Some beers in the North are not always the same as we get in the South. Good example is Carlsberg cans, about 0.3% less alcohol and this affects the taste.
Keg idea is full of problems, what do you do with a half-full keg at the end of the night ? No-one will thank you for the keg if they don't drink that beer, plus you have hassle with clean glasses etc. or worse, do you intend making them drink out of the plastic things ?
Party should be stress-free for you = bottles. Main problem is keeping them cold
Don't forget, people will normally bring some beer/drink with them as well so if there is stuff left over at least you can use it at your leisure. In that case buy stuff that you know you will use yourself in the future.