本文从一位职业伴娘的视角出发，探讨了在现代婚礼中设置现金吧的利弊。作者通过大量婚礼经历，指出开放式酒席（Open Bar）不仅成本高昂，还容易导致宾客过度饮酒，引发失控场面，甚至影响婚礼氛围。相较之下，现金吧能有效控制婚礼开支，并减少醉酒宾客带来的麻烦。文章还提供了多种灵活的现金吧设置方案，如限时免费、提供饮品券或特色鸡尾酒，以及仅提供啤酒和葡萄酒等，旨在帮助新人平衡成本与宾客体验，同时建议新人提前告知宾客酒水安排，确保婚礼顺利进行。

💰 **成本控制与预算优化**：开放式酒席（Open Bar）是婚礼预算中的一项巨大开销，平均每位宾客可能花费25美元以上。作者通过自身经历指出，许多新人因未充分考虑开放式酒席的成本而导致超支，甚至负债。改用现金吧可以将这笔费用节省下来，用于其他更重要的婚礼环节，如蜜月、摄影或特色甜品台，从而实现更明智的预算分配。

⚖️ **减少失控行为，提升宾客体验**：过度饮酒是导致婚礼上不愉快事件的主要原因之一。作者亲眼目睹了多次因开放式酒席导致的冲突，如打架斗殴、扰乱现场秩序等。现金吧会促使宾客更谨慎地饮酒，减缓饮酒速度，从而降低发生醉酒闹事的可能性，确保婚礼的整体氛围更加和谐愉快，让所有参与者都能享受一个美好的夜晚。

💡 **灵活的现金吧设置方案**：为了兼顾成本节约和宾客感受，新人可以采取多种创新的现金吧模式。例如，可以设置限时免费酒水（如婚礼前一两小时），之后转为现金购买；或者发放饮品券，让宾客在付费前享受几杯免费饮酒。此外，提供两款特色鸡尾酒作为免费饮品，或只提供啤酒和葡萄酒，并增设无酒精鸡尾酒站，也是不错的选择，既能控制成本，又能满足不同宾客的需求。

📢 **提前沟通，管理宾客预期**：尽管现金吧可能引发一些宾客的意外或不满，但充分的沟通至关重要。新人可以在婚礼请柬或官方网站上明确告知酒水安排，或在婚礼周发送包含相关信息的邮件。例如，一位新娘提前告知宾客有现金吧，使得大家都能做好准备，甚至有人自带酒水。坦诚的沟通能有效管理宾客预期，避免现场的尴尬与不便。

I've attended hundreds of weddings as a bridesmaid-for-hire, and I'm not sold on open bars.Receptions with open bars get pricey, and I've seen many guests drink too much and cause issues.Cash bars are a great way to save money on a wedding and worry less about rowdy drunken guests.

An hour into the reception, hotel security barged onto the dance floor to help break up a fight between the groom's friends and the bride's cousins.

Just minutes earlier, the group was hunched over the open bar, throwing back free shots and emptying bottles of tequila as if they were bartenders at a Vegas nightclub.

As I watched fists hit faces, I couldn't help thinking that all of this drunken chaos might've been prevented if the couple hadn't had an open bar.

At many modern American weddings, guests expect an open bar where they can toss back as many alcoholic drinks as they desire.

However, after working hundreds of weddings as a hired bridesmaid for strangers, I'm not completely sold on them.

I've seen couples go into debt because they didn't account for their open-bar costs, and others hysterical during the reception because a guest's drunken antics ruined their day.

Although the idea of having guests pay for their own drinks can feel taboo, I think cash bars can make a wedding great — especially if couples do them well.

With more limited drinks, you can worry a little less about guests getting rowdy

Not everyone has self-control around an open bar, which could turn your fun reception into an unforgettable one for the wrong reasons.

When I work weddings with open bars as a professional bridesmaid, I'm on high alert — I can count on a drunk guest almost ruining the reception at about 50% of them.

I once saw the bride's uncle grab the microphone from the DJ and ramble on about his failed marriages after ripping shots. At a different wedding, the groom's college friends were so drunk they started a fight that ended with a broken arm.

Without an open bar, guests might think twice about how much alcohol they are consuming — and that slower pace could help prevent infamous wedding moments that you'll remember for years.

Plus, nixing an open bar can save you thousands of dollars

Although prices vary based on the type of alcohol offered, the guest count (and what they drink), and location, an open bar can easily cost well over $25 a person.

At a large wedding, that can become a significant added expense that couples hadn't accounted for when planning their catering budget.

Instead, couples can skip the open bar and pocket that cash or use that chunk of their budget toward something they want more, like a dessert bar or a pricier photographer.

One couple I worked with used the $3,000 they saved on an open bar to fund half their honeymoon. For them, a week in Spain was more memorable than a night of wedding guests throwing back bottomless drinks.

Luckily, there are great ways to customize a cash bar or offer limited free drinks to guests

If you're eager to save money but want to still treat guests to a few alcoholic beverages, you have options.

A popular trend I've seen at budget-friendly weddings is limited open bars that are complimentary for the first hour or two before turning into a cash bar. That way, the couple can treat guests to a few rounds of drinks before asking them to cover their own.

Or, if you want more control over alcohol consumption, you could hand out drink tickets when guests arrive so they are given a few freebies before paying for the rest.

At a recent wedding I worked at, the couple had a cash bar but offered two signature cocktails for free. This compromise saved them money and let their guests sip on a beverage that was special to them.

One kid-friendly reception I worked had the bar serve only beer and wine, then added a mocktail station where guests could whip up non-alcoholic drinks with fun garnishes.

In addition, choosing to skip hard liquor and instead only serving beer and wine is also a popular option for cutting costs and still giving guests free drinks without fully doing a cash bar.

Money aside, if you're aiming for less of a rager and more of a dinner party, the mood can be set based on the type of bar option you choose.

You might face some judgment, but there are a few ways to prepare

Open bars are non-negotiable for a lot of couples and are the most popular drink offering at receptions in the US.

So, guests might expect to order unlimited cocktails at your wedding and could be shocked when they're asked to swipe their card.

Ultimately, though, it's your decision. If you're nervous about guests whispering about your pick or showing up unprepared on the big day, include language about your bar option on the invite or wedding website.

One bride I worked with sent out a wedding-week email to all of her guests with the itinerary, venue address, and a note about there being a cash bar. Guests came prepared to pay (and some even snuck in their own liquor bottles).

Either way, don't let the eye-rollers bring you down if you choose to have a cash bar or more limited drink options. There's more to a wedding than the freebies guests can score at the bar — we're there to celebrate love, aren't we?