W.E.D. Talks - S1E14 - Van Life & Amanda Thomas of On the Rocks Bartending

Jess, Evan, and Mike talk van life then they talk drinks with Amanda Thomas of On the Rocks Bartending and Event Services. Learn about open bars, the best custom cocktails, and why you should bring an experienced and insured bartender to your wedding or event.

Hi and welcome to W.E.D. Talks! We have a new addition to our family and life. We bought a beam. No, we're not putting my logo on the side of it. No, I figured that if we put a logo on the side of the van and then I drive like an asshole then people would like to find us and like get mad at us. 

I know I wanted the logo on the side. And merely for advertising and because I loved my logo but I also don't want people like oh that's a photography man, let's break in there and steal things. Not that we keep our cameras in the van through but there's still some valuable things in there, right? 

Yeah, we get like some tripods and stuff. I mean, you know, the van itself is valuable because right will vastly improve how we can service our couples. Yes, the van has been. Great. We've had it since the beginning of June and I didn't expect to love the van as much as I loved the van and now it's like how did we have function with life before the van? 

So part of it's my fault because I am a urinary and I bring a lot of stuff to weddings to make sure that I'm prepared for any eventuality including lights some for reception and you know different kinds of cameras and brackets and and things that could put a camera literally everywhere. 

When I have but that takes up a lot of space and when I had my personal car which died the whole story in itself die you ran her into a curb and yeah flat tire for the third time in a year yeah well they had a lot of miles on it and it was it was there it was there and we were already talking about the van. 

I don't think Jess's has sold as I was but now I think that might be a different story. I'm well, I mean, I'm just happy now that you can drive places. Yeah was that week when we weren't driving near cars because you had a flat tire and I had to drive everywhere and I was like, I hate this shit somebody else just drives a standard. 

Oh yes, and we're like not I'm not a standard but I'm not driving it in the city ever. So yeah, I'm embarrassed that I can't drive a standard and but at the same time it's a lot of work. There's like myself knowing what you're doing. You don't even think about it. 

It's not a lot of you. Never think about it when I'm shifting or anything just happens, so secondhandly like natural. It's just this van is an automatic so it is automatic all of us can drive it. Well, I can't just won't I drove a Jeep once and I ran into a side of a wall trying to make it turn at a wedding, so let's not put me in a van's. 

Yeah, it might be a little too big for Jess. Yeah. I think you could handle it. I'm sure you could I believe in you. I try anytime soon so maybe after a few years. So the root of the problem was I have a lot of stuff and Now. All there's a space for all that stuff and I don't necessarily have to bring it in and out of the wedding venue I can bring just what I need out of the van and store it out there it's not taking up space in our apartment and there's still room for Mike to sit in there yeah boy and I installed like this cool folding seat that goes up and down it's really awesome yeah it's very very proud of my handy husband to install the first of all found this yes some of in california. 

Yeah had the stranger tribal way to message drop the seat off at a heavily discounted right like an old busy and then installed it into this man, so yeah kudos to heaven for that yeah if you're curious it's a freedman seat made in America a popular bus seat this this model folds up and traditionally they'd be used to fold up so you can put somebody in a wheelchair in the in the spot on a bus but in this application it's, Perfect because the van is much smaller with the seat in it and I wanted the ability to fold it out of the way in case we needed that extra storage capacity so it's fantastic is great nerdy installed took me forever. 

I mean didn't take you forever to get couple weeks but it's lookin' that bad it's fine that's a little at a time yeah chipped away at it yeah and it's secure it's not some it's not a janky installation. I haven't literally great but like grade a stainless steel hat. 

Inch bolts, they're six of them bolting this thing to the to the frame of the van very safe next. I'm getting a seatbelt. FY. Has yeah he's gonna get Mike a shoulder filter it's okay so it's gonna get that much better and I think I'm gonna reupholster it another pro that we learned this past week to the man that kind of came last minute was that the van has tinted windows on the back which are very hard to see in to the back and then we always put a sunshade in front to help keep it as cool as possible so it's very hard to see in the van at all and it's a great place for couples to change their outfits on engagement sessions should you need to change and there's nothing about yeah, we pulled up to this park. 

We're doing engagement session in Salem Mass and it was filled with people. I mean, you think covid wise there so many people but there is people and there is no bathroom, well there was a ugly public bathroom, but basically no bathroom no shade no like. Anywhere to hide so the van was just like, oh well, it's natural just getting the back of that and. 

Yeah, I mean it's not obviously not the greatest place for you to change your outfits, but last minute yes getting our sketchy windows fan and she knows typically if someone says get in this van and take your clothes off. It's not the best situation depending on your viewpoint and who's asking but uh, but it worked out really well and I liked that that was an option because it was like, oh this is this is actually great. 

