Why having a cash bar at your wedding is rude!!
AH! I think we all love drinks and especially good drinks at a wedding or event of your choice. Rather it's an alcoholic drink or soft drink, bottom line... we all love drinks. Mixed drinks are the best. When you think of a wedding you think about food, and the bar. Your guest are planning on drinking something to go along with their food. So drinks of some kind are a must.
Some couples want to control the uncle or friend who they know will drink too much and might make cause drama or will not know when to stop drinking. I get this and can understand why you want to remain in control by making your guest pay for their drinks in hopes that uncle or close friend will not drink because they know they will have to spend their own money. Let me tell you...sometimes that will not work either. Another friend at your wedding will buy their drink. Well surprise that doesn't all the time work and honestly, if they are drinkers they know how to play this game. So you making them buy their own drinks will not stop a drinker from drinking at your wedding. The other reason might be because the couple doesn't have the monies to spend on the alcohol. Let's face it. Alcohol can be expensive...I get that, but guess what? It's your wedding.....everything is expensive.
Reality is you invited your guest to come to your wedding, you are providing everything for them including a venue, cake, food, entertainment of some sort. Why would you not want to pay for their drinks? Will you not provide their champagne for the toast? If you are going to provide everything for your wedding, provide the drinks too. Now for those of you who are upset by this it's your party and you can cry if you want too, but have you been to a dry wedding and it's missing something? It's one thing to not provide alcohol because of religious reasons, but please don't say because you don't have any money for alcohol. Go make some money and treat your guest. I will give you ways to control the uncle or best friend who you are worried about ruining your wedding and how to handle these situations. No one wants to be embarrassed.
1. Hire a license bartender- License bartenders have a gift of knowing when to cut someone off of drinks, they are trained to pay attention. I always tell my bartenders to make sure you cut them off if needed..and if there is an issue, come get me. I now get this signed in my contract as the Planner.
2. Make sure you have ride options for your guest- Uber has some great car options so your guest can drive away in style. The last thing you want to worry about is the safety of your guest. Some might argue because we are all adults and they should be responsible for themselves. This is true, but a good host is going to make sure Uber cars are lined up and waiting along with information and a friend who can make sure they have a ride home. Nothing like getting that phone call someone was in a car accident. By the way, you are responsible for every guest at your wedding, incase you did not know that. So plan accordingly.
3. Provide open and closed bar- Prepay for the bar for a certain amount and once your guest have reached that amount, the bar service would switch to cash bar. I still have an issue with this one because again, you are there providing everything for your guest, so why not just leave it as an open bar?
4. Do not invite your concerned family and friends- Sounds harsh, but reality is you cannot invite everyone to your wedding and honestly, not everyone should be attending your wedding. So if you have concerns about that uncle and friend who will drink too much and act a fool...do not invite them.
5. Tell your guest if it's an open bar or closed bar- Would you like to show up to a wedding and find out it's a closed bar and you didn't bring money for a drink? No you wouldn't, so plan ahead and let your guest know it's a closed bar. Better yet, provide options for bar service to have credit card options for your guest.
6. Serve only soft drinks- Boring for some folks, but we have to respect those with religion concerns and some couples want to avoid alcohol all together. I have done weddings like this and there is nothing wrong with it. It's your wedding! For the toast provide apple cider, italian soda....which is pretty darn good! Prepare yourself...some of your guest might leave early, but hey, this will give you more time with your love for the evening. I love early weddings too....easy for me and my crew...lol
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Stephanie White
Amorous Weddings and Events by Stephanie
Your Cultural Theme Wedding Planner
480-274-5373
