Madison Barger, co-founder of M & M Event Bartending, is Danielle and Sara's special guest on the podcast today. Serving primarily Clarksville and Middle Tennessee, M & M helps design cocktail menus and estimate necessary quantities for events, and works with wedding vendors on such topics as scheduling and champagne toasts.

Drawing upon her experience in the industry, Madison talks about the ins and outs of hiring a bartending service for your events, and offers specific advice on why you should choose canned beers over kegs and over bottled beers. She also discusses how to create a drinks budget for your event, how many bartenders you should hire based on the number of guests you are expecting, and clarifies the difference between liquor liability insurance and liquor licenses. Other topics addressed are tips about hiring a bartending service, how cleanup is handled, and why you should verify the policies of your venue before booking them.

Finally, the group shares their hilarious wedding venue horror stories that illustrate why you should trust your bartenders, watch your bridal party around alcohol, and take it easy on the alcohol the night before your wedding.

To learn more about M & M Event Bartending, visit them on Facebook.

And make sure to follow Not Your Pinterest Wedding Podcast on Instagram, where you can ask questions, share stories, and suggest topics for future episodes. You can also check out Danielle’s Floral Design company at RuffledWillow.com, as well as Sara’s gorgeous barn wedding locale at BurdocFarms.com. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

• It’s booking season so book your vendors if you haven’t done so
• Today’s guest is Madison Barger, co-founder of M & M Event Bartending
• Liquor liability insurance helps your bartenders protect your events and guests
• Professionals help you curate your cocktail menu and give you a bar setup
• The issues with choosing kegs over canned beers
• Why canned beers over bottles?
• Creating a drinks budget for your event
• Typically, it's always beer and wine, and an open bar at weddings
• A liquor license is important if alcohol will be sold at your event
• Handling intoxicated guests
• Cutting someone off when they’ve had too much
• Do not make your couple signature drinks complicated
• The right bartender-to-guests ratio
• Let your venue know if you are bringing in your own liquor
• Tips and charges
• How to handle cleanup
• Wedding horror stories
• 
  

Quotes:

“Don't do kegs, you're going to regret it .”

“Eventually you're going to have to cut somebody off. ”

“If you're having 300 guests, please do yourself a favor. Have at least two bartenders.”

“Clean up the bar, wipe it down, take out the trash. And that's just something that I personally like to do.”

“You have a professional bartender for a reason. Let me serve and make sure you're having a great time. Responsibly.”

“Take it easy on the night before your wedding.”

Links:

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