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The Stress-Free Guide for Planning Your Wedding Bar

Wine collection from Thirsty Nest

We're all about making your wedding your own, but the one thing that's almost universally necessary is an open bar! If you open-bar it, they will come… And have a good time! From what to serve and how much to order, we've got you covered!

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1. Set a budget.

Just like the rest of your wedding day decisions, the first step is to create your budget. A good general rule of thumb is one serving per guest per hour. 100 guests x 5 hours = 500 servings. Your budget will affect what those servings are made up of, and can drastically change depending on what types of alcohol you decide to serve.

Malt liquors from Thirsty Nest

2. Know your audience.

Do your family and friends typically polish off a bottle of Scotch at everyday gatherings? Or are they more conservative, sticking to just a glass of red wine at dinner? Analyze your audience and decide what would make the most sense for your guests. Some weddings might not need a full bar, while others would be best off with lots of options and variety!

Summer cocktails

3. Decide where and when.

Your wedding bar should reflect your wedding season! Take into account your venue and season when deciding the makeup of your bar. Outdoor summer weddings call for refreshing rosé and spritzers, while an indoor winter wedding should stock some bold red wines and Old Fashioned cocktail ingredients.

4. Do the math.

Once you've decided on the above factors, you can look into the components of the type of bar you'd like to create. Typically speaking, one bottle of wine is 4 servings, 1 beer is one serving, and 1 bottle of liquor is 16 servings. From there, you can decide how much of each type of alcohol to have on hand!

At the end of the day, don't stress! No matter what option you go with, everyone will have an amazing time. They're all there to celebrate you getting married, regardless of what drink you have in hand. Cheers, and happy planning!


All images courtesy of ThirstyNest.