What is a host-paid wedding cocktail package?
It is a package where the couple or host pays for the wedding bar service upfront, so guests are not paying at the bar.
Wedding Cocktail Package Questions Before Booking
Last reviewed 5 May 2026
Wedding drinks get overthought because the couple can feel every possible failure before it happens: guests queuing, drinks running out, glasses missing, the bar being in the wrong place or someone in the family ending up responsible for the drinks.
With a wedding cocktail package, the couple or host pays for the agreed service. Guests do not pay at the bar, and the bar, staff, drinks and glassware are supplied together.
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Fastest useful answer
The details that get the quote or brief moving
Start with the date, location, guest numbers and service hours. Add the setup details you already know so we can check what your event needs.
wedding date
postcode or venue town
guest numbers
service hours
package tier
bar timing around dinner and speeches
whether meal drinks are handled elsewhere
Wedding Packages
The fast fit check
The couple or host pays for the package, and guests are served without paying at the bar. This is not a cash bar, minimum-spend bar or drinks-token arrangement.
Wedding Packages
The wedding anxiety it solves
The package is designed to stop the bar service becoming a stack of separate jobs: stock, glassware, bar length, staff, ice, menu, timing, dirty glasses and close-down.
Wedding Packages
Keep licensing simple
In the normal host-paid package, Cocktailhire is not selling alcohol to guests at the bar. If you plan to charge guests, take donations, use tokens or recover drink costs through tickets, that is a different model and the host or venue needs to check the rules.
Before you book
Your booking questions answered
How much does a wedding cocktail package cost?
Cost is shaped by guest numbers, service hours, package tier, travel, setup and any agreed extras. The important thing is that the package is clear before the day.
How does per person per hour pricing work?
The package is calculated from how many guests need serving and how long the service runs, with the cocktail tier setting the drinks level.
What is included in a wedding cocktail package?
The package can include the cocktail bar service, bartenders, drinks for the package, ice, working equipment, bar-service glassware, setup, service, glass collection and close-down.
What is not included?
Separate meal drinks, table wine, toast drinks, extra guests, extra hours, venue corkage or guest-payment bar models are not automatically included unless agreed.
Are guests paying at the bar?
No, not in the normal Cocktailhire wedding package. The host pays for the package so guests are not handling cash or card at the bar.
Do we need a licence?
Cocktailhire is not selling alcohol to guests in the normal host-paid package. The venue may still have its own rules, and any plan to charge guests or recover costs should be checked by the host or venue.
Can the bar pause during dinner and speeches?
Yes. A planned pause can help the package fit the real wedding flow instead of charging through dead time while guests are seated.
How many bartenders do we need?
A practical guide is one bartender per 50 guests, adjusted around timing, menu and guest pressure.
How much bar length does a wedding need?
A practical guide is 1.5 metres of bar per 100 guests, adjusted around room layout and whether the bar is serving everyone at once.
Can the package run out of drinks?
A poorly planned package can. A proper host-paid package is built around guest numbers, service time, menu and event flow to reduce that risk.
Does the package include glassware?
Bar-service glassware can be included for the package. Meal drinks and table wine glassware may sit with the caterer or venue unless agreed.
Do we need washing facilities?
Not usually for the bar-service glassware plan when enough clean glassware and used-glass handling are included. This should be agreed before booking.
What should we ask the venue?
Ask about outside suppliers, bar location, access, setup time, corkage, power, water, glassware responsibilities, waste and whether the venue has rules around outside alcohol.
Is this the same as mobile bar hire?
No. Mobile bar hire supplies a staffed working bar; it does not automatically include the ingredients. A wedding package brings the bar, staff, drinks, glassware and service plan together.
Planning Wedding Cocktail Packages in London?
The London collection brings the service, local event areas, access questions, guest-flow decisions and quote details into one place. Use it when the event address is in Greater London rather than relying on national guidance alone.