Alcohol is the obvious drink of choice at wedding receptions, but how about trying something different like a soda bar or a lemonade station? These can be done on a budget and can be set up as self-serve stations so no one has to be hired to oversee it.
1. Soda bar
Buy a bunch of soda either in your wedding colors (grape and orange?) or do a multitude like in this picture. If you have more money to spend you can get personalized bottles and once the drink is gone guests can take them home as their favors. Find some cute striped straws (online you can buy in bulk and save money), and there you go!
Soda Bar
2. Custom lemonade station
Perfect for an outside summer wedding, you can use either pink or regular lemonade (or both!) then have either bottles of flavors or fresh fruit (or both!) to add to the drinks. Even better is serving them in canning jars with, again, striped straws. Super cute and super refreshing!
Lemonade Stand
3. Coffee bar
Now, this can be done a few different ways, depending on your budget. There are companies that provide a coffee bar with custom drinks (you pick how many you want on the menu), and a barista makes them on site. To do it yourself have coffee brewed and in urns then have add-ins available: cinnamon sticks, chocolate shavings, vanilla, honey, whipped cream, flavored creamers, and anything else you can think of. If you want to get really overzealous you can buy an espresso/latte machine and have milk and coffee beans out for guests to make their own lattes. Then you'll have the machine to take home and use!
Coffee Bar
4. Tea bar
Have hot water available and several options of tea flavors out. You can have spices, honey, sugar, and creamer out also for guests who want to experiment and need to sweeten their tea.
Tea Bar
As always, have fun and create something that reflects your style and your wedding's theme.
Showing posts with label receptions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label receptions. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Food
Last week we talked about having alcohol at your reception so it's only right that we now talk about the food. There are a few things you need to think about before you decide what to serve at your reception such as which dining option is right for you. You'll need to decide when and where you are getting married. Think about what food will be in season and easy to access. Such as having a wedding in Oklahoma in January and wanting king-crab legs. Think about having food from farmers markets, and Oklahoma is known for having several good wineries that would be happy to cater to your reception to show off their product.
Once that is decided you can figure out which dining option works best for you: sit-down dinner, buffet, cocktail party, or a casual barbeque. Each comes with its own pros and cons, and each fits a certain couple. If you're quiet and reserved and want to relax at your reception, a sit-down dinner is often best. If you're wanting to keep things small and casual, think about having an outdoor barbeque.
Also you'll need to consider how much each guest is going to cost you. If you're wanting a four course meal but can only spend $10 per person, you may need to reevaluate. Think about doing cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for a larger reception. This is ideal for couples who are wanting more dancing and mingling and less eating.
Don't forget that this is your reception. That means the buffet or dinner should have foods that you like. This isn't the time to worry about your diet or your waistline. But, just a warning, if you're both in to Thai food but have guests or family members who only eat burgers and steaks you may want to have a mix of Thai and a few American foods to appease those guests. Last but not least, have fun with the food options. If you think mini hamburgers are adorable, go for it!
Once that is decided you can figure out which dining option works best for you: sit-down dinner, buffet, cocktail party, or a casual barbeque. Each comes with its own pros and cons, and each fits a certain couple. If you're quiet and reserved and want to relax at your reception, a sit-down dinner is often best. If you're wanting to keep things small and casual, think about having an outdoor barbeque.
Also you'll need to consider how much each guest is going to cost you. If you're wanting a four course meal but can only spend $10 per person, you may need to reevaluate. Think about doing cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for a larger reception. This is ideal for couples who are wanting more dancing and mingling and less eating.
Don't forget that this is your reception. That means the buffet or dinner should have foods that you like. This isn't the time to worry about your diet or your waistline. But, just a warning, if you're both in to Thai food but have guests or family members who only eat burgers and steaks you may want to have a mix of Thai and a few American foods to appease those guests. Last but not least, have fun with the food options. If you think mini hamburgers are adorable, go for it!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Alcohol
Over the past decade receptions have become much grander. In the past the bride and groom had cake and punch and that was it. Now it's all about the food and alcohol, and when it comes to both you want to impress your guests, but you don't want to spend a fortune. Here are a few tips on how you can have alcohol at your reception without breaking the bank.
1. Create a specialty cocktail. While this seems like it might be more expensive, it can actually limit the amount of alcohol going in to each drink. One bottle of vodka could yield 50 servings of your drink (mix with juices, triple sec, etc.) or it could only fulfill 25 vodka tonics.
2. Get the most popular liquors like vodka and gin and don't offer scotch, rum, etc.
3. Instead of a champagne toast, have guests raise a glass of whatever they're already drinking.
4. Try having a beer cocktail as your signature drink. Beer is cheaper than liquor and when mixed with a little bit of flavored vodka and a liquer it's just as delicious.
5. Or just have a beer and wine bar, cutting out liquor all together.
6. Make your own sangria. Pick a cheap red wine and add brandy, triple sec, apples, plums, grapes, and lemons or a cheap white wine and add triple sec, green grapes, kiwi, green melon, and pears. You can also add sugar to taste. With all those extra goodies in there guests won't notice that you only spent $7 per bottle instead of $30.
7. Think about choosing a venue (like us) that allows you to bring your own alcohol and doesn't limit you to using their bartender. That way you can stock up on "wine Wednesdays" deals and look for other deals liquor stores offer.
8. Buy a few bags of 9 oz punch cups instead of renting a bunch of glassware. If you're having an open bar guests won't care what type of glass their drink comes in. If you're having a cash bar they still won't care. Alcohol is alcohol.
1. Create a specialty cocktail. While this seems like it might be more expensive, it can actually limit the amount of alcohol going in to each drink. One bottle of vodka could yield 50 servings of your drink (mix with juices, triple sec, etc.) or it could only fulfill 25 vodka tonics.
2. Get the most popular liquors like vodka and gin and don't offer scotch, rum, etc.
3. Instead of a champagne toast, have guests raise a glass of whatever they're already drinking.
4. Try having a beer cocktail as your signature drink. Beer is cheaper than liquor and when mixed with a little bit of flavored vodka and a liquer it's just as delicious.
5. Or just have a beer and wine bar, cutting out liquor all together.
6. Make your own sangria. Pick a cheap red wine and add brandy, triple sec, apples, plums, grapes, and lemons or a cheap white wine and add triple sec, green grapes, kiwi, green melon, and pears. You can also add sugar to taste. With all those extra goodies in there guests won't notice that you only spent $7 per bottle instead of $30.
7. Think about choosing a venue (like us) that allows you to bring your own alcohol and doesn't limit you to using their bartender. That way you can stock up on "wine Wednesdays" deals and look for other deals liquor stores offer.
8. Buy a few bags of 9 oz punch cups instead of renting a bunch of glassware. If you're having an open bar guests won't care what type of glass their drink comes in. If you're having a cash bar they still won't care. Alcohol is alcohol.
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