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Can You Supply Your Own Alcohol at a Vancouver Wedding Venue? Venue Rules and the BC Permit

By Khal, WeddingVenuer·Checked ·10 min read
How much to buy
17cases of beer12 per case · 50%
20bottles of wine750 mL · 30%
4bottles of spirits750 mL · 20%
400drinks in total4 per guest
Source: BC Liquor 3-hour guide. Drinking guests × 4 drinks for a 3-hour reception, split 50% beer, 30% wine, 20% spirits, rounded up. A longer reception needs more. Unopened bottles go back within 60 days with a receipt; a restocking fee may apply.Open the full calculator →

Of the 8 Vancouver venues we cover, three confirm you can supply your own alcohol: the UBC Boathouse, Fraserview Banquet Hall and the Celebration Pavilion at Queen Elizabeth Park. There you buy it and serve it under a $25 Special Event Permit, with certified servers and your receipts on site. (Many couples search for “BYOB” venues; at these three, you supply the alcohol, but guests still can’t bring their own bottles.) The other five run their own bar, use an exclusive caterer, or don’t allow outside drinks, so there’s no permit to apply for.

Below: the bar rules at each venue, what supplying your own really costs, how the permit works, and how much to buy.

Rules checked against the Government of BC’s Special Event Permit pages and policy manual (August 2026) and each venue’s own website on 2 October 2026. No venue pays to be listed or ranked on WeddingVenuer.

Bar rules at 8 Vancouver venues

Venue Bar setup What you arrange or pay
UBC Boathouse You supply it, under a permit No corkage · licensed bartender required · $40–$300 event insurance
Fraserview Banquet Hall You supply it, under a permit Venue refers you to a bar service · guests can’t bring their own
Celebration Pavilion You supply it, under a permit $5M liability coverage · security at $42/hr + GST, 4-hour minimum · no drinks outside the building
Hycroft Manor Venue’s bar, its bartenders only 20% service charge · last call 10:30 pm · no shots
Brock House Events Peake Catering (licensed); supplying your own not stated Per-drink tiers, billed on consumption; prices not published
Cecil Green Park House Sage Catering; “no outside food or beverage” per a 2021 sample quote, not a policy page Prices by quote only
Brix and Mortar Restaurant bar; supplying your own not stated No wedding bar packages published
The Ensora No outside food or drink Champagne toast add-on (small ceremony space)

Not sure who serves at your venue? Ask before you book. Brock House and Brix and Mortar don’t say whether you can supply your own.

Supplying your own isn’t automatically cheaper

You save the venue’s markup, but you take on costs the venue would otherwise carry. (For venue fees, food minimums and service charges, see what a 100-guest wedding really costs at Vancouver venues.) At the Boathouse, that’s a licensed bartender and $40–$300 in event insurance before you buy a single bottle. At the Celebration Pavilion, it’s $5 million in liability coverage and at least $168 of security (4 hours at $42, plus GST).

You supply it: what you pay (before tax) The venue supplies it: what you pay
The alcohol itself, at store prices (10% PST paid at the till) Venue drink prices or packages
Special Event Permit: $25 a day No permit
Bartender or certified volunteers (exam $25 each) Venue staff
Insurance and any security the venue requires Ask: some still charge (Cecil Green’s insurance depends on whether alcohol is served)
Your time: buying, hauling, receipts, returns Venue handles it
— Service charge (Hycroft: 20%) and 5% GST on top

Our view: supplying your own only saves money once you’ve priced the bartender, insurance and security. Get those quotes first, then compare against the venue’s bar.

Do you need a permit? Three situations

1. The venue serves the alcohol. Hycroft’s guide calls the club a liquor-primary establishment, and you use its bartenders. Brock House uses Peake, a licensed caterer. Cecil Green uses Sage, and Brix and Mortar is a restaurant with its own bar. No permit for you; you pick from their options.

2. You supply the alcohol at a venue. At the Boathouse, Fraserview or the Celebration Pavilion, you need a Special Event Permit. BC counts a wedding as a family event, so you apply for the private permit, not the $100 public one.

3. Free drinks at a private home or other private place. No permit needed. This is the only setting where guests may bring their own drinks. A rented banquet hall doesn’t count as a private place.

How to get a Special Event Permit

Older pages may call it a Special Occasion Licence, its former name. It’s the same permit, but check what they say against the current government page.

  1. Pick the applicant. Someone 19 or older, usually a family member or friend of the couple. They must be there during service (or name a substitute in writing) and can’t drink.
  2. Gather the details. The venue and its occupant load, the hours of service, a simple site plan of the service area, the expected number of guests, and your servers’ certification numbers.
  3. Apply online through Special Event Permits Online, with a BC Services Card (BC residents) or BCeID (non-residents). The fee is per day, per location.
  4. Apply at least 4 to 6 weeks ahead. Most small family events are approved in 7 to 14 days, but that’s not guaranteed.
  5. Print it. The permit is ready when the portal shows “Issued.”

At a park or city venue, written permission from the landowner is required on municipal land. If you book the Celebration Pavilion, ask the City to confirm your booking covers it.

