How to host beer and wine only

edenscott · March 2014

I am only going to have beer, wine, and champagne at my wedding and was planning on having self serve. I was thinking about putting it on the back porch of our venue that leads out to our lawn games. I was going to put them in galvanized buckets with ice. Since my venue will not allow liquor, should I still hire a bartender? Any ideas or suggestions?

MandyMost · March 2014

If you're not required to have a bartender, and you're having a casual affair (as I'm assuming, since you're planning lawn games), I think it's fine to not have a bartender. Yes, people might poor wine glasses more full than a bartender would, but it's not like they'd be seriously over pouring shots or anything! I would maybe have a "menu" saying what's available, especially if it's not immediately obvious, on the bar/table. And I would make sure someone (such as your d.o.c. or the caterer) is responsible for restocking, making sure there's some of everything available within reach of the guests, etc. And that there are glasses available. And there should be a clear place to put dirty glasses or old bottles since there won't be a bartender to take it back.

I would hire a bartender if you're going for a more formal feel.

wandajune6 · March 2014

Are you allowed to have a

edenscott said:

I am only going to have beer, wine, and champagne at my wedding and was planning on having self serve. I was thinking about putting it on the back porch of our venue that leads out to our lawn games. I was going to put them in galvanized buckets with ice. Since my venue will not allow liquor, should I still hire a bartender? Any ideas or suggestions?

How is that allowable? If no liquor is allowed, how is outdoors ok? Wouldn't it still be on the property of the venue? If that's ok, I'd check on liability in your area- bartenders are tasked in part with making sure that no one is over-served. As the host, I'd want to confirm that I won't be held liable if someone does something stupid.

Beyond that, bartenders are nice to have but not necessary. We hire them regularly at larger family functions for beer, wine, and soft beverages. If you're planning to rent glasses, I'd definitely use them- it makes everything much nicer, particularly once you have an empty glass. If you're using disposables, it's less important.

AprilH81 · March 2014

wandajune6 said:

Are you allowed to have a

edenscott said:

I am only going to have beer, wine, and champagne at my wedding and was planning on having self serve. I was thinking about putting it on the back porch of our venue that leads out to our lawn games. I was going to put them in galvanized buckets with ice. Since my venue will not allow liquor, should I still hire a bartender? Any ideas or suggestions?
How is that allowable? If no liquor is allowed, how is outdoors ok? Wouldn't it still be on the property of the venue? If that's ok, I'd check on liability in your area- bartenders are tasked in part with making sure that no one is over-served. As the host, I'd want to confirm that I won't be held liable if someone does something stupid.

Beyond that, bartenders are nice to have but not necessary. We hire them regularly at larger family functions for beer, wine, and soft beverages. If you're planning to rent glasses, I'd definitely use them- it makes everything much nicer, particularly once you have an empty glass. If you're using disposables, it's less important.

Many venues allow beer and wine and not liquor, so I think she is okay by having it on the porch.

Ditto PP about having someone available (not a guest) to refill the tubs and make sure everything is okay. A bartender would be nice if you have the money for it.

edenscott · March 2014

Hard liquor is not allowed but beer and wine is. Weird I know. I can put it anywhere in my venue, but I am choosing the back porch because that is where most people will come in at since parking and cocktail hr will be hosted there. I was planning on buying 150 bottles of beer and 24 bottles of wine. Once it was gone, that's all. Also our venue requires use to serve it out of plastic cups.

AprilH81 · March 2014

edenscott said:

Hard liquor is not allowed but beer and wine is. Weird I know. I can put it anywhere in my venue, but I am choosing the back porch because that is where most people will come in at since parking and cocktail hr will be hosted there. I was planning on buying 150 bottles of beer and 24 bottles of wine. Once it was gone, that's all. Also our venue requires use to serve it out of plastic cups.

How many guests do you have that will be over 21? What will non-drinkers have available and will they also have a station outside?

edenscott · March 2014

We have about 15 that are under the limit but most of those are under 4 years old. My fiance and I want kids to be there because they are family or very close with us. But I am not sure how many people drink and don't drink. Also I have the flexibility to move the station around the venue.

emmyg65 · March 2014

How many guests do you have who will be drinking alcohol? How long is your reception? Calculate one drink per person per hour. A bottle of beer is one drink; a bottle of wine contains 4 servings.

