The Cash Bar

Its hard to hear from others about cash bar. Those who want to want to pay for an open bar for you two apart from family should be happy to do so. They have no clue as to how much you are putting into your day and what you can afford. Let them talk and just brush it off at the end of it knowing you have the power in your hands. Don't let them get to you and if anything just let them know the details are on the invitation. It should shock them enough.

Were doing a toonie bar. $2/ drink with us supplying the alcohol for the venue. Guests don't have to pay $6 a drink and were not stuck with a $2000 bill the next day. In Alberta they are very common and realistically if you have 12 drinks your out $24... that's like 3 beers in a pub these days. Its your wedding so do what makes you happy, if ppl are that upset maybe they're not good friends and family to begin with. Just saying

I was very shocked the first time I saw it last year but I think it's become more and more normal for cash bar weddings in Canada. I am cutting costs elsewhere and hosting beer and wine (I will make sangria for cocktail hour), but since it's at a family's backyard if people want to bring something else, they can.

My side is going through great lengths to participate at my wedding (the visa to come to Canada alone costs more than I have budgeted per person), so I don't mind doing the effort of doing open bar.

I'm doing a cash bar as well, and have had a lot of people complain so I told them not to come, that stopped the complaining. We told everyone on the invitations as well as on our wedding website. If people don't like it I don't care, they aren't paying for my wedding.

Maybe they want to pay your hydro bill the following month, or kick in for flowers! (DO NOT go on any US site bc OMG they are very outspokenly nasty about the cash bar) . It's not a bday or stag party- the object of the game should not be to get as wasted as possible at the expense of a new couple; they can do whatever they want at their own wedding.

My hubby was dead set on open bar, I get it, but I can't justify the cost when I am driving all over picking up second hand stuff, DIY'ing and bought my dress of the rack. So we can save $5k for people to get drunk (and we can't really indulge either bc who loves a sloppy bride)? The waste generated on open bars is what would kill me!

We have people from all over the world coming, flying in, spending a few days at our venue paying hotels and taking time off work to be there. Asking for them to then also pay for drinks seemed like a real toughie for me.... but we found the best of both worlds.

We are supplying champagne toast, wine (we are bringing our own and just paying corkage to keep cost down), domestic beer and signature cocktail (likely a highball like G&T bc those are cheaper). If that isn't good enough for you, then you can pay for something else.

When a chunk of guests don't even know what a twoonie is you have to get creative

Ultimately no matter what decision you make, on any aspect of your day, someone would have done it better or differently or xxxxx . Do what is right for you, ignore the noise.

I don't see any problem with a cash bar, that's what we're doing too.

I feel like an open bar, on top of being a huge expense, just encourages people to drink too much, and I hate being around drunk people. So I'm not going to set myself up for an unpleasant night at my own wedding reception.

We're paying for the cocktail and the first drink for everyone, and that's it. I didn't even think of putting a note on our invitations or our website, so I hope our venue accepts credit or debit cards (if not, they do have an actual bar in the building, so I guess that someone who really wants a drink could still get one in any case).

Another BC bride here... I totally get it! My venue even suggests NOT doing an open bar because they know how much waste there is, and how expensive it ends up being for the host.

My venue has a 2x markup on wine bottles they provide (from BC liquor store prices), and if I want them to bring in specific wine, it's 3x markup! Cocktails aren't even discounted really for open bar vs cash bar... if it's $6 for a bottle of Bud for a guest to buy, it's only $5 for me to buy for them... UGH!

Anyways, we are having bottles of wine on the table (one red, one white) and ONE welcome drink ticket. And that's still going to be over $1500....

I'm lucky, so far the younger (late 20's, early 30's) guests I've talked to totally understand why it's a cash bar (many of them married recently themselves)... so I haven't had any backlash yet. Plus my mom and dad totally agree too, aside from even paying the bill, they don't want drunken loonies and wasted drinks.

Anyone who thinks it's rude needs to get off their high horse and suck it up. It's your wedding.

I don't see anything wrong with a cash bar! One of the things my fiancé and I considered in choosing our venue was the cost of alcohol - we ended up choosing a community hall so we could do a toonie bar instead of a cash bar, as there is NO way we could afford an open bar anywhere!

So long as it's made clear on your website and invitations so your guests know to bring money, then there's no problem!

I totally get that part that where you're from it's normal! I am from a small town and every wedding I had been to before I moved to the city was a cash bar. You would never anticipate that it would be open. When I moved to the city open bars became the new normal and I've seen friends spend ridiculous money on them! It's the same here, people are kind of quietly shamed if it's not an open bar but because of my upbringing, if it's not mentioned that the bar is included I always have cash on me to pay for drinks.

Honestly, I definitely thought we would have a cash bar but our venue doesn't allow anything but an open bar (special events permit) and I was so stuck on the venue. Luckily they've made it extremely affordable but if I could, I would have even done a toonie bar.

Your wedding is going to be beautiful and it's nice enough you're covering a couple drinks. Drinking alcohol is a choice and people will have fun regardless.

I completely understand - I've had people on both my side as well as my FH's side ask if it's going to be open bar. It gets to the point where it's like all they want out of my wedding is free food and alcohol when they are the ones who are suppose to be celebrating us and in all honesty - be giving a little money back our way to afford the celebration! We have decided on open bar buuuuuuut that will be taking up 1/4 of our budget because we are cutting back elsewhere to make sure it was something we had.

If I was asked to a wedding I would have no problem paying my own drinks, it gives me a reason to act my age and not get hammered!

We're doing cash bar for the exact opposite reason, in my family we have like zero heavy drinkers, and they make up like 40 out of my 60 guests, so we weren't going to pay so much money for open bar for like 20 (friends) people, if that. We did the math too! We're buying 5 drinks for everyone - and we know for a fact that most people in our family won't have more than 1 so we're doing tickets and having a pool, whoever doesn't drink theirs someone else can.

Your family should understand that having an open bar is outrageously expensive these days and that you simply cannot afford it, they're attending to celebrate you and your new husband not to get plastered on your wallet.

I have never had an issue with a cash bar at a wedding. Some people can afford open bar and some can't and that's just how it is. Don't allow the opinions of others to make you feel lesser. Your wedding will be amazing whether or not they have to pay for their own drinks.

Ultimately it is your wedding, so do what you want. If people are not happy with it than that's there problem. But it seems like your family doesn't seem to mind, so don't listen to the haters. Open bar is extremely expensive, especially when you have heavy drinkers in the family! The only reason we are able to afford to do open bar is because our venue has reasonable prices, it if was 3X the amount, we'd probably be doing a cash or a toonie bar.