Dallas-Fort Worth
BYOB Options & Bartenders
You buy the alcohol. Shaker brings the bartenders, the supplies, the mixers and a shopping list so you buy the right amount of it.
4.43★on GoogleTABCcertified & insured team$15–$35per guestDFWwe come to you
Round out your bar
Glassware & supply packages
Rent real glassware, or add a ready-made supplies or mixer package alongside your bartenders.
Glassware Rental
Real glassware instead of cans or plastic cups, for every bar in your reception.
- Wine glasses
- Water goblets
- Rocks glasses
- Champagne flutes
- Double old fashioned glasses
- Martini glasses
- Collins glasses
Supplies Packages
You bring the alcohol; we bring everything else, including what couples usually forget.
- Cooler rental
- Plastic cups
- Ice serving bucket
- Tongs
- Cocktail napkins
- Straws
- Pitchers
- Serving tray
- Tip jar
- Water dispenser
- Garnish bowls
- Plates
- Bar towels
- Pour spouts
Liquor Mixer Package
Every mixer a BYOB bar needs, in one package.
- Coke
- Sprite
- Dr. Pepper
- Sweet & sour
- Cranberry juice
- Orange juice
- Pineapple juice
- Grapefruit juice
- Everything from the Supplies Package above
What is required for a BYOB event?
Just two things, both required for every BYOB event: bartenders and the supplies package. Not an upsell: an unstaffed bar with no pour spouts, ice bucket or water dispenser is how a reception ends up with a queue, a mess and a liability.
Everything else is your call. Most couples add the liquor mixers package at $7 per guest: the mixers, juices, ice and disposables people forget to price until the week of the wedding.
How much alcohol should we actually buy?
Shaker publishes the full shopping list by guest count: cases of beer and wine, bottles of each spirit for 50 to 250 guests, how much ice, and which mixers each spirit needs. The most common BYOB mistake is not overspending: it is buying three kinds of vodka and no mixers.
Bartenders also stock the bar to reduce waste: keeping what guests actually order within reach, and not opening what will not be finished, is what keeps a BYOB bar cheap rather than just cheap-looking.
Or Shaker can buy the alcohol instead
Before you commit to a Saturday of shopping: Shaker holds its own liquor license and can supply the alcohol for you. That is what the per-guest bar packages are, and why the beer, wine and spirits are listed inside each one.
That is not universal among mobile bar companies, and it is a fair question for any company you compare us with: can they supply the alcohol, or only pour what you bring? Either way works here.
Is BYOB actually cheaper than a bar package?
Often, but not always: it comes down to guest count and what you want poured. BYOB moves the alcohol cost to you at retail, which beats a package when guests drink modestly or you can buy well. It stops being cheaper if you over-buy, need a wide spirits selection, or your store will not take back what was not opened.
A worked comparison is on the pricing page. If your venue requires BYOB, this decision is already made for you.
What Shaker brings to a BYOB bar
- TABC certified and insured bartenders, one per 75 guests
- The supplies package, $275: Coolers, Plastic cups, Ice serving bucket, Tongs, Cocktail napkins, Straws and more
- Optional liquor mixers package: Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, sweet & sour, cranberry, orange, pineapple and grapefruit juice, plus ice, cooler rental and disposables
- A shopping list sized to your guest count
- Bar setup, service and teardown
What it costs
A BYOB event needs bartenders at $50 an hour, one per 75 guests, plus the supplies package at $275. Most couples add the liquor mixers package at $7 per guest, which covers the sodas, juices, ice and disposables.
How much to buy
Cases of beer and wine, bottles of each spirit, ice and mixers, sized to your guest count.
Bar packages
- Non-Alcoholic Bar · $15/guest
- Beer & Wine Bar · $20/guest
- Specialty Bar · $23/guest
- Premium Call Bar · $27/guest
- Platinum Call Bar · $35/guest
BYOB Options & Bartenders: common questions
What does Shaker require for a BYOB event?
Bartenders and the supplies package are required for every BYOB event. Bartenders are $50 an hour, one per 75 guests; the supplies package is $275. Everything else (mixers, ice, glassware, garnishes) is optional but usually worth taking.
The requirement is practical rather than commercial. A bar with no pour spouts, ice bucket, water dispenser or tip jar and nobody staffing it produces a queue, a mess and a liability, and it is the version of BYOB that couples regret.
How much alcohol should we buy for our wedding?
Shaker publishes a BYOB shopping list sized by guest count, so the quantities come from the company that will actually be pouring. It is the most useful document in a BYOB build and the reason most BYOB mistakes are avoidable.
The most common BYOB error is not overspending on alcohol. It is buying three kinds of vodka and no mixers, no ice and no garnishes, then discovering on the day that a bar needs cranberry juice, limes and 200 lb of ice as much as it needs tequila.
What is in the supplies package?
Coolers, plastic cups, an ice serving bucket, tongs, cocktail napkins, straws, pitchers, a serving tray, a tip jar, a water dispenser, garnish bowls and plates, bar towels and pour spouts. $275, and required for BYOB events.
What is the liquor mixers package, and do we need it?
$7 per guest for Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, sweet and sour, cranberry, orange, pineapple and grapefruit juice, plus ice, cooler rental and disposables. Most BYOB couples take it, because sourcing and chilling that list yourself is a day of work.
On a 150-guest wedding it is $1,050. Buying the equivalent at retail is cheaper on paper; the cost you are actually paying to avoid is transport, chilling and having the right nine mixers on hand rather than eight.
Let’s get your date on the calendar
Tell us your date, venue and guest count and we’ll come back with a real quote. Reviewers say the planning conversation is the best part of working with us.