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We talk about what is involved when you choose to arrange for bar service yourself—from how much alcohol to order for your crowd, to the legal requirements you need to consider when arranging your own bar service.
This is an EXAMPLE of the content we have on our online wedding planning membership site HappyWeddings.ca under the heading of Reception Site. To learn more and get useful wedding planning tools for FREE, click here!
If you did not choose an all-inclusive type of reception site like a hotel, restaurant, or a similar style facility that has food and liquor service included, it means that you will have to arrange for your own liquor license and bar supplies.
If your caterer can look after the bar service, it is a good thing to do. It will save you lots of time and energy, although the cost will be slightly higher than if you do it yourself.
The first thing to do is ask your reception site for information regarding their requirements for serving alcohol. They will tell you their requirements, which will give you the guidelines required for your province. Included in their information will be requirements for glasses, clean up and so forth. You will have to have a couple people to work the bar, and someone to relieve them for breaks.
But, what if the reception site doesn’t give you any guidelines, and just says: ‘get a liquor license, buy your alcohol and mix and get someone to work the bar’. Well, that doesn’t help too much! How much alcohol should you buy? How much mix do you need? The SmartBride™ Checklist- Arranging Bar Service will give you guidelines for how much alcohol is needed.
Remember that guidelines are just that. If your wedding crowd is into a specific type of drink, say like tequila, then you will need more of that and less of other types of alcohol. So use your knowledge of your crowd and apply it to our guideline. This Checklist has many different kinds of liquor, but you do not need to supply everything on the list for your guests. Because it is your wedding, you can choose what it is you want to serve your guests.
Next to the reception meal, the liquor is your next highest cost. Many couples want to have a cash bar and have the guests pay for their own alcohol. This is not done at weddings. You are hosting the party, and you are providing what your guests will eat and drink. BUT, other than wine during the meal, there is no rule that says you have to provide alcohol. You can provide whatever beverages you want, in any quantity you want.
The video called Cost Saving Tips – The Alcohol Bill will give you a variety of ideas on how to reduce your beverage costs. Also the video called The No Alcohol Option gives you lots of other ideas on how to cut your beverage costs.