How long is the bar usually open for?

Every venue differs: some keep the bar open during dinner, many don't. The ones that don't typically do offer wine service during dinner but it's also common for guests to load up during cocktail hour before they sit down for dinner. But typically all venues close by around 12am-1am latest. They're not like typical bars/nightclubs. The staff don't want to stay that late.

In terms of value, it depends on your crowd. An open bar will be of value to a heavy drinking crowd whereas you're probably better off with a host consumption bar if your guest list has very little drinkers. The one thing about a host consumption bar (where you pay for every individual drink ordered) is that they typically keep it open throughout dinner service. Typically this also means you're paying for all the pop and juice that people order but it still adds up less than $40+ per head if a person is not drinking alcohol.

Don't forget, there will be a new alcohol tax that will likely hike up prices coming into effect next month.

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Thank you so much Amanda!

We had our bar open from 5pm to midnight I think.

We had our bar open from 4pm until 1130pm! We had to be out of our venue by 12am.
As soon as our ceremony was over it was open for our ceremony reception and then at 5pm everyone moved into our reception area and there was another bar inside as well

View quoted message Glad to help out!!

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Thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it!

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Hi Julie, thank you so much for letting me know! This is super helpful!

I have been to weddings with a few different options : bar stays open from cocktail hour through to end of evening, my friends wedding, bar was open for cocktail hour, closed for dinner (could only get pop, no alcohol), then re opened after dinner but no shots were allowed (kind of a downer to be honest). We had our bar open from cocktail hour until close (5pm-11pm) - it was important to us personally, but look at who your guests are, the timing, and $.

Hey Cassidy - the venues we looked at all closed during dinner which my FH was not happy about. He did not want the bar to close for the guests. If you want it to flow including dinner time, then what some venues do is bar stays open from cocktail hour, during dinner into reception time BUT it does end earlier, which was also not an option for FH. As well, did not allow shots - which thew us for a loop. Who doesn't love shots?? We found a venue that didn't have restrictions like that. Our bar is open from 5pm to 1am - 8 hours. Have to see what the fine print is - see what they are willing to negotiate with you.