Planning Guide
Wedding Bar Checklist: Everything You Need
Updated September 2026 · Rikki's Mobile Bar
Here's the order most Washington couples plan their wedding bar in, from first venue conversations to the day itself.
6-9 months out
- Confirm your venue's alcohol policy (in-house bar required? outside vendors allowed? cash bar restrictions?)
- Decide hosted, limited hosted, or cash bar
- Get quotes from bar vendors and compare what's actually included
3-4 months out
- Book your bar vendor and confirm the contract
- Finalize your guest count estimate
- Choose your bar tier (beer & wine, classic cocktail, or premium/mocktail)
6-8 weeks out
- Finalize signature cocktails or must-have drinks
- Confirm bar placement and setup logistics with your venue
- Confirm any event-tech needs (audio, lighting) that touch the bar area
2 weeks out
- Lock in final guest count for staffing and quantities
- Confirm start/end time for bar service
- Share day-of contact info between your planner and bar vendor
Day of
- Confirm load-in time and access with your venue
- Walk the bar team through timeline (cocktail hour, toasts, last call)
- Enjoy the party — this is the point of hiring it out
If you'd rather hand off the logistics entirely, a licensed mobile bar folds most of this checklist into one booking — see how that works on our wedding bartender page.