Question- A bride asked a wedding venue why they needed a certified bartender. The question and her answer are listed below. I understand that many couples for various reason don't want a bartender. Here the two main reason that I have encountered:
Money- they are trying to put the wedding together on a tight budget. They want to cut cost anywhere that they can and this area seems like a great one. They ask if Uncle Bill can serve the liquor? Or if they can just set up the bar and let people self serve.
Drunkenness- They don't want anyone stopping or monitoring their guests drinking. I have learned this one the hard way. I recently had a wedding where the bride fought this issue. She then stated that she was going to hire her own bartenders. I believed that she was just trying to save money. NOT.....she wanted a total free for all with booze. In my opinion it was horrible. People were threatening to fight We are a non-smoking venue but will set up one area where smoking is allowed. They totally ignored this and smoked where ever they wanted. Sadly, they just threw cigarette butts all over my property. People urinated on the floor of the restroom trailer and in bushes. So I learned that a licensed / insured bartender is a must. They will card guests that may be underage and cut off guests that have had to much. Couples typically don't realize that THEY can and will be sued if something goes wrong due to drunkenness. They need a bartender so that they can prove that they acted in a responsible manner even though they provided FREE booze. Sadly when people hear the word free many take full advantage of it.
Benefits to hiring a bartender-
They can help you determine how much liquor to buy. They will know what drinks are popular today and will also tell you how much of everything (including mixers, beer, wine, hard alcohol, etc.) to buy. This can ultimately help you save money.
Set up and clean up. Don't burden yourself on your wedding day with these types of details. The bartender will also keep the area clean and make sure the bar is great before they leave.
Cut off guests that have had to much. They will be responsible for last call and shutting the bar down when its supposed to be closed. They know how to deal with unruley guests.
It makes any event classier :)