The Wedding Bar Playbook
- Haps Dhand
- Jan 23
- 6 min read
The Ultimate Guide to Running a Flawless Wedding Bar
By Haps Dhand | Hey Bartender / Hey Global Events
A Note From Me
After 20+ years of running bars, training bartenders, building hospitality teams, and delivering thousands of events - I’ve learned one thing very clearly:
Most wedding bars fail before the first drink is poured.
Not because of budget. Not because of alcohol. But because the bar is treated as an afterthought, rather than the engine that drives the entire celebration.
A great wedding bar doesn’t just serve drinks.
It controls energy. It guides emotion. It shapes memory.
This guide exists to show you how to do that properly - whether you’re planning your own bar, working with a venue, or booking a professional team.
The 10 Wedding Bar Commandments
A Manifesto for Exceptional Wedding Hospitality
These principles are inspired by years behind bars, thousands of events, and one simple belief:
Drinks should be treated like courses. Service should feel like theatre.
Thou Shalt Respect The Flow Of Drinks
Never rush the night.
Spritz at the beginning.
Wine during dinner.
Highballs to lift the energy.
Cocktails to light the fire.
Shots when the party’s already burning.
Drinks should move like music - building tension, release, and momentum.
A wedding bar isn’t random.
It’s a journey.
Thou Shalt Never Start With Cocktails
Strong, sweet, sour cocktails are end-of-night energy, not arrival vibes.
We should be normalising spritz receptions.
Light. Refreshing. Elegant.
They warm guests up, create conversation, and set the tone - without blowing the doors off before the night even begins.
Thou Shalt Design Bars For Speed, Not Just Looks
A beautiful bar that can’t perform is useless.
If there are:
No ice wells
No sinks
No speed rails
No hygiene flow
You don’t have a bar - you have a table with bottles.
Bad layouts make bartenders work harder, not smarter.
And slow service kills atmosphere.
Thou Shalt Treat Drinks Like Courses
Aperitif before dinner.
Digestif after.
Drinks should compliment food, mood, and moment.
If chefs carefully design menus, why shouldn’t bartenders?
This is hospitality - not guesswork.
Thou Shalt Not Underestimate Ice, Glass & Soft Drinks
Run out of alcohol? Forgivable.
Run out of ice or glassware? Criminal.
No ice = no speed.
No glass = no class.
And if your soft drinks are coming from 1L bottles… just stop.
Thou Shalt Choose Bartenders, Not Bottle Pourers
Anyone can pour alcohol.
Few can:
Read a room
Control pace
Build atmosphere
Manage flow
Your bartenders are your frontline experience team.
They shape energy. They shape memory. They shape the night.
Thou Shalt Respect The Setup
A wedding bar is a temporary operation.
Which means:
Logistics matter
Planning matters
Experience matters
Trestle tables. 24 glasses. Two bags of ice.
That’s not a bar - that’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Thou Shalt Not Cheap Out On The Bar
You booked a luxury venue.
You booked premium catering.
You bought the dream dress.
Then suddenly the bar is where the budget panic starts?
Guests remember drinks more than flowers.
Don’t starve the one thing that fuels your entire party.
Thou Shalt Never Brand The Wedding Bar
It’s their wedding - not your advert.
Luxury whispers.
It doesn’t shout.
Thou Shalt Create Experiences, Not Just Serve Drinks
Anyone can pour.
Only a few can create moments people remember years later.
That’s the difference.
That’s the craft.
That’s the art.
The Wedding Bar Philosophy
Wedding bars should be free-flowing, curated, and carefully timed.
Just like a tasting menu, your drinks should arrive in phases that compliment the rhythm of the day:
Spritz & light aperitifs on arrival
Wine paired with food
Highballs & light cocktails as energy lifts
Full cocktails during the party
Digestifs & shots late into the night
This pacing ensures guests enjoy themselves - without burning out early.
The Biggest Wedding Bar Mistakes
Bad Bar Layout
Decor-led bars, DJ bar packages, and trestle-table setups almost always lack:
Hygiene protocols
Ice wells
Proper drainage
Logical bottle flow
They look good in photos.
They perform terribly in reality.
Poor Drink Design
Over-sweet cocktails.
Too many syrups.
Unbalanced flavours.
Especially common at larger cultural weddings where quantity is prioritised over quality.
Underestimating Logistics
Most DIY bars fail on:
Ice
Glassware
Soft drinks
Storage
The result?
Slow service, warm drinks, stressed staff, and frustrated guests.
A Real Wedding Bar Rescue Story
We were once booked to simply staff a bar for a premium spirit brand at a high-profile celebrity wedding. We were told the caterer would supply everything - bar, glassware, and ice.
I didn’t trust it.
