Post # 1
Member
6431 posts
Bee Keeper
OK, so, I wanted to try to settle the open vs cash bar debate.
From what I can gather, those who think it’s ‘wrong’ to have a cash bar/partial cash bar are from places where it’s crazy cheap to have an open bar; those who think it’s fine to have an open bar, are from places where it’s crazily expensive to have an open bar.
Eg. We’re paying $7k for alcohol, which, from looking at threads on here, is right at the top end, and well beyond, what most people pay (this $7k will provide 2 glasses of champagne and orange, 1/2 bottle wine/2 bottles lager/2 bottles cider, and 1 glass of champagne for 54 day guests, non-alcoholic drinks for another 5 day guests, and $3750 behind the bar for 100 evening guests). For a fully open bar, for the duration, we’d be paying around $11-12k conservatively, if not more.
SO… How much are you spending, and are you having a cash bar, a mixture of cash and open (like we’re doing; an amount behind the bar for certain drinks, but with a limit), or fully open? Would be interesting to see if there’s a trend!
Post # 3
Member
474 posts
Helper bee
Our food and drinks are together, but for 125people its 16,000 for both.
Post # 4
Member
1721 posts
Bumble bee
We only offered beer and wine selections for our guests. If they wanted mixed drinks. they purchased them. But we had alcohol available so it wasn’t a “cash” bar per say. For beer and wine, we paid $1250 since they charged by the case and bottle of wine.
Post # 5
Member
169 posts
Blushing bee
We will be having a bar tab of $2000 for beer, wine, non alcoholic and when that runs out they can pay for themselves. So I guess open bar until it runs out lol
Post # 6
Member
2143 posts
Buzzing bee
Ohh I voted wrong! I meant to vote: Open bar – $5000+ but accidentally voted cash bar. Whoops.
Post # 7
Member
2874 posts
Sugar bee
full open bar 65 dollars pp. 50 pp – just over 3k
Post # 8
Member
6431 posts
Bee Keeper
@kate_goat: OK, I’d vote Cash/open
Just to clarify guys: if you aren’t offering free drinks all night, vote cash/open, or cash; open = free drinks for the duration (I don’t count an ‘open’ bar for 2 out of 4 hours (for eg) as an open bar)
Post # 9
Member
1572 posts
Bumble bee
We are having open bar for 5 hours, with all alcohol (beer, wine, hard liquor) for $2925. This is for 65 guests.
Post # 10
Member
209 posts
Helper bee
@barbie86: My parents paid, so I’m not exactly sure how much it cost, but we offered cocktails or beer immediately after the ceremony, 1/2 bottle of wine per person with the meal and champagne for the toast. Then everybody was on their own!
I think it very much depends where you’re from. Most people do the same as we did where we live. I’ve certainly never been to a wedding with an open bar, and I wouldn’t expect to. It seems much more common in the US.
Post # 11
Member
523 posts
Busy bee
- Wedding: March 2013 - Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
We provided the alcohol and mixers and the caterer provided the bartenders for our 180 guests. The alcohol and mixers were about $2000 and the two bartenders for 5 hours were only $600. It turned out that we had a ton of leftover wine and a few bottles of liquor that we returned to the liquor store the next day, but my parents handled that so I’m not sure how much money we got back.
Post # 12
Member
492 posts
Helper bee
in my area the alcohol is almost always included in the price per person, so i’ve never heard of this even being a debate until now.
Post # 13
Member
2437 posts
Buzzing bee
@barbie86: 100 guests (12.50 pp), beer and wine.
ps. does not include tip and tax :).
Post # 14
Member
6431 posts
Bee Keeper
@elindsp: This is what I’m driving at. In the UK, as you probably know, open bars are very very rare, due to the cost of drinks here. I’m always astonished by how blimming cheap alcohol is elsewhere: eg on a thread earlier, someone was providing a fully open bar (inc top shelf drinks) for 4 or 5 hours, for 250 guests, for just $5800!! We’re paying $7k, so, $1200 more, and getting nowhere near that lol; and if we aksed our venue for an open bar package they’d laugh in our faces 😉
Post # 15
Member
209 posts
Helper bee
@barbie86: Yeah, I doubt very much our venue even offers an open bar option!
Post # 16
Member
297 posts
Helper bee
Our open bar for 100 guess will be $1000(or less). However, we are allowed to bring in all of our own alcohol. Other venues we looked at were charging $30+ pp.