WR WWOct08D: Bars

tshott · September 2010

So, I'm the wedding planner for some friends of ours who are getting married. They are going on Friday to put the deposit down on a venue. The venue doesn't have a typical bar like a normal venue. Alcohol is provided by either the caterer or the couple. The caterer that I think they are going to use doesn't provide those services.

I have asked two friends of mine, who are experienced bartenders, if they would be willing to bartend for the night. They are on board. The couple will be buying alcohol based on their advice.

My questions: Should we have a cash bar or an open bar? Obviously there is going to be a much smaller selection of drinks because we won't have a full bar. Should we put up a tip jar? I never usually have any experience with bars at weddings because Drew usually gets drinks.

mrsbaecker101108 · September 2010

It is partly based on what the norm is for your area. Here, it would be very frowned upon to have a cash bar. I've never been to a wedding here that had one. It's always open bar. Even the wedding we went to at a fire hall had an open bar of wine, beer and spiked punch. But I know other areas of the country it is very out of the norm to have an open bar.

SSM&JLM · September 2010

I would have an open bar, especially since it will be limited service with only what's purchased.

No tip jar, ever. If people want to hand the bartendar an extra $1 they can do so at their discretion and the bartenders can have a tip spot underneath.

tshott · September 2010

It is very normal to have a cash bar here. In fact, I think that I've only been to one wedding that was open bar and that was at a country club in one of the Chicago suburbs.

KathyGee · September 2010

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

shelley1002 · September 2010

SSM&JLM:

I would have an open bar, especially since it will be limited service with only what's purchased.

No tip jar, ever. If people want to hand the bartendar an extra $1 they can do so at their discretion and the bartenders can have a tip spot underneath.

This.

Cash/open bars are definitely area specific. Where I live now its an open bar norm. Where I grew up/got married its a cash bar norm.

tshott · September 2010

Do you think that people will tip? Again, I don't usually do drinks at weddings and I know that whenever I go to a bar, I always tip. Do people usually tip the bartenders at weddings?

Mouth*ofthe*South · September 2010

KathyGee:
Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

This.

At our wedding, the caterer let us bring in our own beer and wine but they provided the bartenders. We paid them a little bit more so that there was no tip jar (which, in this area is tacky - yes, even in Kentucky).

Are they paying the bartenders separately? If so, maybe they could give them each a tip worked in with their bill.

FutureMrsNAH · September 2010

I agree with everyone else and to answer your last question, we do tip bartenders at weddings if we have cash on us. We don't go out of our way to get cash to do it though.

shelley1002 · September 2010

tshott:
Do you think that people will tip? Again, I don't usually do drinks at weddings and I know that whenever I go to a bar, I always tip. Do people usually tip the bartenders at weddings?

We do. If a drink is $3.75 and we give the bartender $5 we'll leave the change for them as a tip. This is both at weddings and regular bars. At open bars, DH will leave $1 everytime he goes up for a drink.

Pookums · September 2010

I would say no cash bar and no tip jar, I found out there was a tip jar out at my wedding and was pretty pi$$ed.

ETA: I was mostly ticked because we did pay a gratuity.

Pookums · September 2010

KathyGee:

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

I like this with maybe adding a signature drink.

pila78 · September 2010

KathyGee:
Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

This!

tshott · September 2010

KathyGee:

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

So, you're saying no hard liquor at all?

I do like the idea of a signature drink. Something out of vodka maybe? I'm not a big drinker so I don't know what is the preference of hard liquor.

Pookums · September 2010

tshott:
KathyGee:

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

So, you're saying no hard liquor at all?

I do like the idea of a signature drink. Something out of vodka maybe? I'm not a big drinker so I don't know what is the preference of hard liquor.

Vodka is def my preference and many options for a signature drink, there are tons of martini recipes out there and they could make it there own.

For example I would have had some type of pom drink (I like tart martini's) and called it the Pookums-tini. Big Smile

Mouth*ofthe*South · September 2010

tshott:
KathyGee:

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

So, you're saying no hard liquor at all?

I do like the idea of a signature drink. Something out of vodka maybe? I'm not a big drinker so I don't know what is the preference of hard liquor.

In Kentucky, if you offer liquor, bad things happen.

If you had a signature drink like someone mentioned, you could do liquor but only offer it in that drink.

Mitzzi23 · September 2010

Open bar, follow Kathy's advice for selections, no tip jar (although we always tip bartenders at weddings), and I like the idea of a signature drink. A wedding I was in had a drink menu which had something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue as drinks, it was really cute and then gave 4 drink options along with the wine and beer.

KathyGee · September 2010

tshott:
KathyGee:

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

So, you're saying no hard liquor at all?

I do like the idea of a signature drink. Something out of vodka maybe? I'm not a big drinker so I don't know what is the preference of hard liquor.

Well, my assumption that a cash bar was even being suggested was in order to not have to spend money on alcohol, so limiting the choices to wine and beer allows for alcohol to be provided without getting into the hard liquor, associated mixers, more time for bartenders to be making drinks, etc. And the effort on behalf of the bartender is just open and pour, not measure and mix.

If there was a signature drink that they were making, and that was the only option, and they could make them easily and quickly, maybe. I was at one wedding that was in July and they passed around a tray of pre-mixed tanqueray and tonics, for instance.

Rebekistan · September 2010

Pookums:
KathyGee:

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

I like this with maybe adding a signature drink.

This is what we did. Providing your own alcohol and paying the bartender will save them a boatload of money. They should buy a LOT and enjoy any extras

FutureMrsNAH · September 2010

Rebekistan:
Pookums:
KathyGee:

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

I like this with maybe adding a signature drink.

This is what we did. Providing your own alcohol and paying the bartender will save them a boatload of money. They should buy a LOT and enjoy any extras

My friend was able to return unopened bottles to the liquor store. But keeping is nice too

Pookums · September 2010

FutureMrsNAH:
Rebekistan:
Pookums:
KathyGee:

Open bar. No tip. limited menu (2 whites, 2 reds, and 2 or 3 beer choices).

I like this with maybe adding a signature drink.

This is what we did. Providing your own alcohol and paying the bartender will save them a boatload of money. They should buy a LOT and enjoy any extras

My friend was able to return unopened bottles to the liquor store. But keeping is nice too

Yup, as far as I know many stores that provide for weddings will buy back unopened bottles.

LORENZOSAUNT · September 2010

I am going to go with the norm and say open bar and NO tip jar.. IMHO if I see a tip jar, I purposely do not put a tip in it. I think its tacky especially at a wedding.

tshott · September 2010

Thanks girls! You've really helped a lot!!! I'll have to run all the options by the bride and groom so they can decide. And I can gently persway (Is that right? It looks horrible wrong!) to a good decision.

Mitzzi23 · September 2010

Persuade

tshott · September 2010

Mitzzi23:
Persuade

Ha! I hope you all got as good of a laugh as I got out of that! I'm an idiot sometimes.

WR WWOct08D: Bars

Re: WR WWOct08D: Bars

Choose Another Board

Search Boards