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Baraat & Reception Bar Hire.

From the procession arriving to the last dance, the baraat and reception is the main event, and the bar has to run to its ceremonial timeline, not a generic four-hour slot. We plan arrival drinks, formalities, and full reception service around your running order, sized for guest counts from small gatherings to several hundred.

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Bartender serving wedding guests at a reception celebration

Availability

Check Your Date.

Tell us the date and rough guest count. We confirm availability and send a price within 24 hours.

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01 - What's Included

Arrival Through to Last Dance.

Every booking includes a portable bar unit, professional bartenders, premium spirit selection, quality glassware, ice, and full setup and strike. A welcome drinks service can run from the procession's arrival, then transition into the main reception bar without a gap in service.

The open bar covers spirits, beer, wine, soft drinks and a full zero-proof menu, with cocktail ingredients on the £7.50 rate. Public liability insurance of £5 million is included on every booking. Licensing requirements are checked for each event, and we can arrange a Temporary Event Notice where required and agreed.

  • Portable bar unit
  • Professional bartenders
  • Arrival & toast service
  • Full cocktail & zero-proof menu
  • Quality glassware
  • Multiple bar points for scale
  • Full setup and strike
  • Public liability insurance
02 - Scale & Timeline

Built for Big Guest Counts.

Baraat and reception guest lists can run into the hundreds, larger than a typical wedding reception. We scale bartender numbers and, for the biggest events, run multiple bar points so service stays fast through the procession arrival, formal proceedings, dinner, and dancing, rather than one bar trying to cover a room built for hundreds.

The running order matters more here than at most events: bar opening and closing has to sit around a procession, ceremony moments, and formalities rather than a fixed block of hours. We ask for your full timeline at the quote stage and plan service around it.

Arrival Drinks

Welcome service for the procession

Multiple Bar Points

For large-scale guest counts

Timeline-Led

Opens and closes around your order

03 - Cost

What Baraat & Reception Bar Hire Costs.

These events often run longer than a standard reception once you include the procession and formalities. On the open bar, 150 adults for 4 hours is £3,900 without alcoholic cocktails or £4,500 with, and extra hours are £4.50 per adult per hour. Dry hire is quoted individually where the venue or family supplies part of the drinks.

Dry Hire

Quoted individually

You supply drinks, we run the bar

Cash Bar

From £500

Guests buy their own. £1,500 min bar sales

Open Bar

£6.50 / £7.50

Per adult per hour, without / with alcoholic cocktails

Booking a mehndi or sangeet the same weekend? See Asian wedding bar hire for one quote across every function. Full pricing on our packages and pricing page.

Open-bar rates have no VAT added on top. Other formats are confirmed in your quote. Final quote depends on guest numbers, duration, and venue access.

08 - FAQ

Baraat & Reception Bar Hire FAQ.

Can you set up a bar for the baraat arrival, not just the reception? +
Yes. Baraat arrivals often have a welcome drinks moment as the groom's procession reaches the venue, before the main reception bar opens. We can run a short arrival service, champagne, soft drinks, or a signature welcome cocktail, then transition straight into the full reception bar without a gap.
How is a baraat and reception bar different from a standard wedding bar? +
The structure, not the drinks. A baraat and reception runs to a tighter, more ceremonial timeline than a typical wedding, procession arrival, welcome drinks, formal proceedings, then the reception and dancing. We plan bar opening and closing around that running order rather than a generic four-hour block, so the bar isn't serving during a ceremony moment or standing idle during a long procession.
How much does baraat and reception bar hire cost? +
The same options as any wedding booking: open bar at £6.50 per adult per hour without alcoholic cocktails or £7.50 with, for the first four hours (no VAT is added on top of these rates), a cash bar at £500 plus a £1,500 minimum bar sales, or dry hire quoted individually. Extra hours after the first four are £4.50 per adult per hour. As an example, 150 adults for 4 hours is £3,900 without alcoholic cocktails or £4,500 with.
Can you handle very large baraat and reception guest counts? +
Yes. Baraat and reception guest lists can run into the hundreds, well beyond a typical wedding reception. We scale bartender numbers and, for the largest events, run multiple bar points so service stays fast even at scale. Tell us your guest count and venue layout and we'll size the team and setup to match.
Is a champagne or non-alcoholic toast included for the couple's entrance? +
Yes, we coordinate a toast moment, champagne, prosecco, or a non-alcoholic sparkling option, timed to the couple's entrance or first dance. This is included on all-inclusive packages and available as an add-on on dry hire and cash bar bookings.
What venues do you cover for baraat and reception events? +
Marquees, hotel ballrooms, banqueting halls, and country venues across Reading and Berkshire. Large-guest-count baraat and reception events often need more setup space and power than a standard wedding, we confirm venue access, power, and layout requirements when we quote.

Other Services

Areas We Cover

Get a Free Quote.

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