I was like I felt like a genius because I thought of it for a minute so I really yeah, that was all your idea and that was genius as genius now to suck up it's okay. I love you because you are a genius. We also big news we have advertise in the past that we have separate beds now we have one and part of getting the van became immediate dividends, we sold our old beds and we're able to put it in our own van and like bring it places which is great yeah so we got rid of the old beds and then went back to one bed, but we got king sizes thing. 

I just, Everybody just get a king bed my God just skipped queen go right to the king you're never gonna regret it just get the king bed yeah we had a queen to start off our relationship and we had you know, we have sleeping trebles here and there and we attribute it to different things and and being sometimes too close or oh it's just too hot or whatever then we went to the two beds and the two beds. 

I was pretty happy but then you get you just it's just not you're married and you want to be yeah, I was just I liked the two beds, obviously. I had my own. Bed to myself like there's nothing wrong with that. It was weird it was like, oh we have two beds, you're on the other it's not like I don't know it just felt like there was a disconnect so that lasted less than a year before. 

I was like, No well I know for my part I'm extremely happy with our sleeping situation right now. I hope I can stay on the side of the bed and on that's always gonna be difficult you're on that side of the bed right now because the air conditioner is on that side, yeah, I can't sleep with the air conditioner blowing on my face, so this is a constant we both like the same side of the bed, so when the air conditioner comes out of that window and then there's just a breeze of air coming in that window might have to switch back. 

I don't think it's bad to cheat. Ing jump sides every now and then whatever so like where those weird people who just like don't have a side and then just true yeah like that story or what what cycle pass don't have an assigned side of the bed right like yeah there was 40 that they just like go to bed. 

I was like the anxiety that even thinking about like going into my room and not knowing which side of the bed is mine. I have anxiety right now from yeah thinking about I mean, I have all my stuff like my cell phone charger and my side of the bed like how right yeah, especially if you have two separate. 

Able so yeah, but your stuff we do like but I don't know if you guys don't have a side of the bed message me. I'm curious it works how does this work you are better people than we are we're your psychopaths which I'm equally on board with next we're gonna talk with Amanda of on the rock spark ending we're gonna be talking about alcohol so my name is. 

Thomas and I own on the rockstar attending an event services. I started this business. I guess this is our fourth wedding season so four years ago, and I basically have been in the service industry for like 22 some odd years, which sounds impossible if I'm only 25 right but. 

I have always just been really intrigued and I started bartending private weddings and events for somebody else and I got into it and I was like, you know. Really make a living. Company and I I told her my plans and my thoughts and she said well, you know, you know, it's really gonna make a living doing this, you know, she threw out a number of she said I make about 25,000 a year pays for a riverboat cruises and I was like, all right, that's cool. 

I could do. My grand on top of my full-time job and before I knew it the very first year, you know, our sales were like 75,000 so we had tripled what we had estimated and that was the very first year so it's been up from there and I've also you know expanded again. 

I offered day of court andation and I mean anything that any event or wedding could need I can make that happen. I have been in this long enough that I know somebody if I can't do that. I know somebody who knows somebody that can do it. I've made a lot of good vendor for. 

Call them frienders, you know by doing this so it's been an amazing four years with nothing but growth even though covered is now rearing a ugly head we're still on track to have a pretty okay year in the next couple of months. I mean, I've done probably 10 micro weddings just this month and last month where normally we'd be doing four or five a day, you know, we're we're still doing things so that's good it's okay, yeah yeah friends. 

That's a great. I love that we're gonna use that if you don't mind. 

Okay, okay credit to you. I am in my car and I also have a visitor. I have a three week old baby goat sitting next to me. This is amazing yeah. I'm a new a new goat mom so in between every other thing I do. I now have goats so she is a tiny little baby that can't be with the rest of them, so I am raising her like a dog basically, oh my god, wow, what's her name? 

Her name is Ivy. Story and because of covet my parents have owned a country store for 15 years up on newfound late and my parents travel in the winter and you know because it's pretty quiet up there and then Colby struck my parents were in like Las Vegas and their campers so they were like, can you go check on the store? 

Basically I haven't left. And that was like February so our big country store. I decided as part owner now, we had to have boats wasn't New Hampshire country store without goats, right yeah, I convinced them that the this was gonna be the best idea right everybody was gonna come with their kids that put the goats and then go inside and spend all their money and it has worked so I have three goats that are about three months old, they're still babies themselves and then this little one this opportunity came along and she. 

Used to be bottle said and treated like a real baby and I was like, oh yeah, no problem. I've got all the time well it has proven to be quite it's been a challenge but we've got it and she's we've got it all down she's drinking from a bottle and like I said, eventually you're going with the bigger goats, but that's just again one of the many hats. 

