In-Houe Bar FAQs
The In-House bar at Sunset Oaks means no wondering what to buy or worrying what people will drink. We’ve got it covered.
✨ How it works:
✅ We handle the alcohol & supplies – no liquor store runs, no confusing BYOB rules.
✅ Only pay for what guests drink – no overbuying or wasted leftovers.
✅ You choose the vibe – keep it simple or go all-out.
✅ Flat bar fee: $595 + your drink tab = done.
✅ Preset your drink tab limit – when your limit’s hit, it switches to cash bar. Easy!
What are my alcohol purchase options?
Only pay for what we pour aka “consumption” bar-
Option 1: Fully Hosted Open Bar-
Guests drink on your open tab all night.
Pre-scheduled checkpoints to keep you informed on spending.
This is a great option for those with a larger bar budget and/or a family member who wants to gift you the bar (typical spend is $1000-$2000 for 100 moderate drinkers with ).
Option 2: Partially Hosted Bar-
You preset a drink tab limit (aka spending threshold), minimum $500. Guests drink on your tab until it hits your preset limit, then it switches to guest-pay aka “cash bar.”
Cash Bar: Guests pay for their own drinks via card, cash mor apple pay once your preset limit hits.
This is the most popular, cost effective option for most couples.
⭐️ Heads up: no outside alcohol is allowed. All alcohol must be purchased and consumed onsite via in-house bar by law.
❤️ Our Promise to You: Planning a wedding is A LOT. This part doesn’t have to be. We make it simple, custom, and totally unforgettable. 🥂
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Flat Upfront Service Fee Covers:
✔ Bar consultation to discuss your custom menu (final 30 days prior to wedding)
✔ Printed bar menu
✔ Bartender(s) (trained + licensed) up to 5 hrs max (service ends 15 min before music ends)
✔ Fully stocked open bar with house variety of beers, wines, liquors, and mixers.
✔ All drink supplies & ingredients, ice, cups, straws etc.
✔ All Beers are served in cans.
✔ All mixed drinks/cocktails served in premium 9-12 oz acrylic tumblers with 1.5 oz of alcohol.
✔ Wines served in premium 9 oz acrylic tumblers.
✔ Bar setup + cleanup
⭐️ Optional extras:
frozen margarita machine
pre-ordered dressing room (beer/mimosa) packages
champagne tower
light foods
**Gratuity is NOT included in the minimum tab limit.
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Book the bar (pay & sign the contract)
Receive invite to book bar consultation 90 days prior to wedding.
Finalize Menu & all bar-related decisions 30 days prior to the wedding.
Pay deposit towards alcohol tab.
No menu changes will be made after the 30 day mark.
Keep family and wedding party informed that NO OUTSIDE ALCOHOL is permitted.
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Enjoy pre-ordered dressing room mini-bar package. (mimosas, beer buckets, cocktail pitchers).
TABC permits up to 2 drinks per person to be served at once.
No outside alcohol. No hard liquor.
Last call for refills is 2 hrs prior to ceremony start time.
Dressing Rooms will be packed up before the ceremony.
Please ensure your wedding party is aware of the legal terms- no alcohol may be brought onsite. No coolers, flasks, bottles, etc.
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Enjoy open bar! Service begins after ceremony and ends 15 min prior to scheduled event end time (5 hrs max).
Partially Hosted Bar:
All alcohol will be charged to the card on file until preset drink tab limit is reached. Then guests may swipe for drinks as they continue to order.
Fully Hosted Bar (open-tab with no preset drink tab limit ), check-ins are available based on pre-set time or tab amounts (as arranged in advance, in writing).
Sunset Oaks Venue / Top Shelf Events staff are obligated to follow all TABC seller-server policies. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.
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Bar closes 15 min prior to the scheduled event end time (see: end of paid DJ service time). OR 5 hrs max bar service- whichever comes first.
Close out hosted tab.
Any tabs left open will encounter 18% gratuity.
Clients should ensure all guests have a safe ride home within all applicable laws.
No alcohol may leave the property.
A final walkthrough with the client and the venue to ensure no apparent damage or items are left behind.
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Sunset Oaks Venue / Top Shelf Events staff are obligated to follow all TABC seller-server policies. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.
No Outside Alcohol: All drinks must be bought and consumed at the venue. No bringing in or taking out alcohol.
