For couples that decide to have alcohol at their wedding reception, this is one of the biggest monetary dilemmas when planning your wedding reception…The Bar!  How much money do we have to dedicate to paying for alcohol?  Do we pay the venue per person or per drink?  How long should we have it open for?  Here is all the basic information that you need to know.

Cash Bar – Guests can choose to purchase drinks of their choice at your bar

Open Bar – You pay for any types of drinks ordered by your guests

Limited Bar – You choose certain types of alcohol to pay for, like wine and beer, while your guests pay for anything else they may want like well drinks.

Per Drink -There is a set amount of drinks that each guest can have, and you are charged accordingly.  Some venues monitor this by providing guests with two tickets each that they can use to get drinks paid for by you.

Per Person – Not all venues offer this option, however there is a set amount that you can pay person for an open bar.

There are several options for what types of beverages to offer at a wedding reception open bar.  Some people offer only beer and wine, while others choosing to have a full open bar with well drinks.  Another option can be to offer drinks that go with your wedding theme or colors.  For example, if your wedding color is red you can have raspberry martinis, rum and fruit punch, strawberry margaritas, and red wine.

You lovebirds need to decide how to pay for the bar and who is paying for it. Speak with your parents, in-laws, and whoever else is contributing to paying for the wedding.  You should all decide on a limit of how much money to spend on the alcohol for the wedding reception.  The best way to handle your limit on the wedding day is to have a trusted guest (like a brother or uncle) that will be sober during the reception.  Let the venue know to inform this responsible party when you are getting close to the bar limit.  This way, if it’s only 9:00 pm and you’re reaching your lower limit, then they can choose to spend a couple hundred more…or not.  This option allows you to control the amount of alcohol on the spot at the reception.

Some more basics are to have the bar closed during speeches, the toast, and cake-cutting during the reception.  Some people prefer to have a separate soda and non-alcoholic beverages section so that young children and non-drinkers don’t have to go to the bar to get their beverages.  Additionally, you can request the bartender not to keep a tip jar out on the bar so as not to look tacky for your guests.  Besides, the venue will most likely be charging you gratuity on the bar services anyway.

Ensure that you have covered all the basic aspects of having a bar at your wedding reception in order to maximize your budget.  Take into account how many drinkers you have, how heavily they drink, and what types of alcohol you would like.  Don’t forget to enjoy your bar experience safely!