Fabulous music, food and drinks – these all belong to the essential part of any dream wedding. Any wedding wouldn’t be complete without a bar with non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. Most newlyweds are trying to make their big day enjoyable for them and also for their wedding guests. This occasion, which features both families, best friends and their spouses, require endless preparation to make this day memorable for everyone. Let’s take a look at the guide of what and how much is drunk at weddings, what to give to guests and what not to forget.  

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What alcoholic beverage is the best for wedding

Not every human being loves shots of hard liquor,  a bottle of beer or wine. Some of your guests won’t enjoy what others will so it’s vital to think about all the drinks people may like. Try to examine the guest list and make a list of liquor so that everyone would have what they enjoy the most. That may seem hard, but indeed it’s not. 

Beer

Beer is, without any discussion, the most classic alcoholic beverage for your wedding. People from different parts of the country might like different brands and types of beers, but if your guests live close to each other, the choice of the right beer might be simple. On the other hand, you can always choose the classic brand that you think most people would fancy. If your wedding reception takes place in a restaurant, the choice of the beer is on them. 

Wine

Choosing the right wine isn’t easy. Some like red wine, others love white wine. On the other hand, you don’t have to stick with just one type, so you can serve a wide range of wines from which your guests can choose. Guests will drink what they like, and everyone will be happy. 

You can also match your selection to the season in which your wedding will happen. For example, white wine is served chilled, so if your wedding is in summer, your guests will surely enjoy it more than red wine. You could also adjust the wine list to the dish you’re going to serve. For example, red wine fits meals with pork, beef or blue cheese. If your dishes are lighter, such as fish, salads or seafood, white wine is a better choice.

Welcome drink

Welcoming your guests with a glass of drink is a must. After this simple gesture, they can comfortably begin to talk with other guests and friends. Many guests fancy champagne or prosecco as a welcome drink.

The brides mates or the groom welcome the guests at most weddings. If the groom welcomes all the guests, it probably isn’t the most excellent idea to have a welcome drink with every single guest. That can exhaust him for the rest of the day. 

The Toast

If you don’t want to choose another drink for your wedding toast, there is an easy option of choosing the same beverage as your welcome drink. There is an unwritten rule of not mixing liquors and preferably stick to a few different drinks. 

Hard liquor

Hard liquor is mainly served in the evening or at night of the wedding party. There should be a standard selection of hard liquor available in the restaurant or your wedding catering. Homemade brandy is also a favourite option. Keep in mind that you should be careful with hard liquor so your head won’t explode in the morning. 

How much alcohol is enough for my wedding?

A wedding might be the first fancy occasion which the pair organizes. So it’s no surprise that estimating how much liquor will be enough is not an easy task. How many beverages will be needed? What else do you need? And how to calculate everything? 

Mainly it depends on when the ceremony will happen and who will arrive at your wedding. If you’ll have a small wedding with only close family and friends, the amount of liquor wouldn’t probably be enormous. On the other hand, inviting every single friend will make you spend more money on beverages. Always make sure you have some drinks extra so you won’t run out of it. 

The time of the ceremony can also help you decide how much liquor to buy. For example, weddings happening at 10 am will surely need fewer beverages than weddings in the middle of the afternoon. 

But there is no need to buy an enormous amount of liquor bottles for afternoon weddings. There is just a chance that your guest won’t drink and eat that much when the wedding’s ending early. 

Guide for calculating alcohol

As said before, every single person drinks differently. Luckily, there is a guide for calculating how much liquor you will approximately need. When it comes to determining the amount of beer, it is better to focus on men. There is nothing wrong with women drinking beer, but most women will choose wine over beer. Every standard man drinks about ten beers per wedding. Of course, some men would drink more and some less. 

With wine, it depends on the season. In summer, is it necessary to have at least one bottle of wine per wine-drinking person. 

Other popular summer drinks are Mojito or Cuba libre. These are quite difficult to count, but approximately one in five guests will have 2 of these drinks per evening. 

Who pays for the beverages?

This question is maybe the most important to all newlyweds. Since weddings are overall quite pricey, you may want to beware how much you will spend on drinks. 

The beer and wine are at most weddings paid for by the couple. It is also quite common that the pair pays other liquor, such as whiskey or rum. So if you don’t care about how much you spend, give your guests a free choice and pay for them. But don’t worry, it is usual that the guests pay for the hard liquor by themselves. 

