Water for weddings and events in Lahore: how much to order and which bottle sizes to choose

From November to February, Lahore's calendar fills with mehndis, baraats, walimas and dawats. Hosts spend weeks on the menu and the décor, and water is usually an afterthought until the moment a guest asks for some and the tables are empty. Water is cheap compared with everything else at an event, and ordering the right amount in the right sizes is easy once you know roughly what to plan for.

How much water to order

A simple starting point is one to two 500 ml bottles per guest for an evening event of three to four hours. Lean towards two if the event runs long, if there is dancing, if it is held outdoors or in a warm hall, or if the food is rich and spicy. Daytime events in warmer months need more. For a family dawat at home, the same rule works, with a 19 litre bottle on a dispenser covering the kitchen and refills.

• 150 guests, evening, indoors: around 150 to 300 small bottles.
• 300 guests, long function with dancing: around 450 to 600 small bottles.
• Add water for the people working: caterers, waiters, the decoration team, drivers and photographers. A couple of 19 litre bottles with a dispenser usually covers them.

These are estimates, not rules. Every crowd and every venue is different, so if this is your first event at a place, ask the venue manager what usually runs out.

Which sizes to use where

• 500 ml bottles: on guest tables and at the entrance. One bottle per person is easy to hand out, nobody shares a bottle, and there is little waste.
• 1.5 litre bottles: for family tables, the stage, the bride and groom's area, and serving stations where water is poured into glasses.
• 19 litre bottles with a dispenser: for the kitchen, the staff area and for making tea or green tea. They are the cheapest way to provide a large amount of water where it is poured rather than carried.

Ordering and delivery

In the wedding season, book a few days ahead and confirm the count the day before, once you know how many guests have confirmed. Agree a delivery time well before guests arrive, so the water is in place before the caterers start setting tables. Give the exact venue, the gate to use and the name and number of someone who will be there to receive it. For events at home, make sure there is space by the door for the packs to be put down.

Storing water on the day

• Keep packs out of direct sun and away from generators, stoves and tandoors. Heat does not make sealed water unsafe quickly, but it makes it unpleasant to drink and softens the plastic.
• Stack packs on a clean, dry surface rather than on bare ground, and not more than a few layers high.
• Open packs as they are needed instead of putting every bottle out at once. Unopened packs can go home with you.
• Ask the serving team not to refill used 500 ml bottles from a tap or jug. Hand out a new sealed bottle instead.
• If you want chilled water, use clean ice in a cooler around sealed bottles, not loose ice in the drinks.

After the event

Sealed packs that were not opened keep well when stored in a cool, dry place, so ordering a little more than you need costs very little. Collect half-finished bottles from the tables rather than saving them. For 19 litre bottles, arrange for the empties to be collected, or keep the bottle and dispenser for the guests who keep visiting in the days after.

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