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When I was younger my uncle got married and had open bar for the first 2 hours. After that the guests had to pay if they wanted more. Maybe you could put signs on the bar saying something to the affect of, "for your convenience we are paying X amount or will be having an open bar for 2 hours, after which you are more than welcome to purchase your own drinks if you wish. And make sure the bartenders let everyone know that there is a cap?
@youhavemyheart - It's not a tacky idea at all. We had a limit for our Open Bar as well in terms of hours that it was open. If people wanted more beer/liquor after a certain time, then they would have to pay. I really didn't want the responsibility of people driving under the influence, etc. So, we decided to have a sign at each of the bars that read "Open Bar 6:00-11:00". If you're concerned about certain guests drinking more than others, you could consider doing some sort of ticket system (i.e. 3 tickets per legal guest). Hope this helps some!
Although I think the open bar for a few hours is a great idea, I wonder if people would be more inclined to drink more heavily those few hours to insure they get the paid for alcohol? Meaning your $500 limit would be eaten up in a hurry! I could be wrong, but it sounds like you are more concerned about the money portion, so I wonder if it would just be wiser to make it completely a cash bar? Maybe spend the $500 on serving wine at dinner for everyone or a champagne toast? Not sure if this helps just trying to think outside the box on this one! It is a toughy!!
I went to a wedding last summer that handed out tickets to each guest as you walked into the reception. That kind of ended the entire debate of people slamming drinks the first two hours. It wasn't tacky at all and that was the first time i'd ever seen or heard of such a thing.
@StAugBride2011: I would wonder about that too. It would be the responsibility of the bartenders to ensure that people don't become ridiculous (double-fisting drinks etc) but I would be concerned about people drinking too much, too fast.
I like the drink ticket idea, in this case, because I think that it would achieve your goals @Youhavemyheart: you want to host a couple of drinks, but aren't interested in paying for a whole night of drinking. The peeps who chose not to drink can always give their drink tickets to someone else, if they wish.
I've gone to weddings where this was done, and it has always been the bartenders that told us (when we ordered the drinks, they said something like "there is an open bar for 2 hours, and then there will be a cash bar)
You know your guests best...will they be the types to try to slam drinks to get in as many free ones as possible? If so, tickets might work well. If your guests aren't likely to behave that way, then I think the time or money limit will be just fine.
I like the drink ticket idea to make sure that the people who drink more/faster don't make it so the others don't get drinks.
Will non-alcoholic drinks be covered throughout the wedding? Or will that be included in the 3-per-person drink count?
@youhavemyheart: I am considering the exact same thing. My venue said they will let me know when we are getting close to the limit and I can decide based on where we are in the night if we want to stop or allow it to continue on. I honestly don't plan on telling my guests. I'm not too concerned with etiquette though or with offending anyone. They shouldn't come to the wedding to get wasted.
that drink ticket idea is COOL. Hmm, I might have to think about that. Maybe include some in the program, and the tickets all overall add up to the limit of what i'm willing to pay.
We have this problem also. I wouldn't have thought of it, but all of the venues we looked at suggested it. I'm guessing they've had issues with people being surprised by the bar bill in the past. I think we will go the route of tickets somehow. I'm afraid that limiting the bar time will encourage people to drink faster in the beginning, which is definitely not what we want. It really is just a matter of explaining it to people, so they understand whats going on.
I've been to many events (not a wedding though) where there was an open bar for a few hours (or an hour) that reverted to a cash bar afterwards. We definitely made a mad dash for the bar and had more drinks than we normally would have during that time.
It's like right before happy hour ends, you get a drink or two just so you lock in the happy hour price.
the one's we were handed looked just like tickets to get on rides at the fair... nothing special. But I googled ticket template free and got some things that came up including a couple of tutorials.
You can buy a roll of tickets that say "Drink Ticket" for like $5 at Staples.
ETA: They're with the raffle tickets.
I think the ticket idea is extremely tacky at a wedding. Possibly the tackiest thing I've ever seen on this site.
I also think putting up a sign would increase the rate which people would drink. I have to be honest - if I saw that at a wedding, I'd probably drink quickly to make sure I got enough.
I think the only way to convey the message is to tell your bridal party ahead of time and let as many people know as possible beforehand that they may wish to bring cash.
Thanks for the ideas bees! I'm going to share with FI and hopefully we'll come up with a solution. We found out that the bar accepts credit and debit cards so as long as people have their wallets (which I think even if I was a guest at a wedding, I'd still have my purse with me or in my car). I just don't want it to be a nasty surprise when everyone's really buzzed, you know? Trying to avoid people making a scene...
