We have a full, open bar for the reasons you mentioned, i.e. Limited beer and wine is one of the options I mentioned. Plan your wedding wherever and whenever you want on the WeddingWire App. Our plan is to do a hosted bar of wine and beer. It's an afternoon reception so I don't think there will be all that much drinking and we are glad to pay for our guests. I guess I don't see how excluding some drinkers is okay, or cutting people off after X amount of money or time is OK, but giving 2 free drinks of whatever someone wants and then having the opportunity to pay (partial or full) if they want more than what's being provided by the hosts, is not okay? Trust that some of your drinkers will drink enough for 2, and some of your non drinkers may decide to have a few that night! At the end of the reception, we owe the venue for all alcohol consumed. You can only drink one hour per day, and you can no longer top up. Is there a way to tell her this without it sounding like I'm a jerk and critizing her wedding? Is this really horrible to do for my wedding? Its perfectly fine, I wouldent post any thing on the e board everything that comes out of that board is nasty. I've even heard of some brides doing "wrist bands" or whatever for the drinkers like you're at an outdoor concert or something. Our compromise is to put two bottles of wine on each table, which works out to two drinks per person. Share with your guests to collect your wedding photos. It's too late to change venues. It is horribly tacky, but I agree with everyone else. Talk to your venue. This venue also had a very attentive wait staff. Tickets are a little ridiculous in my opinion, and I really don't even drink. I think I might speak up and try to say that offering beer and wine only is economical and perfectly acceptable. The job I was given was complete. I wouldn't care at all. By The Zola Team Photo by Zola Inc All of the packages at my venue come with full premium open bar included (so does all of the packages at the other venues the company that owns my venue runs). By only offering the limited choices people were drinking what was offered. In Response to Re: Drink Tickets: I'm conflicted with this one and am considering it.in my situation, am worried about people drinking too much and ruining my wedding day because I have two relatives who are obnoxious and embarassing to be around even with 2 glasses of wine. Weve suggested giving guests a mini espresso martini after dessert instead of coffees that everyone else drinks, which weve done in the past. Free wine with dinner (2 bottles/ table) and then 2 drink tickets. Do an open bar with a limited selection. But you're right, having it on the invitation and website would then let it be up to them so it's not on us if they missed out. Some people believe that they are a necessary part of keeping track of how much alcohol is being consumed, while others find them to be an unnecessary hassle. If you do decide to host a cash bar, make that clear to your guests so they know to bring cash or their credit card. In my social circle/area people would probably think that tickets are tacky. Not at all. I like that you are doing a champaign toast and having wine during dinner. Ive got time because alcohol will probably be the last thing we buy, but I like to have a plan and its 3 months away. At your party, youll need to make more restrictions for yourself as the night progresses because the more options you have, the more options youll need to make. This is your wedding, not a hoedown. As Emily said, you are hosting a meal for your guests. Just my $0.02 but I definitely don't think cash bars are tacky. Folks tend to get more tickets if they need them-seen that a lot at office parties, etc. Some with just beer and wine and still a limit. Don't fall for it. After they have had free drinks all night, they don't get why now they don't get free drinks anymore. You and your team will ultimately decide what is best for you on your wedding day. Jaimie Mackey was the real weddings editor at Brides from 2013 to 2015. We're still playing with that idea. All your bar-stocking questions, answered. The issue is that we would have to pay for every guest over 21 and we have several guests who don't drink at all and I don't want to pay for alcohol for non-drinkers. FH doesn't like the beer choices in the beer/wine package. There are so many rules and regulations on etiquette that are not followed nowadays. We had roughly 130 attend and our wedding was fairly big, IMO. We offered to pay for their drinks very quietly but they declined and guess what, they drank wine. Cookie Notice How should we communicate the fact that some wine and champagne will already be offered in addition to their tickets? Optionally, we can pay a set rate per person for Cash bars are common at weddings and other large parties where the host may not be able to afford to provide free drinks for all guests. Is that considered tacky if the bride and groom don't drink at all? It's the in between options I don't understand being less "tacky" than providing guests with X amount of free drinks and allowing them to continue drinking beyond that if they want at their cost (or partial cost in most cases). 