So I instructed our team to load the van with a full cocktail bar, over 200 glasses, two industrial ice igloos, and all our operational essentials.
When they arrived, they sent me a photo:
A 6ft trestle table.
24 martini glasses.
Two 2kg bags of ice.
That was it.
The client was Joshua Kane.
The brand was Crystal Head Vodka.
We immediately built our bar, deployed our full setup, and delivered an exceptional service.
The client later tracked me down to personally thank me for saving his wedding day.
That wedding was featured across publications, and the testimonial still sits proudly across our platforms.
Experience matters.
Why DIY Wedding Bars Usually Fail
DIY bars often look cheaper on paper.
In reality, they usually cost more.
Couples underestimate:
Ice requirements
Glassware volumes
Soft drink consumption
Waste
Breakages
Transport
Storage
It’s strange how someone can book the Savoy, spend heavily on catering, then suddenly panic when it comes to the bar - even though most guests spend more time drinking and dancing than eating mains.
What a World-Class Wedding Bar Looks Like
If budget was unlimited:
Multiple themed bars
A champagne & spritz bar for arrivals
A whisky snug
A margarita or tequila bar
A tiki cocktail bar
Shot service roaming the dancefloor
Each station creating a different mood, flavour, and experience.
The Hey Bartender Promise
When you book our team, you’re not hiring bartenders.
You’re hiring:
Bar designers
Hospitality directors
Experience creators
Logistics managers
So you can relax and enjoy your day - while we handle everything behind the scenes.
Final Thoughts
Meet your team.
Trust your team.
Try their drinks.
Experience their service.
Anyone can pour a drink.
Only a few can give you moments you’ll remember forever.
The DIY Wedding Bar Service Guide
A Professional Framework for Couples Who Want to Run Their Own Bar
This section exists for one reason: to give you clarity.
If you decide to run your own wedding bar, these principles, ratios, and calculations will help you avoid the most common (and costly) mistakes.
Staffing Ratios – Bartenders & Bar Backs
Rule: The moment cocktails are involved, staffing must increase.
Why Bar Backs Matter
Bar backs:
Refill ice
Restock glassware
Replenish fridges
Clear empty bottles
Without bar backs, bartenders:
Leave service
Slow down output
Create queues
Rule: 1 bar back for every 2 bartenders.
Drink Volume Planning - How Much Do You Actually Need?
Realistic Consumption Rates
Arrival hour: 2–3 drinks per guest
After: 1–2 drinks per hour
Average 6-hour wedding: 7–9 drinks per guest
Bottle Yield – 70cl vs 1L Bottles
Always buy 70cl bottles.
They:
Fit speed rails
Are faster to handle
Reduce bartender fatigue
Improve service speed
How Many Drinks from a 70cl Bottle?
Cocktail standard: 50ml
Example – 100 Guests / 7 Drinks Average
700 total drinks
Suggested breakdown:
40% Beer = 280
30% Wine = 210
20% Cocktails = 140
10% Soft Drinks = 70
Ice Management – The Silent Killer of Good Service
Ice Requirements
Cocktail-heavy weddings: 1.5kg per guest
Beer & wine weddings: 1kg per guest
100 guest cocktail wedding = 150kg of ice
Ice Handling Rules
Ice must be stored in insulated containers
Ice should never sit in open bags
Ice wells are essential
No ice = no speed = no atmosphere
Glassware Planning
Glassware Ratios
2.5–3 glasses per guest per hour
Example – 100 Guests / 6 Hours
600–700 glasses required
Breakdown:
Wine: 40%
Highball: 35%
Cocktail: 25%
Bar Layout - Performance Over Aesthetics
A working bar must include:
Ice wells
Hand wash sinks
Speed rails
Garnish station
Glass racks
Trestle tables, decorative bars, and DJ booths are not operational bars.
Soft Drinks - The Most Common Stock Failure
Soft drinks typically account for 10–15% of total consumption.
They are:
Overlooked
Underestimated
Run out first
Avoid serving from 1L bottles - they slow bartenders, spill easily, and look unprofessional.
Stock Buffer Rules
Always build in:
10–15% contingency stock
Extra ice
Extra glassware
The DIY Reality Check
Running a wedding bar is not just pouring drinks.
It is:
Logistics
Planning
Staffing
Compliance
Experience management
If this feels overwhelming - that’s because it is.
Want To Skip The Stress?
Our professional team handles everything:
Staffing
Bar build
Logistics
Stock planning
Ice management
Glassware
Service execution
So you can relax and enjoy your day.
Book a complimentary wedding bar consultation.
Hey Bartender by Hey Global Events
Luxury wedding bar specialists based in London, delivering exceptional experiences across the UK & internationally.
Comments