Need for a bartender?

Yes. Not only do many people not know how to handle a keg, but it’s also a huge liability to not have a licensed and insured bartender there to serve your guests.

I agree with Caytlyn. A bartender can also prevent guests from getting too drunk for the drive home!

It depends on your venue. If it is a DYI, then it would work for them to do it themselves. Although, I would recommend getting insurance!

Most venues will require a bartender of some sort. It would help make it more organized both with the kegs and pouring the wine. Kind of like how you don’t want someone messing up the keg, you don’t really want someone pouring half a bottle of wine into a single glass. That being said, I did go to a formal backyard wedding at a farm (the brides family owned it) where they did not have a bartender and everything went fine.

I would get a bartender. Guests are usually heavy-handed at events with no bartender. Because of this, you might run out of alcohol much earlier than expected.

First I recommend looking into "day of" wedding insurance. It covers a lot of liability issues whether you decide to get a bartender or not. Secondly, people hang out around a keg. If you're not worried about a bunch of people standing in a group refilling half glass after half glass, go with it.