Community› Wedding Discussion Boards› Wedding Reception Forum
Wedding Reception Forum
New Discussion

Bar ideas!

kipandkristinakipandkristina member
First Comment
in Wedding Reception Forum
Hello ladies!

I'm having my reception at a  beautiful old rustic looking building. It is a clean slate and I have to do everything myself. Which is wonderful! I love the idea of it. I have all the decorating planned out in my head. My problem is the food and especially the bar. Has anyone had to set up their own bar area and if so can you share some ideas with me?
Report Reply to Post

Re: Bar ideas!

  • atlastmrsgatlastmrsg member
    5 Love Its First Comment First Anniversary Name Dropper
    By set up, do you also mean self serve?  If so, you need to make sure your venue and insurance policy allow this.  Many (of both) do not.  So even if you set up the table (use risers or the person mixing drinks will essentially be bending down), you may need a professional bartender.  

    Also, getting bartenders will keep the line moving, help monitor for over served guests, and give your guests more of an experience instead of "here--tonic and limes are over there.  Make yourself a drink."
    Report Reply
  • emmyg65emmyg65 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    We had a pretty casual backyard wedding and had a DIY, self-serve bar, with beer, wine, sangria, gin and tonics, dark and stormies, water and soda. We had an 8-foot banquet table set up with all the stuff. 
    • White wine and champagne was chilling in ice buckets
    • Red wine was on the table 
    • Gin, tonic, ginger beer, dark rum, and limes for the cocktails were all on the table, along with a bucket of ice
    • Sangria was in a punch bowl
    • Water was in large beverage dispensers
    • Beer and soda were in large buckets of ice on the ground. We actually used a kiddie pool for the beer and a large plastic bucket for the soda
    • Extras of everything were under the table, ready for restocking as needed
    We got the buckets for wine and ice, the beverage dispensers, and the large plastic buckets at Target. People here will probably recommended galvanized steel tubs, but those were out of our budget. Glasses and napkins were from SmartyhadaParty.com. We went with these glasses because they worked well for all our beverages.

    We had 95 people and there was never a line or anything. The key is to simplify your offerings. We were just planning to do beer and wine, but my parents really wanted a cocktail too. The only issue we ran into was remembering to restock toward the end of the night. 

    Let me know if you have any other questions!
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards