When you are planning your wedding, figuring out what you can do by yourself and what vendors you need to hire is going to be one of the biggest obstacles you’ll face. DJ’s or have someone control the AUX? Caterers or a food truck? Is having expensive flowers at every table really necessary? Do I need to hire bartenders? 

These are some of the questions you and your partner will be discussing while conducting your own planning. I have input on basically everything weddings, although in this article I will solely be discussing bartenders and why you should have them for your big day. 

#1 Less stress 

How nice does that sound? Hiring a bartender or two for your wedding will alleviate more stress from your planning than you can imagine. Most bartending services for hire will plan your menu for you, curate a customized shopping list of everything you need, add yourself and venue to their liquor liability insurance, set-up and break everything down and of course, serve drinks. 

Once you hire your bartenders, you can essentially cross all drink planning off of your wedding to-do list as the bartenders you hired will take care of the rest. And if they don’t take care of all of this, then don’t hire them and keep looking!

#2 You do not want your wedding turning into a frat party 

If you do not hire bartenders for your wedding, canned beers, seltzers, or a keg is really all you can serve. While this will still get a drink in your guests hand, it greatly limits your options. I highly advise against having liquor at your wedding without a bartender to make the drinks and to supervise. I have seen far too many weddings turn into a “frat party” where there’s one guy manning the keg pouring everyone foamy beers and people making their own drinks way too strong, (this usually doesn’t end well).

Do yourself a favor and hire bartenders. Your guests probably traveled a long way, reward them with some perfectly executed cocktails and properly poured beers from an actual bartender.

#3 How much alcohol should I have at my wedding?

Practically all bartenders for hire will provide menu planning as a part of their services. And if they don’t, maybe hire another bartending company. 

Trying to figure out exactly how many beers, seltzers, wine, handles of vodka, tequila, cups, ice and drink mixers to buy for all of your guests can be very intimidating to try and figure out. Leave it to a professional, who can figure out the perfect amount to have at your wedding. 

#4 Having a bartender elevates your wedding 

Ever notice how every elegant party you’ve been to has a bartender? A cooler of beer, white wine and a keg is more for backyard BBQ’s and Super Bowl parties. This is your wedding, let’s treat it as such. 

Plus, this means you finally get to be that classy host that tells their guests "please help yourself to anything to drink, it’s an open bar” as you point to the handsome man you hired behind the bar shaking cocktails. Do yourself a favor and hire the bartender.

#5 You don’t have to worry about your drunk Uncle being weird (Hopefully) 

Another great reason to hire a bartender is as much as they are the party starters, they are also the party police. 

Your wedding is a celebration, and everyone will be enjoying themselves (as they should). Although, having bartenders means there is someone there who is sober, and is in control of the alcohol. 

All certified bartenders have to take a safe handling course which goes over the dangers of over serving. If you hire a bartender for your wedding you are eliminating the possibility of someone getting way too drunk from unsupervised consumption that could potentially lead into a disaster. 

You don’t want the only thing everyone remembers from your wedding is your fiance's drunk college roommate taking off his shirt and trying to dance on your grandma. Although she may enjoy dancing with a younger man, hire a bartender and this can easily be avoided. 

#6 When hiring a bartender, an open bar will not be as $$$ as you might think 

The saying “I'm not going unless there’s an open bar” is truer than you may think. Everyone wants an open bar for their wedding. Your guests are taking time and even spending money to see you get married, the last thing you want to do is also charge them for drinks. 

The term “open bar” sometimes seems daunting on your wallet. But fear none, as the modern term of the term “open bar'“ has arrived. An open bar doesn’t mean that you have to rent out an entire bar and close the entire tab the next morning, because that can get expensive. 

A ton of wedding venues nowadays allow the bride and groom to BYOB all the alcohol for their guests. That means they’ll show up with a few kegs, a few cases of wine, and liquor plus mixers for cocktails that the bartender will use.

This can save you a TON of money, plus you guests still aren’t paying for their drinks. In fact, you can even expect to spend as little as $10 per drinking guest at your wedding while using this BYOB open bar hack. 

And of course, you gotta have a bartender to tend to your open bar.  

#7 Creating “His” & “Hers” cocktails 

As previously stated, if you do not hire bartenders then you are extremely limited on what drinks you can serve. A very popular phenomenon is to have a “his” & a “hers” cocktail option at your wedding. This essentially means you and your partner’s favorite cocktail, although it can mean a little more. 

A lot of brides and grooms like to pick the drink they ordered on their first date. Or a drink from a memorable vacation they took. It is the perfect way to add an extra bit of sentiment and personableness to your guests. 

Communicate with the bartender you hire the significance of your chosen drinks and expect your great aunt Jenny to come up to you at your wedding saying “oh my gosh your bartender just told me how you drank a Mai Thai on your guys’ first date and now here we are!”

It’s just adorable. And good luck supplying Mai Thai’s all night to your wedding of 150 people without a bartender. 

#8 Sometimes a bartender can be your guests friend 

I can’t tell you how many weddings I've been to where I have buddied up with the bartender talking about god knows what after a few drinks. 

This doesn’t mean that your wedding is boring, it is just nice to talk to someone while they're making you a drink, especially if they’re cool. It’s always a reassuring feeling when a guest comes up to you at your wedding and compliments the bartenders you hired. And who knows, maybe your bartender could even talk someone out of doing/saying something stupid at your wedding. 

Most bartenders for hire prefer to chat on the phone before hiring (this is a good thing). Get to know them as best as you can, they are going to be a part of the biggest day of your life. Make sure they’re friendly and personable and they will make a fantastic addition to your wedding. 

We do not recommend hiring bartenders unless you speak to them personally over the phone! That is when hiring the wrong person can take place. 

#9 For what they hopefully give you in return, hiring a bartender is not too expensive 

When searching the web for the best bartenders in your area, you might be a little turned-off by their initial quotes. But when you think about it, there is a reason they are charging anywhere from $200-$400 an hour. 

Menu planning, shopping list, pickup and delivery of items, adding yourself onto their insurance policy, commuting, set up and breakdown of bar, the actual bar service, back and forth communication and having to deal with your mother-in-law. 

I promise you their prices are more reasonable when you consider all of this. You get what you pay for, and in this instance it will take so much stress off of your back. 

#10 Making sure everyone gets home safe

You already have so much going on during the day of your wedding. The last thing on your mind should be worrying about people drinking too much and driving home inebriated. Thankfully, if you hire a bartender it is not on you. 

A bartender for hire is personally liable for everyone drinking at your wedding, and they know it. Over serving someone can be very dangerous for the public and for the bartender. A good bartender will keep a close eye on everyone’s buzz, ask a guest who has already had a few if they are driving home or not, and not be afraid to cut someone off.

In Conclusion…Hire a bartender and I guarantee the extra amount of money you spend on their services will be undoubtedly worth it for yourself and your guests.