As I start looking at this year and chatting to my 2023 couples I can clearly see there is an increasing interest in dry hire venues such as barns and marquees. The freedom to be able to choose your own suppliers and do things on your own terms seems to be a winner with my couple’s. Which has led me to have more conversations about booze and the do’s and don’ts around supplying your own. So here are some things you need to know when providing your own booze.
5 Things to consider when providing your own booze
1. Who will be providing the actual bar?
You will want somewhere to display your drinks and store your glasses.
It’s worth asking your barn/marquee/tipi if they have one already onsite or if you can hire one from them (a lot of marquee companies hire out bars)
If not, it’s worth asking your local outside bar company if you can hire one from them. Some allow you to hire bars without a drinks package.
2. What are you stocking it with and how much stock are you providing?
You don’t need a massive selection of booze, but you will need enough to last the duration of your event.
Start off by working out what you would like to offer for your drinks reception, during the meal and toast drink (if you’re having speeches)
Then I personally find it’s a good idea to make sure your bar is stocked with prosecco/champagne, beer, wine (white and red tends to go down well), spirits, mixers and drinking water (either bottled or via a tap nearby) plus any special requests you have.
To give you an idea of quantities I’ve noted below how many serves you should expect per bottle
Prosecco/champagne = 6 (flutes in a 75cl bottle)
Wine = 6 (125ml glasses in a 75cl bottle)
Spirits = 15 shots (in a 70cl bottle)
3. How are you chilling your drinks?
Warm drinks don’t go down well, so having a way to chill is important. Are you planning to provide ice too? If so, you will need somewhere nearby to store this.
4. Who is providing your glassware and how much?
It’s very unlikely guests will stick to one glass all day.
As a rule of thumb you will need;
1 x glass per person for your drinks reception (you may need more depending on how many choices you offer)
1 x wine glass, 1 x water glass and 1 x flute per person on the tables (again this may vary depending what you offer and if you’re having a toast with your speeches)
Plus a variety of wine, pint, flute, tumbler and shot glasses for the bar.
5. Who will replenish the bar, serve drinks, clear away dirty glasses, wash glasses and keep everything in order?
You will not want to be doing these jobs yourself on the day, so in my opinion it’s great to have a team onsite who can take care of this for you. Especially if you’re planning on providing your own booze!
These are the types of roles your bar staff will be able to take care of on the day.
– Setting up your drinks station and roaming with drinks during your drinks reception.
– Putting glassware, wine and water on your tables ready for the meal.
– Charging your glasses ready for your speeches.
– Serving guests when they come up to the bar.
– Collecting and washing dirty glasses.
– Replenishing the bar with glasses, drink, ice and garnishes.
– Clearing up smashed glass and wiping up spills.
Are you unsure whether providing your own booze is a good idea or want some help going through the nitty gritty to make sure you have everything accounted for? Get in touch and we can go through everything to give you peace of mind.
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