Let’s be honest … the bar is going to be one of the most popular elements of your wedding. Your guests want to help you celebrate the happiest day of your life, but they’ll need a little bit of help along the way. A well-stocked wedding bar – with or without alcohol (but most probably with) is something to plan well in advance.

Let’s take a look at your options and infuse some inspiration to help you choose your wedding day bar.

Type of bar

The type of bar you go for will be largely influenced by how much cash you can splash out. Here are a few options:

Open bar

Ah, those two magical words … OPEN … BAR. Every single RSVP will probably come back with a ‘yes’ if you write it on the invitations. It’s undoubtedly going to set you back a massive amount, but if the merriment of your guests is high on your list of priorities, you could certainly do a lot worse than spending big on an open bar.

Cash bar

A great option if you’re on a tight budget, a cash bar keeps things in order, especially if you’ve got a few friends who really know how to put their drinks away! Guests pay for what they drink – it’s as simple as that. And you’re not left with a gaping hole in your wedding day budget.

Limited bar

This option strikes a delicate balance between the first two on the list. A limited bar is for those who want to be generous to their guests, without breaking the bank. The bar is open, the guests don’t pay, but there’s a limited stock of beer, wine, spirits and cocktails to keep things flowing nicely.

Dry bar

If a large proportion of your guests don’t drink, consider organising a dry bar. With a mix of mocktails, freshly made juices, kombucha and spiced tea, you can get creative to show that a wedding reception bar can be amazing without alcohol.

Create your own signature drink

Bored of plain old beer and wine? Then why not provide a delicious signature cocktail for your guests. With so many incredible blends out there, it might be tricky to know where to start. But think of your favourite tipple and go from there.

Whether it’s blackberry whisky lemonade, bourbon peach sweet tea, strawberry rosé punch or a white cosmopolitan, having a big batch of your chosen cocktail will keep the party in full swing.

You could even put a little twist on an old classic, to add a bit of your personality. And if you have the right budget, why not hire a mixologist to create their own ingenious concoctions? It’s a sure-fire way to make your big day all the more memorable.

Keep in mind

Here are a few little pearls of wisdom, to get you on the right lines when choosing your wedding bar service:

• You’ll be looking to allocate about 10-20% of your wedding budget on the reception bar.
• As a rule of thumb, each guest will drink about one drink per hour at your wedding. That may vary, of course, but one hour is a good average. So, for 100 guests at a 5-hour wedding reception, that’ll be 500 drinks.
• Think of the room size in relation to the bar. If you have a large wedding, consider having two bars, so people aren’t spending a long time queuing up.
• Don’t just hide the bar away in the corner, hoping it doesn’t end up in the wedding photos. Get creative and make your wedding bar look the part!