Post # 1
Member
21 posts
Newbee
Hi guys! I have a concern in regards to our open bar. As of right now was have three hours of open bar – it will close at dinner in which there will be a wine service and champagne for that hour. This means we have the last hour with no open bar and I am debating whether we add it. It would be $15 dollars a person and it will technically only be open for a half an hour since last call is 30 minutes prior to the end of the event. A lot of our friends are young and big drinkers plus everyone has had to travel really far to be there and I want to make sure everyone has a great time. How big of a deal is this? Do I add the hour?
Post # 2
Member
507 posts
Busy bee
I think that rather than switching to a cash bar for the last hour, you should just close the bar completely for the last hour. I really don’t think that $15 a person is worth a half hour. Not many people can drink $15 worth of alcohol in a half hour anyways.
Post # 3
Member
129 posts
Blushing bee
Are the other two hours during cocktails? Can you make it 1 .5 hrs before dinner and 1.5 hrs after?
Post # 4
Member
8269 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
I wouldn’t add an hour if you only actually get half an hour. Will they adjust the price since you are only actually getting 30m?
I’m also confused on your timeline, are you doing a 3h cocktail ‘hour’, wine service at dinner and then 1 hour of dancing after dinner?
Post # 5
Member
860 posts
Busy bee
- Wedding: February 2017 - historical mansion
BostonBride0917 : See if you can negotiate with the venue. Would you have to pay $15pp for a half hour of open bar? That seems high. If you can talk them down a bit, it might be worth it.
Post # 6
Member
3438 posts
Sugar bee
- Wedding: September 2017 - Poppy Ridge Golf Course
$15 pp seems high for a half hour so I would see if you can negotiate like pp suggested. Also a bit confused on your timeline. Are you saying that there will be open bar until dinner, wine and champagne through dinner service and then no alcohol during the last hour? If so I’m not sure if its the general norm but the few weddings I’ve attended seemed like most drinks were consumed after dinner, especially if there was dancing through the night. So does your reception basically end after dinner?
Post # 7
Member
273 posts
Helper bee
As a guest, I would be pretty pissed if the bar closed early unless the servers kept the wine flowing.
Post # 8
Member
1047 posts
Bumble bee
Just curious, why are you switching to wine/champ during dinner? As a beer drinker, I wouldn’t want to move to wine. I would think there would be a higher chance of feeling sick.
Post # 9
Member
41 posts
Newbee
Personally I think if you are going to have an open bar you should just either have it the whole night or not at all. The last hour I would negotiate it down because by the end of the night everyone will have drank so much theyll each have one MAYBE two. You dont want the party to die down and people get bored at the end though!
Post # 10
Member
21 posts
Newbee
I guess I should have put a time line.
Hour 1: Cocktail hour (open bar)
Hour 2: Dinner (wine service)
Hour 3 & 4: Open Bar
Hour 5: Nada
Petals2002 : We are switching to a wine service so people are seated during the speeches. People dont have to drink the wine but if they are wanting to have something paired with their meal they have that option. It would be a lot for the servers to be taking specific drink orders in the short amount of time they have.
julywed18 : I agree, thanks!
Post # 11
Member
3438 posts
Sugar bee
- Wedding: September 2017 - Poppy Ridge Golf Course
Got it. I don’t see how it would be a lot for servers to take specific drink orders during dinner…I’m sure they have plenty of experience with this. I would either have open bar for the entire event or consider shortening the event to 4 hours since thats when the bar would close. Seems like it could be awkward to continue a full hour after closing the bar but idk.
Post # 12
Member
30 posts
Newbee
Would you be able to just pay for consumption that last hour? We found that it was cheaper to have a consumption bar vs an open bar when half of our guest don’t drink. That should work for 30 minutes.