Build the Best Wedding Bar for 2023
Setting up a wedding bar this summer? Looking for some inspiration? Here are a few of the best ideas that Top Shelf Bartending has seen or used in the last several years. Read on the learn more.
A professional bartending service such as Top Shelf Bartending can help you set up the ideal bar for your reception. But there are a number of things for hosts to consider when setting up a wedding bar.
Below are a few of the best bar ideas for wedding receptions:
Consider Signature Drinks, But Don’t Go Crazy
What most professional bartending services will tell clients is that signature drinks are a great idea, and signature drinks have become commonplace at most wedding bar receptions. But pressure from social media has convinced a lot of hosts that they need to offer a half-dozen or more elaborate signature drinks, and that’s not really the best practice at a wedding reception.
Signature drinks should be special to the people getting married. What we commonly do at Top Shelf Bartending is ask the couples to each pick a simple drink that has some significance to their bond or relationship.
We did a number of signature drinks in 2023 in which couples named each of their drinks after their pup or other furry friend. Other couples think back to early moments in their relationship, and pick signature drinks with special significance.
As far as signature drinks go, two is the perfect number – one for each of the people getting married. There was a trend in 2021 and 2022 in which some hosts felt pressured to offer four, five, or even eight or more signature drinks at their reception. This is often simply too much, both in terms of unnecessary cost and logistics.
What I can tell you is that most guests, when in doubt, will absolutely opt for the signature drink. So, Top Shelf Bartending encourages clients to go with something simple, relevant, and cost-effective.
Hosts looking for inspiration can check out a few of the previous signature drinks that we’ve made on our Cocktails page. But Top Shelf Bartending will work with all clients on creating the perfect signature drink for their reception or event.
How Much Alcohol to Purchase?
Professional bartending services such as Top Shelf will work specifically with clients on the purchase list – both different types of liquor, as well as quantities – to help hosts set up their wedding bar.
Top Shelf Bartending supplies all clients with buying guides tailored to the hosts’ preferences and the expected guest count. Many other professional bartending services also offer guides or guidance in setting up an appropriate wedding bar.
For beer and ice delivery, Top Shelf Bartending works with a number of other professional services in greater Pittsburgh, PA, including Creekside Beer. We recommend that clients and hosts check out our Preferred Partners page for information on caterers, distributors, and other vendors that we trust.
Deciding Between Wedding Bartending Services
Hosts looking for an insured wedding bartender or bartenders usually have 3-5 options within a given market. In the Pittsburgh, PA area, there appear to be a number of services that are comparable to Top Shelf Bartending.
Every service has their brand. Top Shelf Bartending’s brand, in one word, is professional. We are not necessarily the flashiest or rowdiest service, and we don’t try to be. We just do our jobs in a low-key, polite manner.
We understand our role, which is to keep the focus on the people getting married – not to overshadow them with flair bartending or cause distractions during a momentous occasion.
But we recognize that our approach isn’t the best fit for each client and every crowd. Some clients will want an over-the-top bartender or bartending service as part of the entertainment. Other clients will want a bartender service that bends the rules a bit, going against requests made by venue owners.
Our recommendation to all clients is to speak with someone from Top Shelf, and see if there’s a good mutual fit. We encourage hosts to initially contact us via email or our Facebook page.
There is always the option to hire wedding bartenders from Craigslist or Facebook, but this is a dicey proposition at best. Even if the bartenders provide great service, most bartenders do not carry retail liquor liability insurance – an annual policy required under most circumstances in states such as Pennsylvania.
Additional Wedding Bar Ideas
What I tell most of my clients is that they are not setting up a brand-new nightclub. There is no need for hosts to offer 10 or more different liquor options at the average wedding bar.
Many of my clients go with a “Limited Liquor” menu, which is typically vodka, rum, and whiskey. Some hosts prefer to swap in tequila. But in my experience, most guests can find a palatable options from the choices above.
And as I’ve said a handful of times: if a guest wants a certain type of liquor badly enough, they can bring their own. Hosts have plenty of other things to worry about besides purchasing every conceivable liquor option.
A strong wedding bar will have the staple liquors (vodka, rum, whiskey) and maybe 3-5 additional options for guests. Top Shelf Bartending will often recommend a base bar of vodka, 2-3 types of rum (Captain Morgan, Bacardi Silver, Malibu Coconut rum), 2-3 types of whiskey (blended, Canadian, Irish, etc), gin, tequila, and peach schnapps.
Combined with a standard mixer package – more on that in a moment – a setup like this can create dozens of different drink variations. This should easily satisfy most crowds for a standard 5-6 hour wedding reception.
Bar Packages for Weddings
Most professional bartending services offer a number of package or mixer package options for hosts. Top Shelf Bartending, as an example, offers standard, deluxe, and full-service package options to hosts. Top Shelf has added coffee service for 2023.
Some professional bartending services will offer options including ice service or alcohol delivery. The options vary quite a bit from company to company. But there’s a package option for every couple and every crowd.
As far as package pricing goes, it’s not fair to expect a professional bartending service to deliver a package at no additional cost. As one of my clients once put it, the bartending service is “absorbing the headache” of supplying the mixer package. There are more details and logistics involved than one would think.
Because hosts tend to get busy or even overwhelmed leading up to the wedding receptions, many of Top Shelf Bartending’s clients – roughly 80% – opt to purchase a mixer package through us.
Need More Help on Setting Up Your Wedding Bar?
That’s what we’re hear for. Alcohol lists and mixer packages are highly specific to guest counts and the hosts’ preferences. We recommend contacting Top Shelf Bartending directly in order to help hosts set up the best wedding bar for the 2023 season, within the budget constraints and tailored to their personal preferences.
