Diy Bar

[flowersinsand]

If you did your own booze and hired a bartender how did you do it? Set it up? How much did you buy and pay?

My venue doesnt really have a bar and I was thinking of making a one.

Comments

[skindyedindigo]

We're buying our own. Costco has a policy about returning unopened alcohol so that if any of it goes unused we can return it Or I can keep it all as a wedding present to myself ;). We're buying bottles or Merlot and Riesling, and getting a bunch of Sam Adam's Lager and Michelob Ultra. We're also having sodas and water, supplied by the caterer.

[shweetnettie13]

My best friend had a serve yourself bar at their reception. They bought a bunch of those giant metal buckets (like these: http://graphicleftovers.com/graphic/metal-bucket-567/) and filled them with ice for cans of beer and the wine that was to be served cold. Everyone already had wine glasses at their place settings, so people could just go up and pour what they wanted, when they wanted it. There were a couple of family volunteers that kept an eye on the table to open new bottles, clear out the used when they were empty, etc.

It worked really, really well, actually.

[fuckedbeauty]

Keep in mind, depending on where you live though, it may be required by law to have a bartender. Check with your venue contact person. I'm sure you aren't the only one who has done this. I live in Texas, and when I used to work at a liquor store, I know several of the guys that worked there moonlighted as bartenders at weddings, anniversary parties, etc. I know that here, you have to have a TABC licensed, and a lot of times an insured, bartender working at your event if you are serving alcohol, and I do believe it is 1 bartender per 50 (maybe even 25) guests.

If you can do this though, and there isn't a lot of people, I suggest the above, though! It would be a lot simpler.

[candyce]

We put up a table, put a tablecloth on it, and had wine and cups on the table as well as mixers and two kegs beside it. We didn't hire a bartender, but we had two cousins "attend" it, basically to keep an eye on things. We let people bring in their own liquor, since people tend to be particular about what kinds of liquor they like. It worked out GREAT and was not expensive. (I had been buying the wine slowly as different kinds went on sale.)

I have been to plenty of other weddings where there was an unattended alcohol table and people just served themselves, and honestly I vastly prefer that over having to wait in line for a bartender to pour something out for me that I could have done myself, and then he wants a tip for it. And you have to pay him good money to stand there and pour things. Even if you want some super fancy cocktails or something, you can always put the laminated recipes out on the table with the ingredients and let guests have fun making their own and coming up with variations.