Bring this on the day

  • The printed permit, posted in the service area
  • Receipts for all the alcohol, showing what you bought and where
  • Every server’s certification (Special Event Server or Serving It Right)
  • A permit holder (or written substitute) on site and sober for all service hours
  • Your drink price list, if you’re charging for anything
  • A plan for checking ID: two pieces if anyone might be under 19

The rules during service

  • Server training: for events under 500 people, the Special Event Server course is enough; Serving It Right also counts. The course is free, and the exam is $25 plus tax with three attempts.
  • Where the alcohol comes from: BC Liquor Stores, private BC liquor stores, or BC wineries, breweries and distilleries. Nothing from out of province. Homemade or U-Brew beer, cider or wine is allowed at family events only if it’s free.
  • No guest bottles. The permit holder is responsible for stopping guests from bringing their own.
  • Serving limits, per person at one time: two standard cans or bottles of beer, cider or coolers; 24 oz of draught; 10 oz of wine by the glass; or 3 oz of spirits.
  • Minors can attend but can’t be served. Intoxicated guests can’t be served or stay in the service area.
  • Hours: service runs from 9:00 am to 2:00 am indoors, and to 10:00 pm outdoors. Your venue may set an earlier time.

Free bar or cash bar?

Free (host) bar: the only tax is the 10% PST you pay when you buy the alcohol.

Charging for drinks: the policy manual doesn’t say outright whether a family event may charge. If you do, the limits are tight:

  • Prices can’t exceed the province’s cost-recovery price list. A 12-oz beer tops out at $7.35, taxes included.
  • You can’t make a profit on the permit.
  • If you sell above what you paid, you prepay a 10% PST equivalent on the markup when you apply.
  • Any event tickets must be sold beforehand, never at the door.

A host bar is simpler. Once you start selling, you take on price lists, tax paperwork and cash handling.

How much to buy

BC Liquor’s wedding planning guide uses a simple formula: drinking guests × 4 = the most standard drinks you’ll need for a 3-hour reception, split 50% beer, 30% wine and 20% spirits.

Drinking guests Beer (cases of 12) Wine (750 mL bottles) Spirits (750 mL bottles)
50 9 10 2
80 14 16 3
100 17 20 4
150 25 30 5

We rounded every figure up, counting 6 glasses of wine per bottle and 24 spirit drinks per bottle, as the guide does. The guide’s own table rounds down slightly: for 100 guests it shows 16 cases of beer and 3 bottles of spirits. It’s built on a 3-hour event, so a longer reception needs more.

Returns: BC Liquor takes back unopened bottles in saleable condition within 60 days, with a receipt. Its returns page charges a 10% restocking fee on returns of $2,500 or more; the permit manual says all returns carry the fee. Ask your store before you buy. Leftovers can’t be resold or served at another permitted event.

When the venue runs the bar

The bar is part of your food and beverage bill, with the venue’s service charge and 5% GST on top, plus 10% PST on alcohol. At Hycroft, its 2027 guide says the 20% service charge applies to all food and drink, your bar choices are due 45 days ahead, and minors must leave by 10:00 pm. Hycroft has since taken that guide down, so ask for the one that covers your year. Brock House charges per drink on three price tiers, billed on consumption; its prices aren’t published. Cecil Green’s only published bar figures are in a 2021–22 sample quote, too old to budget from.

Two mix-ups to avoid

  • A space permit isn’t a liquor permit. A park or event booking lets you use the space. Serving alcohol there may need a Special Event Permit as well.
  • Old wording, old rules. If a page talks about a “Special Occasion Licence,” check its rules against the current government page before relying on them.

What to ask your venue

  1. Do you serve alcohol yourselves, or do we bring it under a permit?
  2. If we bring it: is there corkage, and do you require a particular bartender service?
  3. What time is last call, and when must guests leave?
  4. Is extra insurance or security required if alcohol is served, and how much?
  5. Can bottles and leftovers stay on site after the event?
  6. If you run the bar: what are the drink prices or packages, service charge and taxes?

Quick answers

Do I need a liquor licence for my wedding in BC? Only if you supply the alcohol at a venue. Then you need a Special Event Permit. If the venue serves the drinks, it’s covered.

Can guests bring their own alcohol? Not to a hall or park venue, even with a permit. BYOB is only allowed at a private home or other private place.

Which Vancouver venues let you supply your own alcohol? Of the venues we cover: the UBC Boathouse, Fraserview Banquet Hall and the Celebration Pavilion. All three need a permit.

Can I have a cash bar at my wedding in BC? The rules don’t say outright. If you charge, prices are capped by the province’s cost-recovery list and you can’t make a profit.

Can I return unopened alcohol after the wedding? Yes, to BC Liquor within 60 days with a receipt. A 10% restocking fee may apply.

How we got these facts

Permit rules come from the Government of BC’s Special Event Permit pages and its August 2026 policy manual. Quantities come from BC Liquor’s wedding planning guide. Venue rules come from each venue’s own website, wedding guide or policy page. We checked every source on 2 October 2026. Where a source doesn’t say, we say “not stated” instead of guessing. When a rule or policy changes, we update this page and note what changed.

By Khal, WeddingVenuer. Facts verified against each source listed below on 2 October 2026. How it was made: drafted with AI assistance from those sources, then fact-checked line by line and edited. Last substantive update: 2 October 2026

Sources

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Budget & pricing

What a 100-Guest Wedding Really Costs at Vancouver Venues (Only 1 of 5 Publishes a Full Floor)

Saturday: Hycroft floor $26,900. Others from $6,825 before food.

For a peak Saturday, published venue fees at these Vancouver venues run $6,825 to $15,500 before food and tax.

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