Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston
Bartenders & Bar Staffing
If you only need skilled people behind the bar, that is a service on its own — bartenders at $50 an hour, one per 75 guests.
4.43★on Google, from 14 reviews14 of 14reviews answered$15–$35per guest, publishedDFW + Houstonboth metros served
How many bartenders do we need?
One per 75 guests is the ratio Shaker staffs to. Below that, service slows at exactly the moments everyone arrives at the bar at once: straight after the ceremony, and straight after the last speech. A 150-guest wedding takes two bartenders; a 250-guest wedding takes four.
Add a busser if you are renting glassware. Glasses have to be collected, washed and returned, and a bartender who is doing that is not pouring.
What do your bartenders do beyond pouring?
They work with the rest of your vendor team rather than around it — planners and caterers are the people who notice this first, and it is what turns up most often in Shaker’s reviews. They keep the bar area clean through the night, stock to cut down on leftovers, and pace the room so guests feel looked after rather than processed.
They also handle the part nobody wants to think about: keeping service safe and steady as the evening goes on, without making it anyone’s memory of the wedding.
What roles can we hire?
Bartenders and bar glassware bussers are the two published hourly roles. Shaker also staffs barbacks, servers and table bussers, quoted to your event.
Staffing roles
- Bartender — $50/hour, one per 75 guests
- Bar glassware busser — $50/hour, required with glassware rental
- Barbacks — quoted to your event
- Servers — quoted to your event
- Table bussers — quoted to your event
What it costs
Bartenders and bar glassware bussers are both $50 an hour. Shaker staffs one bartender per 75 guests. Staff arrive two hours before the ceremony and leave an hour and a half after the bar closes.
Questions
10 answered questions on staffing, setup & logistics.
Read the Staffing, Setup & Logistics FAQs →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
Bartenders & Bar Staffing: common questions
What time does your team arrive?
Staff arrive at least two hours before the ceremony to set up, and leave an hour and a half after the bar closes once clean-up is done. Those hours are in addition to the bar service hours you book.
Do you clean up afterwards?
Yes, and it is the thing reviewers mention most often — including a wedding planner who named the end-of-night clear-down as the reason she books Shaker. The team stays 90 minutes after the bar closes to break down the bar and clear glasses.
What roles can we staff?
Bartenders and bar glassware bussers are the two published hourly roles, both $50 an hour. Barbacks, servers and table bussers are also available, quoted to your event.
Do we need a glassware busser?
Yes, if you rent glassware. Glasses end up on tables, outside and on the dance floor, and someone has to collect, wash and return them. A bartender doing that is a bartender not pouring, so the busser is a separate $50-an-hour role.
Other services
Wedding Bartending
The full bar for your wedding day: package, staff, supplies, signature cocktails and clean-up.
BYOB Bartending
You bring the booze, Shaker brings everything else — including the list of what to buy.
Specialty & Signature Cocktails
Signature drinks, batched or made to order, with a tasting first.
Non-Alcoholic Bar Service
A proper dry bar, for dry venues and guests who are not drinking.
Last updated .
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.