Open bar details...last hour?

People from Philly will know to bring cash. I just don't want that. Couple this with...WE are not paying for the reception. My parents are. So I'll have to alert them and see what they want to do. Has anyone ever heard of this cash bar after last call business?

Ugh. No cash bar. Period.

That was my philosophy too Mrs. D but I also didn't know the bar package was 4 hours not 5. Is a bar necessary that last hour is guests are alerted to "last call"?

No cash bar......

I don't know what the specifics were in each case but I hear the DJ announce "Last Call" all the time. What I know for sure is that it is towards the end of the night but never when the reception is supposed to actually end; meaning it has always been minimum 30 minutes prior to everyone needing to be out.

I guess what I'm saying is that it makes sense you have the venue for 5 hours with last call being made at hour 4 of your package. Have the DJ make a couple of announcement leading up to hour 4, let the guests double fist it at hour 4 if they want to (as an open bar) then shut it down completely.

So what's the solution? Close the bar at 9 after last call or cough up the money for a fifth hour of bar. I do not WANT a cash bar. It's my FH who doesn't understand this.

Kathleen, that's what I figured. I've heard last call at weddings before, I'm not a drinker so this is truly foreign to me.

I would shut it down completely after last call/hour 4. No cash bar. Your guests will have an hour to nurse their last drink(s) and the venue will want to start having everyone winding down and heading out with the majority of them out by hour 5.

I truly think you guys are being very generous and gracious hosts having last call at hour 4 and then shutting the bar down. Every bar everywhere has "last call" and it's never when they actually close ... it's always prior to them closing.

I would shut it down completely after hour 4. Like @Kathleen said, that's how everyone gets the hint that it's about time to GTFO.

If the issue is, how do you phrase it to convince FH not to do cash bar for the last hour, I'm not sure. I agree with you that if you can afford an extra 1/2 hour on the bar package to make it a 4.5 hour open bar, do that. If you can't do that, then do last call at 9pm.

Having been to a cash bar wedding, I would feel annoyed if the bar was "cash only" for the last hour but open bar the rest of the night. I would not feel put out if the last call was at 9 and then the bar closed (I would think of it like a baseball game where you have to buy your last beer by the 8th inning, lol). I understand it's for liability reasons.

We are doing the four hour bar package with a five hour reception by having the first half hour the bar closed (everyone has their drink already from the cocktail hour) and then the last call at hour 4.5.

I'm from philly. I never bring cash to weddings with me. I've been to one cash bar, and it was in Texas.

Nor have I ever heard of the bar closing an hour early or switching to cash the last hour.

I think last call is usually about a half hour before the end of the reception. I usually consider it as a sign that the reception is ending. I would not do a cash bar. If you want you can make it consumption from 9:00- 9:30. That way you and your FH would pay for 30 minutes worth of drinks.

If last call is at 9, I would expect people will clear out after they finish that drink.

I'm from Philly and we absolutely do not know to bring cash. Open bars are standard around here.

I guess I'm kinda confused. Can you not just do consumption bar the last hour and pick up the tab at the end of the night?

I can certainly ask about a consumption bar from 9-10 but I'm very interested in the prior poster's idea of having the bar closed the first half hour of the reception. People will have their drinks from cocktail hour and the first 30 minutes will be people finding their tables, wedding party being announced, first dance/parent dances....and then start in on salad. By then I think bar opens back up. I have a lot of questions to ask these folks. Thanks for the ideas!

Also from philly and I usually just bring a few ones for bartender tips honestly, my package was for 4 hours (5:30-9:30) and I extended it to 5 hours (5:30-10:30) - which included open bar for extra hour and paying staff to stay that extra hour to keep the room open, and it was an extra $11 pp. I'd see what the cost is to extend the open bar until the end of your reception first. It may be minimal. If not, I'd either do the 1/2 hour thing or close an hour early. Cash bar is super annoying esp when the bar had been open all night, it's going to be hard to relay that message and super confusing for people.

Our venue offers a 4 or 6hr bar package. Due to budget, we are having a 4 hour reception to coincide with the less expensive package.

My timeline is almost the same as your's OP.

I'm planning on open bar (Its really consumption) and last call will be 9. Our shuttle leaves at 9:30. The venue shuts down at 10 ($500 an hour if we go over).