Wedding bar packages explained: open bar, consumption, cash bar and drink tickets
By the Venue Answers team · · 4 min read
The bar is often the second biggest per-guest cost after food, and the package you pick changes both the bill and how the night feels. Below is how each type of bar package works, a simple way to estimate drinks for your guest count, and what every venue we track publishes about who runs the bar and what it costs.
The five ways a wedding bar is billed
- Open bar (hosted, per person): you pay a flat price per adult guest for a set number of hours, and guests never pay. Easiest to budget because the number is fixed when you give your final count.
- Consumption bar: you pay for what is actually poured, tallied at the end of the night. It can come in under an open bar if your crowd drinks lightly, and over it if they do not. Ask for a cap or a running total at a set dollar amount.
- Beer and wine only: a hosted bar with no liquor. Usually the cheapest hosted option, and some venues offer only this. A signature cocktail is sometimes added as a middle ground.
- Cash bar: guests buy their own drinks. Cheapest for you, but some venues do not allow it at all, and many guests still expect at least a hosted toast or first round.
- Drink tickets: each guest gets a set number of tickets, and the bar switches to cash or closes once they are used. It caps your cost while still treating guests.
Many couples combine these, for example a hosted beer and wine bar with a cash upgrade for liquor, or an open bar during cocktail hour that moves to tickets later.
How many drinks to plan for
The common planning rule is one drink per guest per hour the bar is open. Adjust down if many guests do not drink, and up for a crowd that does. For a full bar, planners typically split drinks about 50% wine, 30% liquor and 20% beer. For beer and wine only, the split is closer to 75% wine and 25% beer.
Here is the math for 125 guests with the bar open 4 hours, which comes to about 500 drinks:
| Drink | Share | Drinks | Servings per unit | About how much |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | 50% | 250 | 5 per bottle | 50 bottles |
| Liquor | 30% | 150 | about 18 cocktails per 750 ml | 9 bottles |
| Beer | 20% | 100 | 24 per case | about 4 cases |
| Champagne toast (optional) | 1 each | 125 | 8 per bottle | 16 bottles |
If you are paying per person, the drink count matters less for your bill, but it is still a useful check that the bar is stocked. If you are paying on consumption, this is roughly what you will be charged for, so price it out before you choose.
Who runs the bar at each venue
The single biggest factor is not the package, it is the venue's alcohol rule. A venue that requires its own bar sets the price and the menu. A venue that requires a licensed caterer lets you shop bartending companies. A venue that allows you to bring your own changes the math entirely. For the state permit and licensing rules, read our guide to alcohol rules at Indiana venues.
| Venue | Alcohol rule | Published bar pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Bluff | Licensed caterer required (through approved caterers) | Not published |
| Forever Lakeside | Venue bar required | Not published |
| Hazelnut Farm | Licensed caterer required | Not published |
| Highland Oaks | Venue bar required | Open bar $25 per guest 21+; bartender fee $575 under 75 guests, $995 over 75 |
| Historic Locust Grove | Licensed caterer required; no cash bars | Not published |
| Silo Farms | Venue bar required; no outside alcohol | Not published |
| The Destination | Venue bar required (beer and wine only, per Wedding Spot) | Not published |
| The Magnolia | Venue bar required | Bar service from $5 per person (Knot listing) |
| The Overlook | Licensed caterer required | Not published |
| Pepin Mansion | BYOB allowed | Bar service from $3 per person (Knot listing) |
| The Refinery | Licensed caterer required | Not published |
| The Trestle | Not published (bartenders extra) | Not published |
A "from $3" or "from $5 per person" figure is a starting point, usually for service or a basic package, not a full open bar. Ask what it includes and for how many hours.
What we use for budgeting
Our cost estimator uses $25 per guest for the bar at every venue. At most venues that is a regional estimate, not a published price. At Highland Oaks it matches the published open bar rate (Highland Oaks is owned by the people who run this site; see how we handle that). Treat $25 as a placeholder until you have a real quote, and remember that a bartender or service fee is often billed on top of the per-guest price.
Questions to ask before you choose a package
- Is the price per guest counted on all guests, or only those 21 and over?
- How many hours does the package cover, and what does an extra hour cost?
- Is the bartender fee, service charge or gratuity included or added?
- Is sales tax added to the bar total?
- On a consumption bar, can you set a dollar cap and get a running total?
- Are cash bars or drink tickets allowed at this venue?
- Does the bar close during dinner or the ceremony, and does that time count?
- Can you supply your own wine or beer, and is there a corkage or handling fee?
Picking the right one
- Check the venue's alcohol rule first. It decides who you can hire.
- Estimate drinks at one per guest per hour, adjusted for your crowd.
- Get a per-person quote and a consumption estimate, and compare them.
- Add bartender fees, service charge and tax before you compare venues.
Compare alcohol rules side by side on the venue search, and see where the bar sits in the full budget in what a wedding venue really costs near Louisville.