Guest serving themselves

I mean, in theory, it’s fine. Most family parties and events don’t have professional bartenders. I’d plan on a little more waste than usual, but you should be fine.

If everything is in individual bottles and cans and you are having a backyard wedding, it could work. If it’s at a venue, you will be required to hire licensed insured bartenders via Instagram or Thumbtack for liability reasons. Even then you will be responsible for anything that happens at the wedding or afterwards.

The first thing you need to do is check with your venue- most will require a bartender serve alcoholic drinks. Also, most people will have a much heavier pour when it comes to making mixed drinks (instead of the standard measured pours bartenders provide), so you may end up spending a lot more money on alcohol. It also means guests may get sloppy drunk because they are drinking stronger drinks and there is no bartender to cut them off if they are getting too inebriated (also dangerous if guests are driving themselves after the event).

Check with your venue, as most will have to have a licensed bartender to be able to have/serve alcohol at the wedding. If you’re not at an actual venue, then you’ll be able to have people serve themselves. I’m assuming just grabbing a bottle/can of beer and poring a glass of wine? The only problem of people serving themselves is also over pouring & consuming.

Our venue only requires a bartender if we are serving liquor and since we aren't they don't require one. I just don't like the idea of guest serving themselves, but don't think I can find someone to serve last minute.

View Quoted Comment Go on thumbtack.com and look for event staffing. They include bartenders.

If it's something like kegs and they just need to push a button to pour out the beer i think it's perfectly fine! or if it's in individual bottles like how someone suggested that's totally fine too.

View Quoted Comment We have full wine bottles and beer bottles. So they would have to serve their own glasses of wine.

Based on the information you have preferred, I would definitely hire bartenders otherwise I would worry guests would pour too much/drink way too much.

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Yep, you’ll run the risk of people over serving themselves if you don’t have a bartender.