May 25, 20232 min read

Simple Ways to Prep your Bar for Your Event

Updated: Jun 9, 2023

Believe it or not, bar tending can be a much bigger job than is anticipated for most couples for their big day or for that huge party that you have coming up!

Whenever a client reaches out and they want an open bar with 10 different drink options and have a pretty low budget - sometimes it takes a little bit of a breakdown to explain to clients that the job their asking may not make sense depending on the size of their event.

Let me give you an example here

Client is a beer and wine drinker - they don't want cocktails and they just want you to pull beer and wine from the fridge - no ice needed since it's an indoor venue. Headcount is 100 people. The bar is physically there, they have a sink and garbage can with bags for the location. Everything is pretty much good to go!

I'd say we'd realistically only need 1 bartender for this event since it's a grab and go kind of situation. Budget could be at the $400 mark with insurance and cleanup for the bar for 5 hours

On the other hand there are situations that clients have the same amount of guests but they are wanting a totally different experience

2 separate stocked bars, no ice on premise, no canisters on hand, no fridge to keep anything cold so they either have to fill coolers or an ice chest (highly recommend this) and let's say they want 2 signature drinks as well as beer and wine and an open bar and your family brings every soda under the sun as well as tons of garnishes. I'd suggest for this situation 2 seperate bartenders to stay at the bar as well as two all night runners ONLY for 2 bars and this would need to be a $1500 event - depending on the location for the ice delivery.

What's the difference you may ask? I'll list it below so you can see it for your own eyes as well as be prepared for the wedding yourself!

First off -

Ice Chests and Wheel Barrows - These have SAVED my life on events because they can carry more than a traditional cooler. Coolers are amazing for keeping things cold - but when you are working an event you need something that you can move quickly and not be as heavy. My goal is to give the client a great experience and I can't do that if my bartender is grouchy from heavy lifting. If you need to transport a lot of ice and you aren't next to the venue entrance I would get these 2 things for EACH of your bars. Links for Amazon are below.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links to purchase items for your wedding or event.