Wedding Planning Blog by I Do! Wedding Favors

Everyone seems to have a very strong feeling one way or the other when it comes to the open bar versus the cash bar. The bride and groom can either pay for their guests’ drinks or have the guests pay for the drinks themselves.
Many people feel that it is wrong to invite people to a party and then expect them to pay for their own drinks. Others find it perfectly acceptable since the cost of drinks can become a huge burden for the couple to pull from their budget. So how does a couple decide between an open bar and a cash bar for their wedding?
There are the two extremes. The couple can offer a full open bar. The reception venue may add up the drinks as they are ordered or may set a specific price per person to be paid in advance. The other extreme is offering a cash only bar. Guests will need to pay for all of their own drinks regardless of what it is they are ordering. Another option is to offer an open bar during cocktail hour and dinner and a cash bar afterwards.
There is a compromise that the couple may find appealing. This is to offer a limited selection of drinks at no cost to the guest. This generally includes soft drinks, wine, and beer. If a guest wants hard liquor then they would pay for it themselves.
The debate between the cash bar and the open bar can often be divided by where the couple lives. In many places it is expected that there will be a cash bar while in other places a cash bar is highly frowned upon. It is up to the bride and groom and whoever is paying for the wedding to decide which option is best for them.
Where do you stand in the cash bar versus open bar debate? Should a couple foot the entire bill for their guests’ drinks? Is one of these more acceptable where you live? How will you handle this when the choice must be made? Or perhaps you have been to a wedding recently and you have strong feelings about their choice of a cash bar or open bar. Tell us about it and help other couples make their decision!

Every couple knows that one of the first tasks to accomplish when planning a wedding is to set a budget. This usually means uncomfortable talks with both sets of parents about how much they are or are not willing to contribute as well as figuring out how much the couple can contribute as well. A lot of budgets are determined by what station in life the couple is at. A young couple likely does not have the funds or ability to raise the funds for an extravagant wedding; however, they may have parents that are willing to pay. A couple that is older and more established or a couple where one or both people is getting remarried may be more likely to pay for the wedding themselves. If you bought a wedding planner like most brides, it likely has a section on who traditionally pays for each aspect of the wedding and honeymoon. It would be nice if everyone still followed this today, but in more and more cases, couples are paying for weddings themselves.

The cost of weddings is getting higher and higher. Are we all trying so hard to keep up with the Jones’ that we are enabling wedding vendors to drive up their prices? Look at some facts. Check out a reception site and look at the difference in costs for a wedding and for a different type of party or maybe even a conference. The same thing goes for DJ’s, flowers, and photographers. With the cost of weddings so high, how can we expect our parents to foot the entire bill?

So tell us all about your budget. How have you been able to divide the costs? Has there been controversy or fighting over the money and what you want at your wedding? Do you have any tips on saving money? We want to know all about your budgeting technique and how it is working out or not working out for you!