Alcohol at Oklahoma wedding?

That's a question for your venue or your planner if you have one. Either way I recommend hiring a bartender, it takes any legal risk off of you and a bartender knows when to cut people off and such

Agree with PP.... if the venue isn't going to provide one, I'd definitely hire a bar tender.

Sounds pretty straightforward: hire a bartender to serve drinks, don't publicly advertise your wedding, and no cash bars. Easy enough. Cash bars are rude anyway, and you NEED a bartender for liability issues, because without one, if someone gets drunk (whether from booze your provided or a flask they brought) at your wedding and drives, then hits and kills someone, guess who is responsible? You. With a bartender, their licensing and insurance takes that responsibility off of you.

I'd check with the venue/someone who knows the law there in detail, but it seems pretty obvious.

You need a license if it's not on your private property.

I got married in Oklahoma and looked into the laws. A bartender is nice, but not required by law, which is what it seems you are asking about. You can also call the circuit court and ask them also

@Kimmy... Understanding that the bar tender isn't required... but there is tons of liability that the bride and groom then take onto themselves, if nobody regulates the alcohol. Bar tenders are trained, not only on how to serve, but on how to recognize the signs of intoxication. In most states; if somebody leaves your event, hell even your house, drunk and hits something/somebody... you, as the host, are liable for damages/injuries. If you have hired a licensed bartender they take that liability onto themselves. Its part of the liability insurance.

Having been a bar tender and bar owner, I wouldn't want to have to tend bar at my own wedding. Which is what I'd feel I had to do to be responsible for my guests.

Jennifer, I understand, but i was just telling her the legal requirements since that was what she asked. On a different note, I didn't have one and everyone was an adult and did fine. I had beer, wine and a few premixed drinks in dispensers.

You definitely need bartenders. And you may need a license to serve; this is a question for your venue.

@Kimmy: You were extremely lucky and you took a big gamble. It's irresponsible to encourage others or provide information encouraging others, to take the same gamble. Should she follow that advice and have no bartenders, and something happens, she and her FH could be financially ruined or worse for the rest of their lives because one person gave anecdotal evidence that they did it and everything was fine.

If the venue says that they don't have a liquor license and you have to get one on your own, you need to get one. In my state, you or your venue has to secure one to be able to serve alcohol of any kind (I live in the Bible Belt). You also need to hire a bartender for liability reasons like everyone said.

Ok has very weird alcohol laws. The percent of alcohol content is lower than most states. Which i find gives me a headache. You need to do real reaearch

I'm in Oklahoma - you need to get a bartender (or 2 depending on the size of your guest list) even if it's not technically required, both for liability reasons and just so everything flows better.

I'm not sure about the licensing part of it, but ask your venue to clarify. They probably have the liquor license already.

We are opening up a new venue outside of Shawnee. I checked into the laws and as long as it's beer and wine and not a cash bar you do not need a licensed bartender. If guests are paying, then you must.