Hey all you party people! If you’re celebration involves alcohol – listen up! We recognize that a common situation to cause you stress in wedding planning is ordering alcohol. How much do you need? Beer or wine? What happens if you run out? Have you caught yourself asking these questions?! Well today, you’re going to get them answered. The bartending experts at Tap Truck Nashville are sharing the ins and outs of ordering alcohol for your wedding along with how they can help make the process go smoothly. Keep reading to see what they have to say!
You all probably hear this question a lot – “How much alcohol should I order for my wedding?” What is your response?
Sean + Kay: This question is definitely in our “Top 5 Most Frequently Asked Questions”! Unfortunately, as with so many other questions like this, “It depends” is typically our answer; however, when we’re helping couples determine how much alcohol to order, we use the “one drink, per person, per hour” rule. So, if your guest list is 100 people deep, and your reception is 4 hours, that’s 400 drinks. From there we determine what types of beverages our couples are wanting (beer, wine, cocktails, non-alcoholic options) and then calculate how much of each would be needed.
Is there a certain rule of thumb to go by for how many guests to how much alcohol?
Sean + Kay: Outside of the “one drink, per person, per hour” rule, we assume that our couples want beer, wine, and craft cocktails. Given this, we usually plan on 40% wine drinkers, 30% beer drinkers, and 30% liquor drinkers. If a couple plans on offering only wine and beer, we use a 60/40 wine to beer ratio. So, use our 100 guest, 400 drink requirement, that would break down to 240 servings of wine and 160 servings of beer.
Does Tap Truck Nashville purchase the drinks, garnishes, and mixers for you? Or do you provide all of this to Tap Truck?
Sean + Kay: We are able to provide the garnishes and non-alcoholic mixers for our couple’s big day, however, given the current liquor laws in the state of TN, our couples must purchase the alcohol themselves. We can, however, help build out the alcohol bill, connect them with one of our preferred retailers/distributors, and even pick up the alcohol for them.
What happens if you run out of alcohol at a wedding?
Sean + Kay: Although we do our very best to ensure our estimates fill our client’s beverage needs, we understand that sometimes the party just keeps going. Because of this, we closely monitor our beverage supply and always have a Tap Truck team member on standby to restock and refill as needed.
What happens if you order too much alcohol for your wedding?
Sean + Kay: If it comes down to having too much or having too little, this is definitely the preferred option. Should you end up with extra supply at the end of your wedding, our couples can look to up their “Wedding Favor” game with bottles of wine or choose to stock their newlywed bar with a fresh supply!
Is there always a representative for Tap Truck on site during the wedding?
Sean + Kay: Our goal is to provide outstanding service from beginning to end. Because of this, we always have a Tap Truck team member on hand to not only serve our couples and their guests, but also ensure that we’re doing our best to find ways to go “above and beyond” for their Big Day!
How many bartenders do you typically need to accommodate all of your wedding guests?
Sean + Kay: Part of providing “outstanding service” includes the rate, or pace, of service. No one wants to wait 5 minutes to grab a beer. In order to help keep the party moving, we typically staff 1 server for every 100 guests. Should our couples feel that more servers are needed, they can, of course, opt for additional servers as needed.
Is there anything else we should know about ordering alcohol for a wedding?
Sean + Kay: This is definitely a tricky subject and one that causes our couples a lot of stress and headaches. With as many details that go into planning a wedding day, this is one that can certainly be eased with one phone call. Let us help you focus on all the other things that demand your precious time and attention. We promise we’ll be a smash hit!
Sean and Kay are absolute pros! Huge thank you to them for sharing the ins and outs of ordering alcohol for your wedding. And if you’re a couple looking for a bartending service for your wedding day, be sure to check out Tap Truck Nashville!