I wear is now a goat herder. I guess I don't know so jealous this is just this is just as dream yeah go turn my dream with. Want to go but I live in the city. I live in Nashua so I can't really have to go and like I said when my parents I took on ownership with them of the business, it's an hour for me, so I travel an hour there and an hour back every day, which is no big deal and now I travel with a goat and he goes into her own separate little area away from them, but still with them and she hangs out all day, sometimes I bring her in a shopping cart inside the store like when it rains and, Her home at night and she sleeps in a playpen and plays with our dogs at home and it's unique it is unique and it was very self-fulfilling. 

I I want to go and I convince them it would be a good attraction and it is and I'm glad we did it but this little yeah this little baby needs all of my attention, maybe now you can start offering like have a goat at your wedding like, 

Already have had people ask. 

For one week and the like day two or three that I had her I was up at the store and I had to go meet a bride and her family and the lake and like nearly clinical sake and I was like, all right yeah that's no problem already halfway up there. 

I'll come by we'll go through start and finish because they're still having their wedding at their family house and I was like yep sounds great. I'll meet all of you guys will go start to finish because we're also doing the bartending for them, but I'm also their day of coordinator. 

Was important for me to get over there meet the families see the grounds and things like that and then so I'm driving over there and I have the goat and I'm like, oh my god, what am I gonna do with this baby go? D. Her house that I was like, you know, here's the deal. 

I'm gonna have to run out like every 20 or so minutes just to make sure the baby goat is okay. I told her the whole story and she was like what bring that go in my house so they were like, oh my god, no bring the golden house, so I took her and she travels around in a milk crate, it's like her happy little safe spot with a blanket so I took. 

Into the house with the family me mom dad and the bride are sitting at the counter with the goat milk crate and they also have a golden doodle that was about a year old and the golden doodle was obsessed with the goat and the goat didn't care they were like the the dog was just looking her and loving her the whole time they were thrilled that you know, this was going so well, I'm still terrified on the inside like one of these people gonna think about me traveling around with a goat just showing up randomly would goats. 

And at the end of it they're like can we have the goat as part of the wedding and I was like sure I guess I was like yeah, I know a problem free of charge like because I showed up would it go unannounced and I was like well just have to get her like a flower crown or flower reef for you know around her neck and make her look like she's part of the wedding party and they really yeah, so, you know, it was like, Serious but if they want her sure we'll put her on a lesion. 

When it was professional amazing so I know that a lot of venues require professional bartender but some couples consider just oh let's just bring a bunch of beers something what's what's the benefits of having a bartending service, oh then you require somebody who has liquor liability insurance because, Things like dram shop liability, you know and things like that where basically it's something happens somebody has to be to blame and it's basically the last person that serves them because you are accountable for anybody that you serve. 

Same thing in the restaurant or a bar to trans shop liability is like third party liability and. The importance is you know, you have a hundred and twenty of your closest friends and family in your backyard somebody leaves and an accident happens and it's a really bad accident you as a homeowner or party thrower that can fall back on you if you're just loading up a canoe with ice and beer and having a free for all so we carry it. 

50 liquor liability insurance policy that basically holds us responsible wherever we serve, you know, that's what we do we're basically adult babysitter. S so we monitor. Function we make sure nobody is getting blackout drunk without ruining it, you know, somebody's big day that's another important team because nine times out of ten. 

I talk to these people who are like, hey uncle Larry has a drinking problem we need to make sure we're serving him water in between his blood rights. You know, and those are the things that we. Form we have a conversation because there's literally an uncle Larian everybody's family or a great odd Susan, you know, whatever that likes to hit the chardonnay pretty hard and can make a fool of herself. 

Things that we watch for. Coming to stay fun time, you know, there's a difference between a licensed bar tender and a an insured bartender because a lot of people think there is a license well in New Hampshire, there is no license for our tender, you can take a class and be certified and get a pretty piece of paper that says you are a certified bartender. 

That does not mean you can go around serving and selling liquor the difference is a licensed person is actually licensed to be able to sell liquor so you can have a cash bar on you can basically sell liquor we don't carry that what we do is we allow our client to provide their own liquor will tell you start to finish how many bottles of beer how many wine how many bottles of Cheetos. 

And you. Must because it's super affordable if you do it that way and then we don't have to carry that license to sell to you so in essence we have open bar. 

That's disappointable is having a cash bar a lot of people ask or concerned about like we don't want to pay for 150 of our friends and family to get wasted we want to cash far well when you hire somebody to do a cash bar they have that liquor license so their prices are automatically going to be higher they have more overhead than somebody like us. 

They're still going to charge you set up fees they're going to have minimums for sales to be met like if you don't spend a thousand dollars, you know, the client has to make up the difference and there's a lot of little caveats that happen so hiring us the liquor is yours at the end of the day, so you can do what you want to get home. 

