Hiring bartender but providing all supplies - what and how much?

The professional bartender you hire will be an excellent source for this information. He/she will know exactly what you need and in what quantities. Sounds like you haven't hired one yet. Get busy and find one soon 'cause you are running out of time.

@Kristin it's inside, but our venue is more of a government building. Its reception desk doubles as a bar, but I want to be prepared.

@Going to the chapel, that's true. We're about to hire one (like, today/this week). We were supposed to have one already but since we dropped our caterer last week (there's another thread on that) we had to scramble to find another caterer, so we're just getting a new bartender now. Thanks, though.

We are supplying our own alcohol as well and hiring a bartender. We are paying the bartender $150(no tip jar will be set out) We have 140 guests, about 80 of those will be consuming alcohol. We got 13 (30 packs) cans were cheaper than kegs. And are making 3 gallons of margaritas for the reception. And 1 gallon for us girls to enjoy while getting ready. Alcohol ran us $455. I called around and found the best price and discount. We got a 15% discount. Im not sure how much the cups for margs and napkins were, my mom bought them. We also got cups for the tea and water. Venue has an ice machine.

Don't forget coffee or tea if you are having cake. My venue is charging $75 per bartender for every 40

People. We have 107, so $225. Also, napkins, straws, cups, ice, garnishments - lime, lemon, salt, sugar, cherries, etc...and the alcohol. Plus water bottles. Maybe around $500-600 total.

Are you able to hire one through your caterer?

@Rosered we could if they provided the alcohol, but we're trying to save money where we can and decided a long time ago to buy and provide it ourselves.

It's great to have an idea of what you're looking at spending, but you really won't know until you contact a bartender. Each one has rules for the contract. Some require you have a server for every X number of guests. So will let you buy your own alcohol and set-up/extras, some provide this. And your pour service will be able to give you the best estimate on what to buy. Ultimately, talking to them should answer all of your questions.

Our bartender is telling us how much of everything to buy. She also has someone with her, so if she begin to run low, or uses more of one thing than the other, they can run out very quickly.

We're hiring 2 bartenders to serve about 150 people & we're providing everything...they told us to purchase the following supplies:

800 12oz clear plastic cups

600 9oz clear plastic cups

Beverage napkins

Lbs of ice

Former bartender here. I had a freaking awesome detailed reply - then my phone died. So bare with me.

First, choose your bartender carefully. Event bartending is different from regular bartending and not every bartender will know what to order and how much. This will depend on what you're getting and your guest count.

Get more than you need. It looks bad when you run out. Extra cups are a must, as well as back up bottles. And yes, some beer drinkers like cups. If you're having a keg, you'll need a tap or a line.

Pour mats. If your venue doesn't have them, get them. Spills happen.

Classy bins with ice look much better than a cooler. If you have enough ice, it will do the job fine. You can find cheap ones (as long as you clean them out well).

This is just the start. An experienced event bartender will help to point you in the right direction. Talk to them before you move forward. If you're only bringing them in for labor, they might not expect to bring their tools. Be very clear with what you have, and they should be able to see what you need.

(Also, get drink napkins. Not regular napkins. They are smaller so the drink sits on it better when on a table.)

View Quoted Comment Your paying $150 for the bartender with $140 guests and not allowing them to have a tip jar? Even if only 80 guests are drinking and hypothetically tipping a dollar a drink, and all of that 80 has three drinks... that’s $240.... your skrewing your bartender over, the $150 you pay for them to show up is no different than the $150 you pay an electrician to show up... expierience bartenders keep everyone safe and depriving them of their tips is just asking for very poor service and asking them to not giving a crap about over serving and the safety of your party