sf > wrote in
:

> Most people who can read also know when an open bar ends,
> it's information that should be included on the reception
> card.

Invitations that include rules, times, and payments for drinking are a
turnoff to me. It wouldn't be an event I'd be interested in attending.
Obviously your mileage varies.

Limited open bars usually stop at dinner time, for
> those who don't have a clue.

Your experience is far from universal.

I'm from the mid-south, and IME there, open bars don't close until the
couple wants the guests to go home. And most receptions aren't sit-down
dinners; they're what's known as 'heavy hors d'oevres' which means
entree-type food in portions that fit on small plates (think tapas
buffet). No assigned seating, and sometimes seating for only 1/2 the
guests, thus forcing people to mingle. That's what my wedding was like.

I've been to a few weddings in and around NYC, and it was entirely
different from what I was used to: Open bar with 'cocktail hour' until
dinner, then only wine or beer served by waiters with assigned seating
at a sit-down dinner, where you didn't get up again unless you wanted to
dance or had to go to the bathroom. Personally, I hate being tied to a
table.

I've also been a to potluck weddings in state parks and back yards where
there was little or no alcoholic drinks. And don't get me started on my
in-laws' Pittsburgh and Rochester NY weddings!

> We attended a very nice open bar wedding last summer where
> the couple had negotiated drop dead prices per bottle over
> the internet. I'm not sure if it was local and picked up or
> shipped. I still need to find out the details.

Here's what I did: Got an estimate of the liquor needed from the
caterer. Asked the liquor store what kind of discount they'd give for a
party serving x people. (Never say 'wedding', or your discount will
disappear before your eyes.) Answer: 1/3 off. When I went to pay, it was
even better than that--about 1/2 off.

I didn't buy anything I wouldn't like drinking later on (luckly I like a
wide range of beer and liquor--whee!), because I knew there would be
leftovers.

Cate