Maggie0829 · March 2014

How many guests total are you having. 150 bottles of beer does not sound like very much, unless you are having a small guest list.

And a bottle of wine you will get about 4 glasses out of it, especially if people are pouring their own so you will only get about 96 glasses of wine out of 24 bottles (unless you get the larger bottles and then you will get more).

I would definitely have soda, water, and tea available because not everyone will want to drink or they may only want one glass of wine or one beer and then drink soda or water the rest of the night.

Also, I urge you to hire a bartender. They will be able to keep the bar clean and cut people off who may have had to much.

KatWAG · March 2014

edenscott said:

We have about 15 that are under the limit but most of those are under 4 years old. My fiance and I want kids to be there because they are family or very close with us. But I am not sure how many people drink and don't drink. Also I have the flexibility to move the station around the venue.

You need to assume that everyone will consume about 2 drinks an hour. Bottles of wine have about 5 servings. So you have 120 servings of wine and 150 servings of beer. That means if you are having a 4 hour reception, you have enough for 34 people. How many people are you having?

edenscott · March 2014

We invited 170, but only 67 have RSVPd and they are due back this week. Some of my family hasn't replied back yet and I know they are coming so that adds about 15. So about 82 I'm guessing. Will I continue to get replied back after I requested them to be in?

Maggie0829 · March 2014

edenscott said:

We invited 170, but only 67 have RSVPd and they are due back this week. Some of my family hasn't replied back yet and I know they are coming so that adds about 15. So about 82 I'm guessing. Will I continue to get replied back after I requested them to be in?

Most likely. A lot of people view the RSVP date as the last day they can mail the card back so you may get RSVPs up to a week after your deadline. Anyone who hasn't RSVPd by your date should get a phone call just to make sure they are or are not coming.

jules3964 · March 2014

I thought one of the major reasons to have a bartender was liability -- a professional bartender will have insurance. Right? This is the reason we're having one through our caterer.

They can cut people off if they've had too much and take responsibility.

Ven&Radio · March 2014

My concern with the self-serve alcohol is people getting wasted with no one to cut them off. Part of a bartender's job is gauging when someone has had enough and refusing to continue serving them.

lc07 · March 2014

It IS a liability issue. I would hire a licensed bartender. You will be on the hook for any liability issues that arise from people drinking too much without one. It also doesn't sound like you have enough beer.

ETA: In many states a property has to have a separate license for liquor than for beer and wine. So it makes sense to me that your venue only allows beer and wine.

LondonLisa · March 2014

You may be legally responsible if someone drink drives after your wedding if there is not a bartender. I also believe you need to have specific insurance for this. Check with your venue about their alcohol insurance. The reason I'm guessing they don't provide a bartender is that they do not have liability insurance for it, so it is all on you.

Also, I agree with PP, that doesn't sound like a lot of drinks for your guests. This is the absolute minimum you should provide for 3 hours:

90 People- 45 bottles of wine 225 bottles of beer

100 People- 50 bottles of wine 250 bottles of beer

120 People- 60 wine/ 300 beer

150 People- 75 wine/ 375 beer

170 People- 85 wine/ 425 beer

Look into getting a barrel of beer instead of individual bottles. If you are getting a bartender (which you should), they can also serve this. Also, do you have non-alcoholic drinks available too, such as lemonade, iced tea and fizzy drinks?

[Deleted User] · March 2014

I would hire a bartender just to make sure the beer ends up in plastic cups. If I see a can or bottle of beer, I would normally just grab it & drink straight from the container. Also a bartender can act as someone who can watch out for someone who may need to be cut off or if you have anyone that will be under the legal drinking age, to make sure they don't get any beer or wine. Once it all goes into that "red solo cup" you can't tell what anyone is drinking

CMGragain · March 2014

At daughter's wedding, we had a consumption bar with mimosas and bloody marys. We paid more for the sodas than for the alcohol. Don't forget to have lots of sodas available for non-drinkers and kids.

Coalette2013 · March 2014

Something else to think about is your state laws. We are getting married in Tennessee and our venue allows us to bring in whatever we want, but the only requirement is a licensed bartender since it's a state law. Might want to double check with your venue about any other legal requirements.

How to host beer and wine only

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