byob and liability issues

Definitely hire a bartender.

I only planned on sangria as the wine option as I know for a fact that none of my guests, with the exception of me, drink wine. At all. They are all beer and whiskey drinkers.

Our wedding was BYOB and our venue required us to get a general liability insurance as well as hire a licensed bartender. I'm surprised your venue didn't have this requirement as it makes them liable as well if something goes wrong.

ETA: If you do decide to get insurance, theeventhelper.com was the most reasonably priced and the one we went with.

Liquor. Liability. Insurance. Probably it won't be necessary - BUT if someone gets a little tipsy and gets in an accident, you could be on the hook. Whatever else you decide to do, invest in this peace of mind.

Look at the case law in your state (google). About 5 states do not have laws that allow bars or establishments to be liable for an incidents. In my state, me adding taxi and uber information removes the liability. I know the drinkers on my guest list and there's only one that we will need to keep an eye on, otherwise, everyone else are responsible drinkers. Don't be afraid to BYOB based on some of the risk adverse posts on here, you know your crowd better than we do!

We are providing our own alcohol, but hiring bartenders and paying for liability insurance. I would try to cover all your bases.

Hire a professional bartender. Not only will this address liability issues and reduce the chances of people getting out of hand, it'll be so much easier for you to have someone else deal with the alcohol on your wedding day. Even if you leave out coolers of beer and pitchers of cocktails, someone needs to make sure they're refilled, restock cups and straws, deal with ice, etc. A professional bartender will also advise you on all the supplies you need and help you estimate the amount of alcohol and ice you'll need.

Candace, that is a lovely thought but the hosts can always be sued, especially if the drinks are unmanaged. God forbid, if something happens, everyone possible will be sued and whether or not they are found not liable, there are still lawyer fees to be dealt with.

It's not even just that; personally, though I love a glass of wine of four, I wouldn't want to have someone else's accident on my head. I would want to know I had served alcohol responsibly and protected myself.

@Celia Milton - True, I could sue you for something as silly as your avatar offends me (which it doesn't).. doesn't mean it will make it to court, also doesn't mean I wouldn't be liable for your lawyer fees due to a frivolous lawsuit. Anyone can sue anyone.. for anything. This is a separate issue of tort reform.

But the important part is if you are financially responsible. Fortunately, the bride and groom will not be liable for someone else's poor decisions unless negligence can be proven. Providing alcohol at an event is not negligence.

Also, a bartender or paying someone else to provide alcohol does not prevent irresponsible drinking either. A bride and groom can still be sued in this situation as well.

Check if your venue has insurance that covers the alcohol or if your caterer does. If they don't, you should definitely get insurance yourself.

Wedsafe for liability insurance. Consider using the extra bartender hours to have them premix drinks or help set up/break down?

Definitely check your state laws. Just because the venue says you an do this doesn't mean it passes the legality test. At least hiring a bartender with insurance and a license takes any liability off of you. I'd be surprised if any state had laws that allowed free flowing uncontrolled alcohol without any kind of license and insurance either by the venue or bartender. Our state allows for byob but it has to be served by a licensed ABC bartender. Our venue requires an insured bartender with a license to serve and an event license because they are not licensed to sell or serve alcohol on a full time basis. The county also requires us to hire security.

Also, most of the quotes we got from bartenders were under $30/hour. Totally worth it IMHO

I Googled "byob weddings Wichita Texas" and pages of information came up. Literally less than 1 minute of search time and all I needed to know was right there in front of me. Laws, fines, jail time, who is responsible, who is not respondible, minors consuming alcohol and who is held liable ... everything. Please inform yourself so you can make a decision.

I googled Wichita Falls byob wedding and all I got were venues. I'll continue my research and we will go from there.

Eh @Candace that's not entirely accurate. Judges don't throw out frivolous cases much like they used to and most people sue in civil court because the know that generally cases are settled due to the costs of taking a case to trial. OP its always a good idea to pay for a bartender and the liability insurance. Some bartenders are covered under their own policy which may be all you need for your event. But the small amount for the bartender and insurance is nothing compared to what you could be on the hook for if someone were to sue due to injuries. Its just not worth the risk to save a few bucks!

I would ask your caterer about finding licensed bartenders, it will be better for all parties.

If you are serving alcohol you need a permit from the state (google your states requirements)

In addition to hiring your bartenders who should be licensed with insurance you should have wedding insurance and liability coverage for yourself.

This is exactly what we are doing- byob- and we used wedsafe

Http://www.wichitafallstx.gov/8/Departments

The number listed on this page will get you going.

Hire a bartender.