Drink tickets?

My past employer would do this at our company parties. I know money wasn't the issue, but I think it was to keep people from getting too drunk. We all got 2 tickets from the start and would pass out more to the "well behaved" people. That may be a benefit for you.

I don't like paying for my drinks at a wedding, but I don't get angry about it. Probably half the weddings I've been to have been a cash bar sometime during the night, be it from the very start or sometime during the night when the couple's allotted amount was exceeded.

I think you'd be better off with open bar during cocktail hour (or something) then switch to cash. Drink tickets are going to be way to tricky to manage.

We did drink tickets for rehearsal dinner to save some (plus we had open bar the next night so I didn't think it was necessary two nights in a row). It was pretty difficult keeping track of AND...as Nafina mentioned there was the one groomsmen who would take others tickets or sneak some out of the jar. Just my thoughts

It's not my thing but it wouldn't offend me. However, this set up sounds like a bit of a headache to coordinate. I think tickets could be a bit complicated.

How many guests are you inviting (approximately?)

I actually do think it's tacky. Just being honest ...

I have never seen this done..but I don't think it's tacky. They are adults, they can figure out how drink tickets work..it's not rocket science. I'd feel okay knowing that cousin Billy Bob and his poker buddies won't be buying out the whole open tab.

With that being said, the one snag I could see would be "drink of your choice"..would people be allowed to order for example a double rum and coke?? Would that be two tickets? Or one?That's usually what I order at weddings so I don't have to keep going to the bar. I'd be a bit taken aback if the bartender said "oh no sorry we can't do that" or takes both of my tickets since it said drink of your choice.

Personally, I don't like the idea of tickets, but there are other options you can choose. We had a signature drink, plus beer and wine. For 65 people at a 4-hour reception, our bar tab was about $1200 (but this will vary depending on how much your venue charges for drinks...ours was more than reasonable). At the wedding we attended this weekend, they had hosted beer & wine, but if you wanted liquor, you had to pay for it. I was not offended by that...they were still offering something (and I'm a wine drinker). In any case, it's a good idea to make sure your guests know your plans and are prepared (with cash, etc.), so list it on your website and make sure there is a sign at the bar that states the bar is hosted only until xx time, and cash after that.

I like amy's suggestion of beer and wine...win/win

I don't think it's tacky. If every guest gets the same amount of tickets then I don't see the problem. Maybe you can have someone at the reception door handing out the tickets to each guest when they walk in?

I think guests would prefer having drink tickets over having to pay for all their drinks. I also think it works out better than open bar for one hour then turns into a cash bar. This way, guests can redeem their tickets at any time during the night and you won't have guests ordering 10 drinks 5 minutes before the open bar hour ends.

Can you just do beer/wine and then the bar would just be able to pull out $2000 worth of product and keep it behind the bar so you'll know when it's gone. I've been to weddings where the B&G have supplied their own alcohol and sometimes one type of wine will run out so you'd have to switch to a white as opposed to a red or whatever, but it's still nice to have an option - I'd imagine that'd happen to you if you did it this way but then you're not having any issues with "tickets" being given out.

Rachel, we are having 150 guest, with the possibility of 200.

Maybe you could do Amy's idea of "open bar" beer/wine for the first 2 hours of the reception and then make it a cash bar after that?

I was actually considering this myself when we were planning to totally DIY our wedding except for the drinks (mandatory at the venue). I think it is better than open bar and your guests still get to drink If they want another drink after they have used the tickets than they have to pay. I don't understand why it would be tacky. If you cannot afford to have open bar but still want to have alcohol I think it is the best alternative other than beer and wine only.

I think it's a great idea. I was going to do it myself, but FH nixed having alcohol at all now. It's a great way to keep track.

While where I am from a hosted bar (even if only beer and wine, but usually full) is overwhelmingly the norm and expected, I have seen it done where there was a graduated hosted level - and people seemed okay with that. So for the first couple of hours it was full open, and then it was beer & wine but liquor was cash, then it became all cash. There were signs explaining the time for all this. Or you could say you'll host the beer & wine (cheaper options) and cocktails are cash.

I would advise looking into some sort of alternative option like that, rather than drink tickets. I generally think people look negatively on them, as though you're trying to tell them how much they are allowed to drink (even if people getting wasted is not your concern). Plus I feel like those will be easy to lose. If your concern is not trusting your venue to be honest, I would think that most places are good about this or else they'd be run out of business. Or that there is some other alternative.

If you are concerned about your budget for the bar, a friend of mine did bracelets for $5 and then you drink as much as you want. They still made money back to put towards liquor expenses and guests were happy. Good luck!

If you are concerned about your budget for the bar, a friend of mine did bracelets for $5 and then you drink as much as you want. They still made money back to put towards liquor expenses and guests were happy. Good luck!

$2,000 in an hour? That seems very high.

Do you have a venue that would allow you to bring in your own liquor? All you'd need is a licensed and insured bartender and you could probably do a fully stocked open bar for around $2000. If not, I'd go with the unlimited beer/wine/sangria or signature cocktails all night.

I am doing drink tickets 2 tickets per guest and 4 for wedding party so if this makes me tacky then so be it. We are paying for this wedding ourselves and on one income and this is the wedding of our dreams so no need to save for we can afford because it will always be the same.

Centerpiece she was saying her friend told her about a wedding that $2,000 only lasted an hour.

OP I think you need to find out what your options are. We did Wine and Beer on us and anything else they had to pay for. We did tell the bartender not to volunteer the other stuff and I think he sold one drink.