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The lovely people at RubyLemon, a wedding entertainment and event staffing agency that we are very proud to say is a member of our Festival Wedding Supplier Directory, is taking over the blog this afternoon with their tips on finding the right bar and waiting staff for your outdoor festival wedding – something that I know so many of you will find helpful.

If you are planning on doing a lot of DIY for your wedding, including perhaps sourcing your own waiting and bar staff, then this article will be right up your street. From asking friends with experience in hospitality to using a company like RubyLemon, they cover it all!

Finding Bar and Waiting Staff for Your Festival Wedding

Words by Ruby Lemon

Picture this. You’ve found a stunning venue for your festival wedding, you have a fantastic hire company sorting out the vast tepee you require, the food and drink is ordered, entertainment booked and the gorgeous boho gown you will be wearing is hanging in your wardrobe right now. Everything is set, you have even managed to acquire the ever-elusive licence needed to hold your wedding in your not so traditional venue! Surely you haven’t forgotten anything, or have you?

This might seem a simple thing to you but finding bar and waiting staff for your DIY wedding is one of the biggest challenges you’ll probably face when planning your big day. Sure, friends and family will kindly offer to help on the day, but you want them to enjoy the day as much as you, right? Plus, they may be helping with other things too, so you don’t want to put everything on them!

Worry not! We have looked into your options and have found three different solutions.

Family and Friends…

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Yes, we mentioned them above, but let’s face it, everyone knows someone who works in a bar or restaurant. In fact, we’ll bet they’ll be looking to make some extra money and will be only too happy to help you out.

There are many positives to this option. Firstly, you’ll likely find the outlay to be cheap, probably around the £10 per hour point. Another plus point is that those friends will not mind so much working a smaller wedding, if that is indeed what you are having.

Things to consider though is how are you going to manage them? You know these people as friends and family and not in a professional way. This could make things a little difficult, especially if they are a bit lax in what they are meant to be doing. Also, what will happen if they don’t show up? There are no ready replacements, so this is a major thing you need to take into consideration. Only ask people you trust, and who you know will come through for you.

Catering Companies…

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Possibly the most obvious choice, these will often have a team of bar and wait staff on their books. When they are not booked on weddings with the catering company, some will be happy to subcontract their staff to you.

One of the great things about hiring from catering companies is that you can safely assume that the staff you get will be professional and experienced. They should also not be overly expensive as they are subcontracted, so should fall in at around £13 to £15 per hour.

However, watch out for those high seasons, where availability will be low. Wedding season, national holidays and seasonal holidays will require all staff on hand. You should also consider the possibility of your booking being cancelled in favour of a larger, higher paying event. Definitely look into terms and conditions if you do subcontract staff from a company, you don’t want to risk being left high and dry on your wedding day.

Staffing Agencies…

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This option would be our recommendation. We know it’s a DIY wedding and we respect that, but wouldn’t you want the happiest day of your life to also be relatively worry free? It is also a slightly more costly solution, likely falling in at around £15 to £20 per hour, but honestly, can you really put a price on piece of mind?

Staffing agencies will have a team of bar and waiting staff ready to go for your big day. They will be experienced, reliable and familiar with weddings, events, and venues of all kinds. The fantastic thing about agencies is that they hundreds of staff on their books available for work, and should there be any cancellations, will replace them at the drop of a hat. They can even supply you with a manager for larger teams who will brief every individual on your exact requirements so all you need to do is enjoy yourself. Hopefully, we have found a solution for everyone. Which are you most likely to choose?

For more information on RubyLemon and the valuable services they provide for couples planning an outdoor wedding, please visit their website or their listing in our festival wedding directory: RubyLemon | Wedding Event Staff & Entertainment

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