Way of returning to the liquor store whatever and we pretty much hit the mark every single time knock on wood and never had anybody run out of a liquor or a beer or anything at their wedding so I think my calculations have been pretty spot on throughout the year, okay, we were wondering what kind of if you've done some signature cocktails at events and if you had a favorite I would say probably. 

For sign of the events or wedding we always. Nurture drink and I have a book, you know a mile wide that has recipes but I have. My go-to and my favorite is it's just a pink chambria so. And white cranberry peach juice and then we add some soda water to make it super sparkly bubbly but it's so simple and it's a really nice pink color it looks really good at any wedding usually we'll throw some strawberries some frozen strawberries work really well to float in it and it's a really beautiful presentation so that immediately catches people's eyes then when they drink it forget it it's over like that's all they're gonna drink all night definitely. 

I have gotten more people oh my god what's in this can you write it down for me it's very simple it's three ingredients so that's definitely my go-to for wedding and to drink at home too, so still on the signature cocktails is anybody asked you for something that is just gross like what should people stay away from yeah, she's actually happened all the time there's, Nylon teeth long island keys are not gross, however, they can be dangerous right everybody knows that who drinks so I'm like, hey, maybe we want to do like a dumb-down version of it so that they're not wrapped. 

You know. 

So terrible ones but it's more of like all right that's you're going overboard with this let's take it down a notch, you know, and just do like an Arnold Palmer with vodka or rum or something like that instead of the whole Long Island was four different five different pieces in it. 

People asked. If because of their favorite Chinese food restaurant drink and I'm like, those are great yeah, but also dangerous you know. Really way more dangerous than yeah, yeah from experience. 

Had a bad night with ah, I do and steer them more towards crowd pleasers, there's been like jacking cokes. I mean those you know, that's what the groom arrived loves to drink. I think it's a great personal way, you know to have at the bar. Definitely. All right well let's also offer something sweet and fruity because again the majority of the masses are gonna drink something like that. 

They take my second biggest. 

And lemonade. 

I'll add a blueberry soda water to. Make it bubbly and a little bit less sweet and people go crazy over those too, so they're very simple, but they present nice. Even better so what are some ways say you are doing your part for the environment with all the plastic straws and so forth the first year. 

I was in business. I ordered I looked back and I ordered. Child and plastic straws and used every single one of them and that. Oh my god. I am single-handedly killing all of the sea turtles in the world, how can I change that? Company and she does paper straws and they have a really thin nice wax liner inside of them, so they don't melt in your drink and they're beautiful they're floral and they're really nice looking and people I. 

See more photographers photographs than they have the bride when they send me, you know their pictures. I'm like you guys you really just sat there some pictures of the stride yeah but they're super cute and people really like that so once I figured out that that was a good way for us to cut down on our footprint. 

I also looked into a company called Tuckwear and toss where makes recycled recyclable plastic cups that actually look like glass. I get wholesale pricing through them, so when somebody needs, Drinkware for their wedding, you know, we show them these and again, they're so nice and they're so they're cute cups people go bonkers and they're like, oh these are so good. 

Can't wait. I'm gonna take my plastic cup home. I'm like, all right, well, you know, we could recycle it but if you want to get home Jenny go ahead, so I definitely look for a lot of the paper napkins. I use are recycled paper products. I am trying to be super earth conscious and friendly and cut down on the carbon footprint because I do think that's important especially an event, you know, where we're using two to three hundred plastic cups, yeah. 

I love that it makes the big difference in my world. I think it does yeah. I think that's great too. Do the baby go to you know. Flying around that they're looking to chew on so um, I feel good about it. So what would be your number one piece of advice for couples who might be looking for bartending services, you definitely want to find that insured service, whether it's also somebody else. 

My favorite bar. Coming over on a Sunday afternoon to bartend your wedding because she's probably never done an event, you know, it's a totally different animal. So you have to just do you do diligence when searching for the company after that, you know, it's all about what are we gonna serve so without giving you all of my secret pro tips there are tricks and tips of the trade that okay, you're gonna buy this brand on this day because it's cheaper you're gonna have white collage in your mix now because white clothes are super trendy we also. 

Fear we have two stainless steel kegerators that doesn't require electricity, those are my babies, they're beautiful so we can tap four tags. At one time and have draft beer in the middle of a barn or field or you know campsite whatever it is and people think that's the coolest thing in the world and you know buying kegs when you have a hundred or more people buying cases definitely the way to go instead of calling in 12 or 30 racks of something it's more economical to do cats and people love that too, you know, you just have to look for who has the most options and who's able to steer you in the right direction, well, I want to thank you so much for doing this with us it's great. 

I think yeah, we all learned a lot. Actually and I really excited. Yeah, I hope it really helps couples make informed and better decisions to going forward and I think that that's that's great thank you so much. Amanda, thank you take care guys, bye.