3 Things To Consider Before Showing A Movie At Your Birthday Party, Tutorial Tuesday Anthropologie Inspired DIY Felt Garland, Tutorial Tuesday Summer Flip Flop Wreath, Starbucks Salted Caramel Bars Copycat Recipe, A Step-by-Step Guide To Decorating Your Home With Baskets. It was based on a set amount per adult attending, even though I also had several non drinkers. I'm happy to say our social group would never do such a thing (or cash bars). I think that people who expect free drinks all night are tacky. The beer/wine unlimited is $30 per every adult over 21. I went to a wedding a few years ago that did drink tickets for the same reasons. What if I don't like either of those? Timed bars usually work out best IMO and I think they are pretty common for weddings. If you were a guest would you pass hardcore judgement? If you're a cocktail-loving couple, one of your favorite parts of planning is sure to be nailing down your cocktail menu and, of course, Cocktails and beverages are an essential part of your special day, so why not have fun with them? Here is the full question: "If not doing an open bar, is wine on the dinner tables and 2 drink tickets per person enough? You wanna get sloshed go do it on your own time. My brother got married last summer and did tickets and at my Dad's wedding last September he had a cash bar. You simply have a paid bar where your guests can pay for their own drinks; its like a traditional pub. There are plenty of drinks for them to enjoy, and if they require more alcohol, they can buy more or leave. I left feeling like maybe all our guests would be put out if we had a cash bar. (I know 2 drinks seems low but we are hoping/assuming some will likely drink nothing and they'll get passed on to the heavier drinkers). The dos and don'ts of drink tickets - Vibrant Table One signature cocktail would cut down on your liquor costs because the bar would only have to have the ingrediats on hand to make your cocktail. I have about 30 family members who don't drink and won't start just on this day. Drink Tickets Logistics | Weddings, Wedding Reception | Wedding Forums There are ways to host an open bar without spending a fortune. I think it depends on your audience. I've never been to a wedding that hasn't at some point switched over to cash or given out X amount of free tickets and then if the guests would like to drink more, they pay however much per drink. Can you limit the open bar to well drinks only and avoid top shelf to help cut costs? Optionally, we can pay a set rate per person for unlimited wine/beer or more for unlimited open bar. Someone at work just told me that they did drink tickets so people could only have a certain amount of drinks so it was easier to figure out how much alcohol to buy. However, we're not used to that. In what world is 150 a small wedding? And if you're completely sure a lot of your guests won't drink, a consumption bar could also be a good option. If people want something other than that, they'll have to pay for it. or they'll have to gather & collect tickets and still keep track of the drink type. Only one of my friends had gotten married and they did tickets. It is helpful to have a registration table of some form where guests can check-in to get their tickets, name tag, or other important information being distributed. This is opposed to an open bar, where the host pays for all drinks. But that's just me. At the end of the reception, we owe the venue for all alcohol consumed. In my area, people ONLY have cash bars. FI is the first to get married on his side of the family, so there isn't a trend to follow there. I would also assume you only wanted us to have two drinks since we only received two tickets. Bring cash or a credit card if youre planning on having a cash bar because your guests will be treated to a tasty meal. That being said we're buying 3 kegs and putting a cap on the bar, which is almost the same as you're doing. That is not a small guest list by any means. Where are you from? We're also having a champagne toast (add a third drink) and giving everyone 3 (or maybe 4) drink tickets which brings the total number of drinks per person to 6 (or maybe 7). It's interesting to see the different mindsets/thoughts/etc. But, we ended up just hosting beer and wine. How would the tickets limit inflation on the bar tab? So if we have to round up for drinks, that's better than gouging unless this other couple just has crazy friends. A wedding is already expensive enough, no need to add an extra $1,000+ so that people can get drunk on your dime. I kind of wish our venue would allow us to do this, but we have to pay a per person price for the type of bar that we want. The company that owns the catering rights to my venue has a few other venues in the area and those packages all include full open bar as well. In the form of a casual greeting, Id like to welcome you all to my website. I don't think there is anything wrong with commenting if she is asking for your help or advice. In Response to Re: Drink Tickets:
In Response to Re: Drink Tickets: In Response to Re: Drink Tickets: In Response to Re: Drink Tickets. I've never been to a wedding that wasn't full open bar. you know your crowd best and no one on here is going to be there to judge. Check out this years best local pros, chosen by couples like you. I've been to plenty of weddings and never expected an open bar so maybe it depends on where you're from. First, I don't know the groomsmen most likely so I would be 0% likely to go up to them to ask for more "tickets". I should add too, I have talked these things over with a few guests/BP members (not in terms of MY wedding, just general chit chat about weddings) and they all looked at me like I was crazy. Are drink tickets tacky? I think this is horribly tacky and a very bad idea. Saying, "We can afford X per guest" seems perfectly reasonable. A cash bar is a bar at a social event where guests pay for their own drinks. I wouldn't give it a 2nd thought if I were in attendance. This is not a common world we live in. A host who appears to be tackiness in his or her attitude appears to have overlooked or overlooked his or her guests' needs. Just genuinely asking about what the differences are for others since I've noticed things are done much differently (in a lot of ways!)