Your Wedding Bar
While the open bar with full liquor service is traditional for weddings, it is by no means the only option available to you. There are a few aspects you should consider:
Your budget.
An open bar can be quite expensive. Complicated, too, as you'll need an ample supply of spirits such as vodka, gin, scotch, bourbon, rum and tequila, not to mention mixers, garnishes and any specialty liqueurs (such as Amaretto or Kahlua) your guests may want.
Guest safety.
You likely don't want your guests becoming too inebriated. With an open bar throughout your reception, there's little you can do to safe-guard against this situation. You may want to consider limiting the amount of time the bar is open.
Or, as an alternative to the open bar, you may choose to have a soft bar: champagne, wine, soda, mineral water, beer, coffee and tea. This alternative is growing in popularity.
Yet another way to control costs and consumption is to have the wait staff greet your guests with trays of champagne, mineral water and popular cocktails of your choosing. Experience shows that if guests are offered beverages this way, one-third to one-half of them will never approach the bar for mixed drinks. What's more, by serving from trays, you can control the times when the wait staff is serving.