Dressing Rooms: You can pre-order mimosas, beer buckets. No hard liquor allowed. Last call for refills is 2 hrs prior to ceremony start. All drinks will be removed before the ceremony.
Bar Hours: The bar opens after the ceremony and closes 15 minutes before the event ends (maximum 5 hours).
NO underaged drinking. No alcohol served to guests under 21 y/o.
NO Shots, doubles, nor Neat Liquor will be served
Smoking only in designated areas, utilizing butt-cans. No indoor vaping.
No marijuana on property. It’s illegal (and has a very obvious scent)
Fines are in place to ensure compliance - $250 charged to the tab per occurrence.
Repeat non compliance will be handled by Smith Co Sheriff’s Office- alcohol, drugs, or otherwise. (completely avoidable- last resort!)
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• Don’t overthink the bar menu! The full bar is available, and you may “exclude” any price points you don’t want to pay for. (i.e. only offer house liquor, domestic beers, and house wines for cost control)
• The brands and recipes are curated specifically from highly experienced bartenders after HUNDREDs of weddings. We won’t steer you wrong.
• Make sure your FAMILY & WEDDING PARTY know about the no outside alcohol law.
• Make sure your guests know about the no outside alcohol law.
❌ no coolers, no bottles, no flasks, no drinking in the parking lot ❌
Sunset Oaks Venue / Top Shelf Events staff are obligated to follow all TABC seller-server policies. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.
Example Menu
This couple is offering domestic beer, house wine, house liquor, plus 2 cocktails.
How much will they spend?
For 120 guest, they estimate 70 drinkers, average consumption rate (3 per person).
Avg drink cost is $6
Est total tab (70x3x6) = $1260
General FAQs
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No Outside Alcohol (by law): All drinks must be bought and consumed at the venue. No bringing in or taking out alcohol.
Bar Hours: The bar opens after the ceremony and closes 15 minutes before the event ends (maximum 5 hours).
NO underaged drinking. No alcohol served to guests under 21 y/o.
NO Shots, doubles, nor Neat Liquor will be served
Fines are in place to ensure compliance - $250 charged to the tab per occurrence.
Sunset Oaks Venue / Top Shelf Events staff are obligated to follow all TABC seller-server policies. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.
Repeat non compliance will be handled by Smith Co Sheriff’s Office- alcohol, drugs, or otherwise. (completely avoidable- last resort!)
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Yes, by law, all alcohol must be purchased and consumed onsite.
You control the menu and the budget! Only pay for what we pour.
Sunset Oaks Venue / Top Shelf Events staff are obligated to follow all TABC seller-server policies. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.
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Yes, select your dressing room package in advance, to be purchased from the in-house bar.
No outside alcohol permitted. No BYOB such as coolers, flasks, or bottles.
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The bar opens for cocktail hour immediately after the ceremony.
The bar closes 15 min prior to the scheduled end of the event (end of DJ service time).
This allows guests time to finish their last drink and have some water before saying goodbyes.
5 hrs is the maximum duration of bar service per your Sunset Oaks rental agreement.
Outside alcohol, parking lot drinking, flasks, or the presence of any other outside alcohol is illegal.
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Yes, you will be given instructions on how to pay the security officer(s).
125 guests or less = 1 officer, $250
Over 125 = 2 officers, $500
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All alcohol must be purchased through and served by Sunset Oaks Venue/Top Shelf Events.
To offer alcohol in any form that’s not from “behind the bar,” you will add an extra bartender to handle this while your regular bar remains open- $250.
All beverages served through this method will be tracked and charged to your tab. Since it’s tracked manually and charged to your tab later, you may set a max quantity to control the budget.
Pre-Approval: Vendors for donkeys, etc should provide a Certificate of Insurance with Top Shelf Events, LLC and Sunset Oaks Inc listed as additionally insured. 🔗 Submit it here
They are responsible for cleaning and animal droppings.
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The cash bar option is available after the preset bar tab limit is met.
The minimum preset amount is $500.
This allows for the fastest service during cocktail hour without the added time of payment processing.
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If you have booked the bar on your venue invoice, you will automatically receive an email invite to book your bar consultation
90 days prior to the event date
We will talk through your plans & questions and create the detailed menu, pre-ceremony order, and tab limits.
You will receive the invoice for the $500 towards the tab, due 30 days prior.
Any additional spend will be charged to the card on file the day-of the event as agreed upon in advance. -
All bar decisions and pre-payments are due at 30 days prior to the event.
