Which One The Best For Your Wedding Reception? Open Bar or Cash Bar?

When you are planning the details for your wedding reception, one of the touchiest subjects can be whether or not to serve liquor to your guests at your own expense. While many brides feel that it is only polite to have an open bar, there are liabilities that you may not be aware of. To help you make the best decision, here are the downsides and benefits to having either an open bar or a cash bar.

One benefit of hosting an open bar is that your guests will appreciate the generosity and consideration. Some people feel that after purchasing a gift, making travel plans, or arranging for babysitters that they should not have to pay for their own drinks.

A major downside of hosting a cash bar is the legal liabilities that come with this option. For instance, you could be held responsible for serving alcohol to someone who becomes drunk and leaves your reception and happens to drive and injure someone. Research your local laws when it comes to who will be held liable in this situation. Although, it doesn’t happen often, the possibility exists and you should be aware of it. This can be very serious and can turn a wonderful event into a nightmare for everyone involved.

In addition to liabilities, there is the very real problem of cost. An open bar can be incredibly expensive and if your guests take advantage of your generosity, you can be left with a very pricey tab at the end of the night. With an open bar, there is usually much more opportunity for guests to overindulge and in some cases become a bit wasteful. If you prefer to avoid these problems, a cash bar is probably the best option.

A benefit of a cash bar is that you will not, in most cases, be held responsible for anyone’s actions after they leave the reception. This removes a lot of liability and makes you feel more comfortable.

In addition, you will also be able to save quite a bit of money on your reception when you go this route. This is usually the best option if your funds are limited and you would like to spend more money on better food or a nicer wedding overall. This is probably the best way to look at it. Would you rather provide everyone with a very nice dinner or be able to afford a nicer dress, or would you rather foot the bill so someone can embarrass you when they have too many drinks?

A downside of having a cash bar is that you may come off as being cheap. This of course will depend on the personalities of your friends and family, but some people may be offended by a cash bar. If you do have a cash bar, make sure your guests do not have to pay for anything else at the reception to minimize any discontent.

By Gina Brown

Planning Your Wedding Catering Bill Cost

Maybe you’ve got the details of the actual wedding ceremony worked out, but what about the reception? One of the major costs of the wedding reception will definitely be the food, so you’ll want to make sure you’ll have enough food for everyone without spending too much money. Here are some top ways to cut on your catering bill that will ensure that your guests enjoy your reception—and you save money.

Don’t order more food than you need.

Most couples want to order an extra tray or two of hors d’oeuvres in case extra guests show up. This is fine (and usually a smart idea), but you should still make sure that you’re not order more appetizers than you actually need; use your discretion based on the guest list. For instance, if you know a number of your guests are vegetarian, you may not need to order as many appetizers with meat. Also, ordering two or three types of hors d’oeuvres will help to reduce your catering bill. If you buy more of the same dish, you can usually save money with most catering companies—different kinds of foods will increase the bill, so it’s important to keep it classy but simple at the wedding—even when it comes to food.

Caterers will also try to encourage you to spend more than you may need to on the actual meal as well. You may not need a five course meal if you’ve already purchased three types of appetizers and a salad, or three extra desserts if you already have a pretty large wedding cake. The time of day that you hold your wedding will give you a good indication of how much food to serve; if you’re having the ceremony in the afternoon or early evening, you may want to serve more food.

Pay attention to the types of foods you order.

There are some foods that are always going to be expensive, even if you only order small amounts. So, since you have to order a considerable amount of food, ordering dishes that aren’t so costly will help you to keep your catering bill reasonable. Certain seafood, like shrimp, lobster and salmon will definitely make your catering bill higher, so if you have to have them, try to use them as only one of the course choices for dinner, or purchase these foods as appetizers to save on costs.


Have food stations.

Food stations are a unique way to serve a variety of foods at your wedding reception, and you can be sure that everyone will find something they like to eat. This way, you won’t have to worry about people changing their minds about their meal choices once they arrive at the reception. A food station with different types of pasta is usually a hit with most guests, and can be very economical. You can also include food stations with other types of the ethnic foods, such as Mexican or Indian fare, to celebrate the cultures of the people who will be attending your wedding, or to acknowledge your backgrounds.

You may also be able to cut your catering bill by not requesting an elaborate setup for your food stations and tables. Using a single color for tablecloths, usually white, will cut down on labor costs. To add more color to your reception decorations, you may want to add elaborate centerpieces, so that you can spend as much as you need to on the meals for the reception.