what to pay a bartender...?

We are paying ours $30 an hour, but he comes with the caterer and it's a small wedding, so I doubt he'll make a lot in tips.

We are paying $20 an hour. It is required by our venue if we serve alcoholic drinks due to liability issues.

Ours is $50 for the evening, but its part of a package with the caterer.

When I married 12 years ago, it was $10/hr.. I'm sure it is much more now, and it depended something on whether or not you provided your own mixers or something like that as to how much you actually pay them.

I'm not sure what the hourly rate is.. ours is on a per head basis.. $5.50 per person for the bartender, mixers, glasses, etc etc (everything but the alcohol).. or $7.50 per person including alcohol.

I would think if you're paying her strictly for labor it wouldn't be more than $15-20 an hour, maybe even less. Compare it perhaps to what bartenders make at a bar or restaurant?

At the place that we are thinking of using for the wedding it is $50.00 for the bartender

First of all you should estimate how long you think your reception will be. If it's only 3 hours and you're only paying $50, personally as a bartender myself, that's an insult. Second, if you're paying only for "labor" you should find out how much she makes during a normal shift at work. I live in a fairly small town but can easily make more than $40 an hour during each night. People can also be very stingy when it comes to anything free; they think that if it's free then they can disregard the norm for tipping. If it is an open bar I think that you should pay generously and also tip generously. If you do not plan on tipping then allow the bartender to put a tip jar out so that your guests can tip.

I am planning a wedding for 2014 caterer does not include bartender and we are providing all alcohol mixers, ice, etc. all they would be doing is mixing and serving the drinks. So how much would we charge for the entire night with tip included in price?

I am the owner of a bar catering service and I get this question a lot. In this case, you would expect to pay the bartender between $25-$35/hr, depending on where in the country you’re at.

To answer this question most effectively, you have to take into consideration what you’re getting for your money. To pay for the labor is one thing. Freelance bartenders are free contractors. They don’t have overhead, they have very little risk involved, and they go home at the end of the night in most cases.

People are often surprised that our packages start at $1500. But the difference between a freelance bartender and a bar catering service is the difference between a chef and a restaurant. When you go to a restaurant, you’re paying for an experience. Not just the labor.

Just like in a restaurant, you wouldn’t expect to pay for JUST the food. When you hire a bar caterer, you’re paying for the convenience of having professionals handle the beverage service for you.

If you’d like to understand more about how this kind of pricing works out, you can check out this post: http://www.island-bartenders.com/?p=94