been to weddings where there wasn’t any hard alcohol. I haven’t been to one where hard alcohol was available but you had to pay for it, although I have been to parties where that was the case and I was really turned off by it and just limited myself to beer and wine–not because I didn’t want to the foot the bill but because I hadn’t brought any money with me. So my big question would be are you going to communicate to your guests that if they want liquor they have to buy it, and if so, how are you going to do it so that it doesn’t come across as cheap? Because as you acknowledge, a lot of people think it is in bad taste to ask people to pay for their alcohol, even if you offer alternatives.
We had beer, wine champange, iced tea, soda and coffee and tea. The venue did not have a hard alcohol license. It was fine.
@Heidi: That’s a good question, that we’re still thinking about how to communicate. Since it is a full bar (tied into the golf club) that can take cash and credit or debit cards we may just end up doing some signs on the bar indicating that beer and wine and signature drinks are on the bride and groom.
The problem for me normally is that I don’t carry cash, but I do always have a credit or debit card. Hopefully the fact that the bar can take cards will make it easier that we don’t have to give any type of notice before hand.
FI and I don’t drink and many of our friends don’t drink. We both have various alcoholic family members. Needless to say, it’ll be a dry wedding reception.
We’ll just add more food or dessert. :o)
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Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TX Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations Analyst Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store Manager Engagement Date: March 29, 2009 Wedding Date: April 2011 Venue: The Tribute Golf Club About Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
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