What’s the recipe for a great wedding reception? Great people, great food and an amazing bar. When it comes to the bar, the “amazing” part can be accomplished with just a bit of knowledge, planning and expert assistance. Here are some tips and tricks from the experts at BevMo! to make your reception stand out from the rest.
Keep the Wine List Simple
- When planning the wine for your wedding, keep it simple. Select one red, one white and a sparkling. You may think you need a different varietal to meet all your guests’ needs, but you don’t! The best thing to do is to buy wine that fits with your menu. Your guests will appreciate the wine and food pairing and will be totally delighted.
- A case of wine equals 60 five-ounce servings.
- The average guest consumes two drinks in the first hour, then one drink each additional hour. (Example: a 3-hour reception for 150 guests = 10 cases of wine.)
- The most popular varietals are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir because they are very food friendly!
- Tell a story with your wine choices: Select wine from the region where you met, or your favorite place, or your honeymoon destination!
- Serve a sweeter bubbly to complement the sweetness of the cake. Look for extra dry or dry on the label.
- Place opened wine bottles on the tables in the dining area so guests can help themselves. Attach a sweet note for your guests.
- If you want something fun and inexpensive, set up a no-host Champagne bar with a variety of bubbles, juices, fresh fruit and liqueurs. It’s perfect any time of year, and guests can help themselves and have fun experimenting with the ingredients. Alternatively, create signs or cards with recipe suggestions.
Be Creative with Cocktails
- Be creative! Serve pre-mixed signature cocktails or sangria instead of having an open bar. This keeps costs down and adds a personal touch. Fill a couple of tabletop glass beverage dispensers and let guests help themselves.
- Come up with creative names for your cocktails or look online for popular wedding-themed cocktails like First Kiss, Happily Ever After and Blushing Bride.
- Color-coordinate your signature cocktail to match the color pallette of the wedding. Think of all the possibilities: mango, lavender, chartreuse, raspberry and more.
- A coffee bar with an assortment of liqueurs is a nice way to end the evening.
- An experienced bartender can be a real asset when it comes to keeping things under control. He can spot potential problem partiers before they can have an undesirable impact on your event.
Beer: The Other Bubbly
- Craft beer is more popular now than ever before. If you have the preferred beer for your crowd on hand, the beer drinkers at your reception will appreciate not being forgotten. If you’re not sure what they like, don’t be afraid to ask! The light beer drinkers most likely won’t want an IPA, and vice versa.
- Be sure to have a few bottle openers on hand for bottles without twist off caps.
- For big crowds, a 15.5 gallon keg equals 164 twelve-ounce servings.
Non-Alcoholic Products
- Provide something special for guests who will be enjoying non-alcoholic beverages, like craft sodas or sparkling ciders and waters.
- For an outdoor summertime event, root beer floats are easy to make, and will be a hit with the kids!
- Martinelli’s cider is festive for all ages, and any occasion
Money Saving Ideas
- Bring in your own wine to your venue. You’ll save money even if you have to pay a corkage fee. Event mark-up is huge at hotels – a $12 bottle can be $40 or more at a hotel. You will save anywhere from 25-50% on your total alcohol budget by bringing your own wine. (For example: $12 bottle + $15 corkage fee from the hotel = $27 That is a $13 savings per bottle!)
- Buy what’s on sale! This is a no-brainer. No need to go for the “2 Buck Chuck” but keep an eye on sales and stock up when you find the right deals.
- Serve signature cocktails instead of an open bar. It’s more economical than trying to stock your bar with everything guests might request, and it’s fun!
- Beer by the keg is a lot more convenient than by the case if your party is big enough. A 15.5 gallon keg gives 164 servings. Dress up the ice tub with toile and you’ll be set.
Need help setting a budget? Play around with a drink calculator. Just fill in how many people, the length of the party, and the types of drinks you want to serve. The calculator will then give you an example of how much you need.