Corkage

Corkage is simply a charge made by a restaurant or catering for serving beverages that you bought. Because you probably won’t also bring your own glasses and the service will serve your drinks, it is practically a compensation for the work.

The charge differs in every restaurant, depending on the location and the kind of liquor. The fee is approximately 10£  per bottle. That means that bringing your beverages to the wedding may add up to your budget. 

Where to put beverages

That might seem like an easy question. Liquor obviously belongs to the bar! But not so certainly at weddings. 

Every bride dreams of a beautiful, memorable wedding. It doesn’t matter if you’ll have a wedding in a boho style or traditional way. Either way, you’ll desire the perfect wedding.

Placement of the liquor can add up to the atmosphere of the wedding. It is also an original way of forming a zone where the guests can meet new people, talk together and have a great time. What are some of the unique placement options?

Wheelbarrow

We obviously mean the wheelbarrow in which we transport some material and use in our gardens. It is unique storage for liquor and also and also a fun vehicle for kids. 

It is also an unusual decoration, in which you can carry a beer to your friend. Fill it up with ice and bottles of beer. Now you have chilled beer which also looks more fashionable than usual. But beware of some folks which may steal your wheelbarrow and drink it without you. 

Old bathtub

A more convenient variety which cannot be moved so no one can steal your drinks. Old bathtubs are often used for plants, flowers or for catching rainwater for animals. You can take advantage of it and use it as a fun decoration and a place for plenty of liquor. 

Men´s barrel bar

You’ll see this at every wedding. Sooner or later, a large group of men forms, which stands together, drink and talk about life. You can easily create this place from an old wine barrel. Just put a large board on top of it so that everyone can put their drinks there. You could also add cigars and whisky. You can bet that men in a few minutes will overcrowd the bar.

Mobile bar

One of the most effective ways of serving beverages is renting a mobile bar. They are most often carts which are adapted for transporting high-quality chilled liquor. These carts are absolutely perfect for unique weddings. Mobile cars are usually provided with its own service, so you needn’t worry about anything. Unfortunately, they are quite expensive to rent and also, your corkage will probably increase.

Custom wine labels

The main beverage at every wedding is, without any discussion a wine. You’ll definitely see the guests with a glass of red or white wine all evening. The glasses themselves are elegant, plus your guests will wear their best clothes, so serving wine in fancy glasses is a must. Advantage of wine is its not so high alcohol percentage and the fact that you can mix it up with water. Wine is overall the best wedding drink. 

Wedding invitation

It is always a great idea to harmonize the wine labels with wedding invitations, so your wedding will look more put together. Wedding invitations are usually sent to wedding guests by mail, even though most of them already know about the proposal and the wedding. 

If you fancy the custom wine labels, there are two ways of crafting them. The cheaper one is to have them made by a printing house and then stick them on the bottles by yourself. The more expensive way is to order bottles of high-quality wine with the custom labels already on them. That will save you a lot of time, but cost you more money. 

Wine as a gift for your wedding guests

Wine is an excellent wedding gift. Another unique idea is to have your custom labels crafted and make the guests write their names and the wedding date. Opening up the wine later at home will make them remember your dream wedding.

Don´t forget about the non-alcoholic beverages

The whole wedding cannon survive just on alcoholic drinks, so be sure to have enough non-alcoholic ones. You certainly cannot forget about the guests who can’t drink alcohol, don’t want to or aren’t allowed to drink it. There are usually children you won’t see with a glass of wine either. 

Water

The main non-alcoholic beverage should be water. Especially in summer, are jugs of chilled water on every table a must. Every guest can serve themselves with a glass of water with lemon, which will help them survive the heat. It is also great for digestion between the courses, so make sure there is at least one jug on every table. 

Jugs of lemonade

Especially children will appreciate chilled sweet lemonades. The best way to make these is to fill them up with cold water, throw in some ice, lemon, mint leaves or a mix of fresh forest fruit. The fruit will make it sweet and tasty without adding any processed sugar. 

Non-alcoholic wine, beer or champagne

We are sure that especially pregnant women will love you for serving non-alcoholic variations of alcoholic beverages. They’ll be able to enjoy the taste of their favourite drink while not threatening the health of their baby and not feeling guilty. That is the minimum you can do for your guests, which will make them love and remember your day even more.