Changes will not be accepted after this date out of fairness to all couples!
Menu & Budget FAQs
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Service starts at $595 PLUS beverage consumption (+ tax & gratuity).
You put your card on file to open a tab and allow guests to order drinks all night on your dime. We will pre-arrange “check points” with your decision maker as the tab grows (i.e. every hour or every $500 spent)
Drinks start at $4 ea, and the average guests drinks 3-5 drinks each (some more, some less, this is an average from hosting hundreds of weddings).
You will close out the tab prior to departure. Any tabs left open will encounter an 18% auto gratuity.
Total alcohol spend will depend on the categories you host AND how heavily your crowd drinks.
Examples:
Domestic beer & house wine for 50 guests ± $600. (that’s less than the cost of 1-2 beers per person at a restaurant!)
Full beer + wine + Signature & Craft Cocktails for 150 guests: $2000+ (that’s still merely the cost of TWO margaritas at Chilis per person.)
Based on our extensive experience, we have found guests drink LESS than you expect overall. (2 drinks per person is the actual average)
Heavier drinkers, larger guest counts, and premium brands will increase the total spend.
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On a tighter budget?
Opt for “Partially Hosted” bar. Pre-set your tab budget ($500 minimum), then swap to a cash bar.
Your guests can continue to by swiping per drink and/or opening their own tab.
*BUDGET TIP: when you choose which categories to host, stick to the budget friendly options like domestics & house liquors.
Total budget $595 + $500
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A smart bar menu will be your BEST budget tool.
Opt for the partially hosted bar then swap to cash bar.
Only host domestics + house liquor categories for max variety yet minimum cost per drink.
NOTE: Your tab goes a lot further with $4 drinks than $7+ menu items.
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You are welcome to offer the entire house bar. All items are stocked.
Exclude categories outside your budget (i.e. house vs call or premium).
Deadline for menu choices is 30 days prior to event.
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Basic Mixed Drink ingredients are fully stocked, and guests can mix and match liquors and mixers upon order.
You may exclude a specific “category” of brands outside your budget.
Custom Cocktails:
Classic & Craft cocktail recipe are optional. Each cocktail has a custom recipe with ingredients we only stock if you choose to host it.
Therefore you’ll pick up to 4 TOTAL recipes.
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Among all the beers, wines, and basic cocktails available, there are TONS of combos, so offering a couple specialty cocktails is really just a cherry on top of an already amazing variety!
Each Specialty Cocktail recipe contains ingredients & garnishes we custom order for your event.
However, it’s your bar! If you choose to host more than 4 specialty cocktail recipes, the bar service fee will increase by $100 per additional recipe.
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Yes- these can be charged to your tab.
Sodas & Juice are $1 ea.
Custom mocktails are available, starting at $3 ea.
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Staffing, Ingredients, and Supplies require ample planning and ordering, therefore we cannot accept menu changes less than 30 days prior to the event.
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We’ve picked our bar menu based on hundreds of weddings—and it covers the crowd favorites! Even just beer, wine, and basic cocktails give you 30+ drink options.
But if you have a favorite, here’s what we can do:
🍺 Special Beer
We can custom order a 12-pack just for your dressing room.
It must be prepaid in advance.
We can’t serve it at the main bar—we can’t reuse what doesn’t sell.
🍷 Special Wine
We’ll give you a custom quote to pre-purchase a case.
Leftover bottles must stay at the venue (that’s a TABC law).
🥃 Special Liquor
Want a specific liquor brand? We’ll serve it as a signature cocktail.
Starts at $8 per drink, with limited servings.
🚫 Per TABC, What we can’t do:
We legally can’t serve home-brewed alcohol or bottles from a friend’s winery or brewery.
All alcohol must be ordered through our licensed distributor.
Allow any leftover alcohol to leave the premises.
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If we don’t host premium liquors, can guests still buy them at the bar?
A: No- premium liquors are either hosted for everyone or not served at all.
We do this to:
Avoid confusion at the bar
Keep inventory clean and accurate
Most importantly, honor your choices as the host
If you don’t want to offer premium, it won’t be available—even for cash bar purchase.
Ready to plan your menu?
Read the FAQs and have more questions? email bar@sunsetoaksvenue.com
Photo by Anastasia Lynn Photography
We’re ready to make decisions!
One complimentary bar consultation is available per event to answer questions & help you finalize your choices!