Providing alcohol at your wedding can be a very touchy subject. There's many different options that you can provide and there are people who don't agree with some of those option. Let me present you with the different options that you have to chose from. You should pick the one that is right for your budget and wedding.
Option 1: Full Top Shelf Open Bar
Not many budget brides are able to afford this one. You would provide a fully stocked bar with the best liquors that you can come by. Your guests can walk up and request anything and the bartender will be able to make it. You get a lot of people taking shots with these kind of bars.
Option 2: Full House Brand Open Bar
This is definitely a more affordable option. You still provide a fully stocked bar, but instead of the best liquor you can find, you just provide the house liquors. This is a good option if you have a large alcohol budget. You are giving your guests tons of options. There definitely won't be any complaining about this type of bar.
Option 3: Beer and Wine with Signature Drinks
This is a very common option with budget brides. This is actually what we did at our wedding. You provide beers and wines and then you have some mixed drinks for your guests to choose from. If you do this type of bar, I highly suggest having a menu listing what the options are so that your guests know what they have to chose from. You can easily used cheaper liquors in mixed drinks, so you don't have to spring for top shelf. This bar option also keeps people from doing shots.
Option 4: Beer and Wine Only
This is another common option and is perfectly fine for you to do. It's better to provide a couple alcoholic options for your guests than nothing at all. This is a very cheap option, especially if you're able to bring in your own drinks. You can get beer relatively cheap in a keg and there are plenty of good bottles of wine for under $10 a bottle.
Option 5: Cash Bar
I do not recommend this option at all, unless it is very common in your area. A cash bar is essentially what it sounds like. You have a full bar at your location, but you require your guests to pay for the alcohol. Some people also try to combine this with a beer and wine bar. The couple pays for the beer and wine, but if the guests want anything else, they have to pay for it. A lot of people consider cash bars very rude because your guests should not have to open their wallets up at your party. Would you invite someone over to your house and ask them to pay for their drink?
Option 6: Dry Wedding
For those who don't know what a dry wedding is, it's a wedding without any alcohol at all. This is a perfectly fine option if you are against alcohol for any reason. This is also a perfectly fine option if you are having a morning or early afternoon wedding. With those kinds of weddings, people don't really want to drink much anyways, so they're not going to miss the alcohol. But, if you're having an evening reception, I highly recommend you at least try to spring for beer and wine for your guests.
What kind of bar are you having at your wedding? Why did you make the choice you did?
