Your Ultimate Wedding Bar Hire Checklist

There are many types of wedding where you will need to hire in a mobile event bar. You might be hiring a marquee and having your wedding on your own farm, or using a DIY venue such as a barn, farm, or country house, or perhaps you are having your reception at a local hall.

Whatever the venue might be, you want to make sure you get yourself a great mobile bar, as the bar is always one of the most popular parts of your reception and plays a huge role in getting the party started and giving you and your guests a brilliant time. What’s more, hiring a mobile bar is almost always cheaper for you than trying to do it yourself, and you will have a much better experience.

With that in mind, we have created you a handy bar hire checklist to ensure the bar you choose is perfect for your special day.

The Nitty-Gritty

Before you further consider any mobile bar provider for your wedding, we suggest you check these points.

LICENSING

You need to make sure the bar you hire holds the required personal alcohol licensing, and also, if needed can arrange a temporary event notice for the sale of alcohol at your wedding location (if the venue doesn’t have a premises license).

INSURANCE

Make sure the bar you choose is fully insured. Of course, you don’t want this insurance to actually need to be used, but it must be there, just in case.

COST (BOOKING FEE)

Check how much, exactly, without any hidden extra charges, or minimum spend requirements, the bar you choose is charging for the booking. Remember, it’s not all about who is the cheapest, you get what you pay for and this is one of the most important days of your life. The bar plays a big role in getting the party started and everyone having a great time, so make sure you find a balance between cost and what you get for that price.

COST (MENUS)

You’ll also want to check their menu prices to ensure the bar you choose is going to be offering reasonable prices to your guests on the night.  

COST/LOCATION (TRAVEL)

Check where the bar you are looking to hire is based and whether there is any mileage charge. As with the booking fee above, remember that paying a little for mileage/travel could be worth it if the bar looks like the best fit for your wedding.

The Practical Bits

In addition to the points above, these elements are fundamental factors in determining if a bar is suitable for your wedding.

SET UP SPACE

check the size of the bar you are looking to hire and that there is enough space at the venue. Think about exactly where you’d like the bar placed and check the bar’s measurements. Don’t forget you’ll also need to add space for people ordering drinks and generally standing near the bar. This space is important as its where the party gets going and where those not dancing will likely be stood talking and laughing with each other.

SETUP TIME

Ask the bar you are looking to hire how much time they need to set up (and break down). You want to make sure they have plenty of time before the reception is due to start so that when guests arrive it’s a seamless and relaxed experience.

STAFFING

Check if the bar offers staff and how many staff they provide. We provide staff and adjust the level of staff based on your guest number, to ensure your guests have a great experience and aren’t waiting long periods to be served.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Check if the bar offers card and cash payment methods. In this day and age, most people don’t carry cash, and guests could be upset if they can’t pay by card.

WASTE DISPOSAL

Something people often overlook, but an important one. If you are having a DIY wedding you don’t want to be left clearing up after the bar hire provider the next day. We clean up all bar-related waste, leaving the venue exactly as we found it, and if there is no waste disposal on-site, we take it with us. Recycling is very important to us so we would prefer to take our waste away to ensure it is correctly disposed of.

GLASSES

Does the bar include glasses in their hire, and if so, what type? I don’t know about you, but I hate drinking a glass of wine from a plastic cup. We include glasses as standard with all bookings and can offer alternatives such as melamine or vegware compostable cups if your venue requires it.

The Drinks

So now we’ve made it to the core part of your bar experience, the drinks!

THE MENU

Make sure the bar menu has a good variety of drinks, including cocktails. Cocktails are very popular at weddings these days. If the menu is missing something you love, check if they would be happy to add it to the menu as a guest drink for your wedding.

PUMP/TAP FOR DRAUGHT BEER AND CIDER

This is something we offer for all weddings as standard, but not all bars have this facility. We have taps as standard and are happy to get your favourite beer, ale, or cider in if it isn’t one of our usuals.

DRINK PACKAGES

Can the bar provide drink packages for your wedding breakfast? Some couples like to take care of the daytime drinks themselves, thinking it will save them money, but our packages are so reasonably priced, that when you add in service, glasses (which you’d otherwise need to hire) and clearing, it is often far more affordable and a lot more stress-free to have a package provided by the bar you are hiring instead.

CUSTOMISATION OPTIONS

Can you customize the menus in any way? For example, we offer as standard the option to have a custom cocktail menu created for you, or his/her bride and groom special drinks, and if you have a specific beer, lager, cider or wine that you’d like on the menu then we will always accommodate this where possible.

The Style

THE STYLE OF THE BAR SUITS YOUR THEME/VENUE

This is a big one because the bar is a big fixture visually within your space and sets the tone for your reception, so it’s important that the look and feel of the bar suits your theme, venue, and style.  

OPTIONS TO CUSTOMISE

Can you decorate the bar yourself, does the bar come with different style options? The Shaker Bar, for example, comes in charcoal grey or dove grey and can come with our own décor (eucalyptus garlands, etc) or can be left blank for you or your florist to decorate.

The Company

This is the bit that makes a huge difference that can often be overlooked.

THEIR STORY

What’s the story behind their business and brand? You want to pick a supplier that clearly loves what they do because they’re the ones who are going to give you the best experience.

THE EXTRA MILE

Does the company your looking at look like they’re going to go the extra mile for you? How has their service been so far?

THE FEEL FACTOR

How do the people behind the business make you feel? They are going to be part of one of the most important days of your life, so you want to be sure they’re the type of people you want at your big day.

ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS

We’re long past the days where anybody is happy being served a plastic straw or a single-use plastic cup, and we all want to see local distilleries and breweries being supported, so make sure the bar you choose prioritises sustainability and eco-friendliness as much as possible and look out for an environmental policy on their website.

Where we come in

Here at The Fizzy Pheasant, you can be assured that we tick all the boxes above and then go the extra (country) kilometre to make sure your experience is one for you and your guests to remember. Everything you could need to get you started is included in our service. Why not read more about what’s included in our bar hire?

If you have any questions or would like any information about having us provide your bar experience at your wedding then please do get in touch.