Cash Bar at Weddings: Etiquette and Suggestion

It’s no secret that weddings are a big financial funding. Whether or not or not it’s a yard affair or a ballroom blowout, pulling off a celebration this momentous requires a giant sum of cash—and meals and drinks are typically crucial part of a wedding funds. Fortuitously, there are lots of strategies to keep away from losing. One approach {{couples}} may use to slash costs is having a cash bar (instead of an open one). Nonetheless whereas passing off alcohol costs to your mates may sound tempting, a cash bar wedding ceremony ceremony comes with some problems.

For starters, your mates will not be totally used to this beverage model, since most celebrations do, in precise reality, embody open bars. That doesn’t indicate which you may’t have one—however it makes introducing your attendees to the thought prolonged sooner than the massive day considerably important. Sooner than you make a choice, nonetheless, it’s essential to weigh the professionals and cons of cash bars at weddings (and browse up on the etiquette surrounding them). To help, we tapped Laura Ritchie, a wedding planner, event designer, and the founding father of Grit & Grace.

Proper right here, Ritchie shares all of the issues it’s advisable to study having a cash bar at your wedding ceremony ceremony, from tipping expectations to numerous decisions that provide the similar stage of monetary financial savings.

What Is a Cash Bar?

Everytime you host a wedding with a cash bar, you’re asking mates to pay for his or her very personal drinks all by the event, whether or not or not with financial institution playing cards or exact cash. The aim is that you simply simply, the host, are often not overlaying the related payment.

The Professionals of a Cash Bar at Weddings

The stand-out skilled is, in any case, money monetary financial savings. For those who occur to aren’t paying to stock a bar with liquor, wine, and beer, you’re slicing out a big line of your catering funds. It moreover permits {{couples}} who will not drink to stay true to their values—nonetheless nonetheless ensures that their mates, who do, have the selection to imbibe, if desired.

Technically, having a cash bar at your wedding ceremony ceremony will launch funds which will very nicely be used elsewhere, in a single different priority class (like flowers, favors, or leisure). Nonetheless in accordance with Ritchie, this plan won’t have the desired affect—and likewise you’ll seemingly do additional damage than good. “Firm aren’t going to remember over-the-top flowers within the occasion that they’re pulling out their pockets,” she says. “What they’re going to remember is taking out their financial institution card.”

The Cons of a Cash Bar at Weddings

The biggest con of a cash bar nearly speaks for itself: It goes in the direction of the core tenets of hospitality. “For those who occur to’re inviting anyone to 1 factor, attempt to be able to host them,” says Ritchie. “For those who occur to don’t have the means to host appropriately, don’t try to piecemeal it collectively.” Previous that, cash bars may even interrupt the transfer of an evening. “If bartenders are mixing drinks and working enjoying playing cards, there shall be strains just like there are at a membership,” Ritchie offers. “It holds up service.”

Cash Bars at Weddings: Concepts and Etiquette

When confronted with the choice between a cash bar or no bar the least bit, associate with the cash bar. “For those who occur to’re asking people to stay until midnight they often don’t have any liquor, they is more likely to be heading out the door sooner than you want to,” warns Ritchie. “It’s increased to have alcohol or drinks mainly than to not.”

If you’ll stick with this model, keep the following logistical and etiquette suggestion in ideas.

Make Optimistic Your Venue (and Distributors) Can Assist a Cash Bar

Cash bars work best at venues that are already organize with in-house digital product sales strategies and processes for coping with plenty of purchaser transactions, equal to consuming locations and nation golf gear. They are much more durable to coordinate when working with an off-premises caterer.

Inform Your Firm Sooner than the Wedding ceremony

Be sure you speak that you simply’re having a cash bar on the small print card of your wedding ceremony ceremony invitation suite and in your wedding ceremony ceremony website. As quickly because the event arrives, lodge welcome baggage and door tags are totally different options for a reminder—and your wedding ceremony ceremony event may even unfold the phrase. For those who occur to’re providing transportation from a lodge, ask only a few mates or family members to remind mates to stop on the lobby ATM (or take note their wallets) sooner than they hop on the shuttle.

With reference to phrasing, intention for straightforward, easy, and gracious. Just some choices from Ritchie:

• We’re so excited to host you for dinner! Sadly, we’re capable of’t host the bar, so please be joyful to convey cash or a financial institution card for alcoholic drinks.
• For those who occur to need to participate in drinks all by the evening time, please convey a financial institution card or cash to profit from the bar.
• Sadly, we’re capable of’t host the bar, nonetheless please know they will accept cash or financial institution playing cards.

Skip the Tip Jar

“When you might have a caterer, [your bartenders] are paid hourly to be there, irrespective of it being a cash bar, just like every totally different staffer,” explains Ritchie. Their concepts must be coated by you in any gratuity you progress on to your caterer as a complete.

If mates need to tip, that’s their choice, nonetheless they need to not likely really feel pressured to take motion. “Tip jars on the bar are on a regular basis a no,” Ritchie offers, on account of they suggest gratuity is anticipated instead of non-obligatory.

Strategies to Decrease Costs on Wedding ceremony Alcohol With out Having a Cash Bar

Many {{couples}} assume cash bars are the one chance for slicing wedding-day beverage costs. Nonetheless that’s merely not true: There are a myriad of how you can host an open bar with out spending a fortune. “Shut the bar all through dinner and easily do wine service, or shut the bar half-hour sooner than the highest of the evening time,” suggests Ritchie. “You’ll be able to even avoid liquor altogether and serve solely beer and wine.” One different varied that permits you to have some onerous liquor at your wedding ceremony ceremony? Take into consideration offering two predetermined signature cocktails (we suggest one which’s vodka- or gin-based, and one different that is whiskey-based) solely—and limiting the rest of the menu to wine, beer, and onerous seltzers.

One other selection: Reframe your wedding ceremony ceremony mannequin. “Try a welcome-style reception throughout the late afternoon, when a bar acquired’t be as anticipated,” says Ritchie. “Put out satisfying sodas or La Croix, then let people go away and exit to dinner on their very personal dime.”