We did the math last night and realized that we could easily spend $2,000 if we had no cap or limitations. If the reception lasted 6 hours and all 50 people drank at a rate of $3 per beer and up to $8 per mixed drink... It could easily top $2,000, which is 40% of our entire wedding budget and NOT something we can do.
I also think the tickets are a bit tacky, but in the end it sounds like you are on a budget and I'm sure the guests would understand.
Perhaps you should drop the drinks and only serve open bar beer and wine. I think that's less noticible and more understanding than giving out tickets.
I'm also putting a cap on my cash bar - just make sure the amount is enough so then people don't grumble (there is always someone who will grumble at something and it depends on how big of drinkers your guests are). Since you will be having a small number of people attend, make sure word gets around that there is a limited bar and that people should bring their wallets.
I wouldn't do tickets but I understand the issue with people imbibing heavily in the beginning.
I dont really think there is a NEED to say anything. And then when it's done it's done. People will have credit cards if they want to drink more and if they dont have it oh well.
@upstatebroad: I would give each guest 2-3 drink tickets. That way not everyone is crowding the bar during the first 2-3 hours to get their drinks, and the people who wait don't end up getting jipped while other people down 6-10 drinks in the first hour & use up your $500 right away. The weddings I know about that did a split open/cash bar used the drink tickets, and I think they're a great idea. : )
To the people who are saying that tickets are tacky...what about the tickets is worse than having a time/cash cap limit? To me, the tickets are a way to stay classier, because people won't be as sloshed, and they'll feel more free to enjoy themselves without standing in a bar lineup for the first two hours in order to make sure they get their "free drinks".
I've been to a rehearsal dinner where each place setting had two tickets (the raffle style you can buy at office supply stores) for drinks at it. I didn't think it was tacky at all, but it was definitely a less formal event. I like the idea of putting up a sign at the bar. Have you done the math for an open bar of just beer and wine for like the first two hours? That might be a little more manageable. $8 for a mixed drink is crazy. No one should expect a bride and groom to pay for that.
One thing that is somewhat common where I live in Canada is to have a "twoonie" bar, basically, all drinks are $2. That helps offset the cost of the drinks, but doesn't charge the full price for your guests. Mixed drinks sound very expensive at your venue, so you could limit the two dollar bar to well drinks and beer for example. That would allow your budget to stretch further.
Also, to the OP, I totally feel your regarding the costs of the drinks. Our venue wants to charge $7.50 PER OUNCE OF LIQUOR for mixed drinks. If we choose to have a passed signature drink, it will be $15 PER DRINK. We will either be having a dry wedding, a cash bar, or a cash bar & hosted wine-tasting.
I don't find the drink tickets tacky at all. This way, at least people won't hoard drinks. FMIL told me about future cousin in law's wedding. They had a 'per drink' open bar and ended up putting a cap on it midway through the reception because people were hoarding drinks and didn't remember which half-full glass belonged to who. So they just went to the bar and ordered another one. Tables were packed with half-full glasses that nobody finished, but that had to be paid for.
Our venue manager told me that in their experience, guests drink heavily during the first hour or two and then really slow down. They expect only the cocktail hour to be free, so they get as much as they can in the beginning. Because of that, our venue actually offers a per-guest flat rate, not a per-drink charge for a full open bar. That includes wine during dinner. It actually will be just as much as if we only offered the cocktail hour and wine during dinner.
I think it would be easier to just have an open bar for x number of hours, and the bartenders can tell your guests when they order the drinks. I like that idea better than drink tickets, but I understand the concern about going over budget if you set a time limit, rather than a monetary limit. I think drink tickets would be fine.
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I know the open bar vs cash bar discussion can get heated. I'm hoping this doesn't happen here. I'm asking for advice regarding a limit on the "open" bar, and if you've experienced an open bar with a limit, please share your experience.
We will be hosting approximately 50-60 people at our reception. The reception venue is actually a hotel bar's conference room. Our guests will walk through a door from the conference room into the hotel bar to order drinks. Because it is a hotel bar, bottled beer runs around $3 per bottle. Mixed drinks are quite expensive also.
Our plan is to have an open bar, with a limit. This would mean we would foot the bill for certain drinks (beer and wine, possibly one mixed drink) up to $500.
This would allow for around 3 drinks per person, if absolutely everyone drank. We may increase the limit after receiving RSVPs and getting a better idea from the venue what the drink prices will be.
My biggest concern is how to communicate this to the guests, because after the monetary cap is reached, it'll be a cash bar. I don't want to hear that this is a tacky idea. It is tacky to me to spend $5,000 on beer in one night. I know our families enjoy a few drinks but it is not within my budget to buy them all 10-15 drinks in one night. I just want advice on how to communicate this to everyone so they will be prepared with cash, if they feel the need to drink beyond the monetary cap.