What Drinks to Serve at Your Wedding

Next to wedding attire and venue, the cost of food and drinks can take up a hefty amount of your wedding budget, and deciding what sort of beverages to serve can be a daunting task. With the options of a dry wedding, a limited bar, signature drinks, or a full bar, the final decision can be a difficult one.

Let’s talk about the pros and cons of each.

Pros and Cons of Beverage Bars at your Wedding

1.    Dry Wedding. While a traditional wedding features at least a limited bar, dry weddings are becoming commonplace. Why? Because having a dry wedding is the cheapest of all the options.

Pros: If you’re not a drinker or either you or your partner are recovering from alcoholism, then a dry wedding is the way to go. You can avoid the temptation, and there will be no drunken shenanigans. Plus it costs less and offers more options for reception ideas.

Cons: On the other hand, a dry wedding can mean a stiffer dance floor and no champagne for dinner toasts. A dry wedding is also out of expectation, so most guests will be expecting alcohol if the reception is a dance party.

2.    Limited Bar. A limited bar is halfway between having a full bar and a dry wedding, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. With a limited bar, your guests will be served from a selection of drinks (usually select beer and wine).

Pros: You can still express your unique tastes with a limited bar, and it fits much easier into the budget. This option allows for plenty of creativity, and most guests will be satisfied with the available selection.

Cons: A limited bar is, well, limited, and you can’t please everyone. There will be someone who only prefers mixed drinks or someone who is unhappy with the beer selections. Also, if you plan to offer signature drinks, it can be costly when you factor in the ingredients and the cost to make them.

3.    Signature Cocktails. Another bar option is offering signature cocktails alongside wine and beer. If you’re not ready to go full-on open bar, but you still want to add flavor to your wedding reception drink menu, this is your best option.

Pros: Signature cocktails aren’t as expensive as having a full open bar, and it offers personalization, too. You can have his and hers drinks, and it can make your guests feel more taken care of when their drinks are already picked for them.

Cons: If you’re already feeling swamped by your wedding to-do list, adding the creation of a signature drink (or two) may not be feasible. Plus, if you’re really on a tight wedding budget, offering signature cocktails isn’t necessarily the most cost-efficient option for drinks at your wedding reception.

4.    Open Bar. The last option is having a full open bar. This means any drink your guests want is available to them. This is the most expensive option out of the bunch.

Pros: An open bar will probably make your guests the happiest, and it makes your life easier, too. If you’ve got the budget for it, an open bar erases the need to crunch numbers and calculate costs. It’s a one and done price. An open bar also means a full dance floor. If you want your guests out of their seats and partying, an open bar is the way to go.

Cons: It’s not cheap. If you’re worried about your wedding budget at all, then you may not want to spend your money on an open bar. Also, with alcohol and partying comes potential incidents.

Deciding between a dry wedding, a full open bar, or the options in between depends on the kind of event you want to have and your personality. If you’re not a heavy drinker, then feel free to skip the alcohol and opt for an unconventional wedding reception. However, if you really want your guests to kick it on the dance floor, then serving alcohol, even with a limited bar, is probably a good idea.