Some people consider the summer to be "wedding season." While it is true that some individuals get married at other times of the year, it makes sense to target the summer months for this happy event. The weather is often perfect if you want to have your wedding at an outdoor venue.

If you're getting married, you know that the larger the wedding gets, the more expensive it becomes. If you want a particularly big and lavish event, a personal loan for wedding costs is something you might want to investigate. 

There's no question, though, that you'll potentially save some money on the wedding's overall cost if you decide to have a cash bar. We'll talk about whether that's a good idea right now.

Should You Have Alcohol at Your Wedding?

Most people want there to be alcohol at their wedding reception. They know that alcohol might loosen up any nervous friends and in-laws who might be meeting each other for the first time. They also know that alcohol often accompanies celebrations, and publicly dedicating yourself to the person you love certainly qualifies.

There are always occasions where you might not have alcohol at the wedding. Maybe you're someone who has struggled with alcohol addiction. Perhaps your religion forbids you from drinking spirituous beverages. For the most part, though, people will expect you to have alcohol there, and they'll want to indulge.

Cash Bar vs. Open Bar

Assuming that you've decided you want alcohol at your wedding, you'll next need to figure out whether to feature a cash bar or an open bar. An open bar means you've paid for all the alcohol the wedding guests drink. A cash bar means the guests need to pay for any drinks they get.

If you have an open bar, that will be more expensive. If you have some serious drinkers among your guests, or if you have hundreds of people attending, that cost alone could potentially be thousands of dollars.

If you have a cash bar, that will drive down the wedding's cost, potentially by quite a bit. Alcohol is expensive, and drinking at a wedding can easily get out of hand. If you make your guests cover the bill for their own alcohol consumption, the wedding's overall price tag goes down, and it's also less likely that any guests will overindulge.

Which is Right for You?

When you think about whether a cash bar or open bar is right for your wedding, you'll probably need to look at several factors. You might consider the number of guests. If you're going to have thirty people attending, the open bar cost will be a lot less than if you have three hundred. Maybe you feel like you can afford an open bar if you have a smaller guest list, but not if you're having a huge blow-out event.

You'll also need to think about whether you're wealthy or not. If you're doing very well financially, it might not bother you to pay for the cost of a large bar tab, even if you invite a few hundred guests.

You might decide to have an open bar if you know that someone else is paying for the wedding or covering most of its cost. For instance, sometimes the bride or groom's parents will agree to cover the wedding costs as a gift to the happy couple.

You must factor in all of that before you make a decision. There's no one-size-fits-all solution to the question of whether an open bar or cash bar makes more sense. Every wedding is different, as are the circumstances surrounding it. You and your fiance should take some time to talk about this topic to make sure you're both in agreement before moving forward.