Almost every couple and event planner asks the same question at some point: should we hire the bar and buy our own drinks, or pay someone to do the whole thing? Both are legitimate. They just solve different problems.
What dry hire actually means
In dry hire you're renting the bar — and often the team to serve from it — while the alcohol itself is yours, bought and owned by you or supplied under your venue's licence.
It's the right answer when your venue insists you use their licence, when you have access to trade pricing, or when you genuinely want full control of what's poured.
What staffed hire covers
Staffed hire means the bar arrives stocked, licensed, staffed and insured. We forecast volumes, buy the stock, bring glassware, ice and garnish, run the service and take the leftovers away.
The hidden value is risk transfer: if the drinks run low, if a keg fails, if the weather turns, that's our problem to solve on the day rather than yours.
The honest cost comparison
Dry hire looks cheaper on the quote and often is, if your event is small, your guests are modest drinkers and someone reliable is willing to own the logistics.
Once you add stock at retail prices, ice, glassware hire, chilling, transport and the over-buying almost everyone does, the gap narrows considerably — and any unsold stock is yours to keep.
For guest-pay events, complimentary staffed hire against a minimum spend is frequently the cheapest option of all, because you pay nothing for the bar itself.
A simple rule of thumb
If you want the lowest possible outlay and you have time and a licence, dry hire. If you want the event to run itself and you'd rather not think about drinks again after the planning call, staffed hire.
Not sure? Tell us the brief and we'll model both, side by side, with the real numbers.