No matter your wedding vision, you will at some point need to make decisions on the beverages you will serve your guests, otherwise known as the wedding bar. In the past five years there has been a boom in brides and grooms customizing their bars, and looking at different options than just the standard packages included at many traditional wedding venues (hotels, banquet halls, etc.). Give some thought to your drink selections, and make your bar a reflection of you as a couple.
If you are looking to keep costs to a minimum, here are some options:
- Keep it a dry bar, only offer sodas, waters, iced tea and lemonade
- Serve only beer and/or wine
- Add just one signature cocktail
- Eliminate the champagne toast (many people don’t actually drink it anyway)
- Ask to bring in your own alcohol and pay a corkage fee
Looking to spice up a non-alcoholic bar, here are a few of our favorite specialty stations:
- Bring in flavored Italian sodas, it may even be able to be mixed onsite
- Upgrade your coffee bar to include various flavors, chocolate shavings, whipped cream and more
- Getting married in a warm month? Look into a fruit smoothie or milkshake station
If you are going to utilize an included bar package our advice would be:
- Talk to the venue about which types of alcohol you know your guests will consume the most of, so they can stock their supply appropriately
- Ask about having your favorite spirits/brands available, you may be able to substitute an item
- Avoid the urge to pay on consumption, if guests think it is an “open bar” you will be paying for a lot of half-finished and forgotten drinks
Building your bar isn’t just about people getting rowdy. You will be providing your guests drinks, so give some thought to your guest list, and budget, and bring on the fun!
