How to plan a wedding bar and what to ask the couple

A wedding bar comes together in four steps: the couple's brief, a venue check, the menu and timeline, then staff and equipment. Staff 1 bartender per 50–70 guests for a simple bar and 1 per 40–50 for a cocktail bar. Below are the questions to ask the couple and the venue, the wedding-day timeline, the welcome drink, the champagne tower and how to work out staffing.

What questions should I ask the couple?

Start with these 12. Without them you can neither price the job nor pack the bar:

1. Date, venue and address. Is there a second location (a separate ceremony)?
2. How many adult guests, how many children, roughly how many non-drinkers?
3. When do guests arrive, and when should the bar close?
4. Is there a welcome drink after the ceremony, and for how long?
5. Who handles wine on the tables: the bar, the restaurant, or the couple bringing their own?
6. What do guests usually drink: wine, beer, spirits, cocktails? Does the couple have a favourite drink?
7. Do they want signature cocktails, and what might they be called?
8. Toast and cake: sparkling for everyone? A tower?
9. Soft options: how many children and non-drinkers, do they want alcohol-free cocktails?
10. Wedding style and colours — they drive the bar front, garnish and menu.
11. Budget or payment model: all inclusive per guest, pay on consumption, their own alcohol (more in bar payment models).
12. Contact for the coordinator or planner on the day.

Keep the answers in one place, not in a chat thread: a month later you will need the guest count, the coordinator's name and the cocktail name all at once.

What should I ask the venue?

The venue decides more than people expect. Ask these before you send a quote:

• Access times. Setting up a bar takes 1.5–2 hours; breaking down takes about an hour.
• Power. How many sockets near the bar, and can they take an ice machine, a fridge and lighting?
• Water. Is there a sink nearby, can you fill water for washing?
• Ice and cold storage. Is there a freezer or cold room for ice and bottles?
• Glassware and washing. Venue glasses or yours, who washes, and until when?
• Own alcohol. Is it allowed, and is there a corkage fee?
• Finish time and noise. Until what time can you serve?
• Outdoors. Is there cover in case of rain, and level ground for the bar?
• Load-in. Where do you unload, are there steps or a lift?

What does a wedding bar timeline look like?

A wedding bar works in waves, so staff for the peaks, not the average. A typical day:

Agree the overall schedule with the coordinator — more in our guide to the event-day timeline.

What should be on a wedding bar menu?

A standard wedding bar menu: red and white wine, sparkling, beer, 3–4 spirits, soft drinks and 3–6 cocktails. More cocktails slow the bar down at peak and add little for guests. For building the list, see how to create a cocktail menu; for bottle counts, see how much alcohol per guest.

Signature cocktails

One or two signature cocktails named after the couple are what guests photograph and remember. Keep them:

• quick — 30–40 seconds, ideally built or pre-batched;
• not too sweet and not too strong;
• in the wedding colours, through the drink or the garnish;
• with an alcohol-free version.

Welcome drink

A welcome drink means 1–2 drinks per guest over 30–60 minutes. Sparkling, a spritz or lemonade works, plus an alcohol-free option. Pour it in advance onto trays: 100 guests arrive at once, and a bar making drinks to order cannot keep up in those minutes.

Champagne tower

A tower is built from identical coupes on a level, stable table:

Plan about 1 bottle per 5 glasses, since some sparkling is lost to overflow. The bartender pours, not the couple without practice, and trays stand ready so glasses reach guests quickly. In Latvia, a tower is usually sold as an add-on of about €5 per guest.

How many bartenders does a wedding need?

Staff 1 bartender per 50–70 guests for a simple bar and 1 per 40–50 for a cocktail bar. From 100 guests, add a barback.

An extra pair of hands for the 30–60 minutes of the welcome drink almost always pays for itself. How to arrange and confirm shifts is covered in bar staff shifts.

How much does a wedding bar cost?

Typical market prices in Latvia are €29–50 per guest for all inclusive, excl. VAT (21% in Latvia), usually with 2–3 tiers by guest count: the more guests, the lower the price per head. Private bartenders charge €15–55 an hour. A tower, a coffee station or a welcome drinks wall are priced as extras. For setting your own prices, see mobile bar pricing.

How this works in Garnify

In Garnify, a wedding is a deal with an event, the couple's and coordinator's contacts and the venue, with every brief answer in one place. The couple gets the quote as a link and approves it in one click, and bartenders see their shift and the bar setup in the Telegram bot.