Melbourne & Victoria · 2026 guide
From bottles on the table to a full cocktail service, use real-world planning variables to understand what your wedding drinks can cost — before you ask for a quote.
Every slider starts at its lowest, so the number below is roughly the cheapest way to get a drink into a hundred hands in Victoria — and it climbs from there. This prices all three ways of doing it: buying the alcohol yourself, taking the venue’s beverage package, or booking a mobile bar. Every figure includes GST. Start with the guest list and how long you want the bar open, because between them they decide almost everything else.
Estimated bar cost, inc. GST
—Move any slider to begin.
Where the bar money actually goes
What the alcohol costs, what the people pouring it cost, and what the bar itself costs — separated, because almost every couple guesses the first one roughly right and the other two badly wrong. The comparison at the bottom is the useful part: it prices the same night done the other way, so you can see what the convenience of a package is really buying you. Every figure includes GST.
Everything above is the market, not a quote. What moves a real bar quote is the specific site, the bump-in window, how far the truck has to drive and what your crowd actually drinks — and none of that fits on a slider. Twenty minutes on the phone gets you a tighter number than any range on this page.
Get a real quote for your dateBring the guest count, the venue, the hours you want the bar open and whether the site has power and a coolroom. That is enough to price it properly.
01 · Start with the shape of the day
These are the two decisions that drive nearly every other line in a drinks quote. A longer service means more stock, more ice and usually a longer crew shift; a larger guest list changes the number of service points and glasses you need.
02 · Choose the way you serve
BYO gives you control of the list and retail pricing. A venue package is the simplest route. A staffed mobile bar sits neatly between them — you choose the drinks, while someone else handles the chilling, pouring and glassware.
03 · Plan for every guest
Good water, adult soft drinks and a genuinely good zero-proof option make the whole event feel considered. It also means drivers, non-drinkers and anyone taking a breather get something better than an afterthought.
