Your bar is among the most popular spots during your wedding reception (second only to the dance floor!). There are so many fun ways to customize your bar and make it a unique and memorable experience. From specialty cocktails to custom-themed bars, your guests will rave about these tasty alcoholic concoctions!
Here are nine unique wedding bar ideas that’ll help keep your guests happy, hydrated, and ready to party.
The Vault Bar at The Treasury on the Plaza was fully stocked with beer, wine, and liquor for Jess and Matt’s wedding day. | Photo: Olivia Morgan Photography
Offer a Variety of Alcohol Options
Are you wondering how you should stock your bar for your wedding reception?
Beer and wine are classic bar options. For wine, make sure to include at least one white and one red option to suit the needs of different tastes. When it comes to beer, consider adding a few craft beers or local breweries for some unique options alongside those big-name brands.
Hard seltzers have been growing in popularity over the past few years. Talk to your bar team about having one of the popular brands like White Claw, Truly, or High Noon added to your beverage offerings.
For some added fun, consider a bar package with a variety of liquors that can be used to make cocktails. What types of liquor should you have on your wedding bar? The Treasury on the Plaza bar team recommends having vodka, gin, rum, tequila, whisky, bourbon, and scotch on your bar, along with various mixers and garnishes, to ensure that almost every basic cocktail is covered!
Bubbly is also a classic option for weddings—adding to the celebratory mood of the event. A prosecco or classic champagne will always be a hit!
Giving your guests the freedom to select their favorite drink is one way to be a good host and ensure everyone enjoys themselves.
Add to the Experience with a Specialty Bar
Specialty bars have become a popular option for wedding receptions within the past few years. A specialty bar allows your guests to put their own twist on classic drinks, such as:
- Margaritas
- Mojitos
- Martinis
- Sangria
- Sweetinis
- Mimosas
These specialty bars are typically separate from your main bar and have their own unique setup. This may include themed glassware, unique signage, and fun décor. Guests can make their own custom version of the specialty bar cocktail.
For example, The Treasury on the Plaza offers a Sweetini Bar, which allows guests to customize a dessert martini with their favorite chocolate candies like Snickers, Milky Way, and Reese’s.
Perhaps the two of you are planning a tropical Florida-inspired wedding. You could offer a specialty mojito or margarita bar! Guests can select their favorite rum or tequila, along with their favorite flavors and garnishes.
Your wedding reception or cocktail hour isn’t the only place to offer fun bar options. Here at The Treasury on the Plaza, couples can also choose to have a specialty bar served in their private suites before the ceremony. This is the perfect place for a bubbly bar or an old-fashioned bar!
A bubbly bar is the perfect way to start off the wedding celebration in your private suites! | Photo: Sarahdipity Photos
Serve Mocktails
Whether you’re hosting a dry wedding, or want a few options for non-drinkers (including your underage guests), nothing fits the bill like a mocktail.
Non-alcoholic concoctions are not only delicious, they add to the celebratory atmosphere—without any adverse effects the next day!
At The Treasury on the Plaza, we’ve curated several delectable mocktail options that make the perfect addition to your bar. You can also add non-alcoholic beer, wine, or bubbly! Check out our bar packages for more details.
Crystal and Justin served tasty and fun mocktails during their wedding reception at The Treasury on the Plaza. | Photo: Bethany Walter Photo
Create a Signature Wedding Drink
Signature wedding drinks allow you to play off the theme, reflect your personality, and introduce your guests to something new!
If your wedding has a theme, a signature drink is a great detail that won’t go unappreciated! Think a French 75 or The Bee’s Knees for a Gatsby-themed event, or top off a tropical wedding with margaritas or rum punch.
Perhaps you have a furry friend you want to acknowledge or a favorite movie that you bonded over while dating. A signature cocktail can give a subtle nod toward your favorite things.
Too many options to choose from? Pick two!
Many couples choose “His or Hers” signature drinks that reflect their own individual personalities, tastes, or interests. You can even combine your favorite flavors to make an “ours” cocktail.
Couples getting married at The Treasury on the Plaza get to come in for a complimentary bar tasting about three months before their event. During the tasting, you’ll discuss drink options and craft signature drinks that you and your guests will love!
Jess and Matt named their signature drinks after their pups, Harper and Sarge. | Photo: Olivia Morgan Photo
Elevate Your Drinks with Unique Upgrades
If you opt for a full bar, it will probably come stocked with sodas; juices; standard garnishes like lemons, limes, cherries, and oranges; and mixers like grenadine, triple sec, simple syrup, and sour mix. But if you’re hoping to make traditional drink options a little more exclusive, consider upgrading your signature cocktails.
Need a bit of shimmer in your life? Add some glitter to make your drinks sparkle!
Looking for a unique fruity flavor like blackberries or blood orange? Consider crafting a Blackberry Moscow Mule or a Blood Orange Paloma to quench everyone’s thirst.
Of course, for a truly unique wedding bar idea, presentation is everything. Do you love an Old Fashioned? Adding a cocktail smoker will enhance the flavor and aroma of your drinks…and get your guests running to the bar!
If you are getting married at The Treasury on the Plaza, your event manager can provide more information and custom pricing for these upgrades during your bar tasting.
Celebrate the Moment with a Champagne Tower
A champagne tower not only adds a touch of elegance and glamour to your wedding, it also serves as a stunning centerpiece that captivates everyone’s attention. Just imagine the fantastic photo opportunities for you and your guests.
Many couples choose to do a champagne tower instead of a traditional cake cutting. While cake cutting is a classic ritual, the champagne tower offers a fresh and modern alternative that adds an extra layer of excitement to the festivities. This also opens up the opportunity to offer other unique dessert options like donuts, popsicles, or ice cream, if you’re not the biggest fan of cake.
Hanna and Jared’s champagne tower was the perfect focal point for their reception. | Photo: Walls of Jerico
Create a Stunning Bar Sign
Custom bar signs let your guests know all of their beverage options for the evening, including your signature drinks. Easy-to-read signage can help people decide what to drink faster, making bar lines move more quickly.
Matching your wedding bar sign to the color, aesthetic, or theme of your event is a small detail that helps tie the entire night together.
Erin and Justin’s bar signs matched their modern minimalist wedding décor. They were clear and easy to read, helping guests make their selections quickly. | Photo: Sydney Marie Co.
Bring the Bar to Them!
Once guests are seated for dinner, they may not want to make trips back and forth to the bar. Why not bring the drinks to them?
Speak to your venue about adding tableside wine or champagne service to your bar package. Your thirsty guests are sure to appreciate it!
Location is Everything
At some wedding venues, you don’t have many options when it comes to the look of your bar. But at The Treasury on the Plaza, your wedding reception bar is located inside a historic 1927 bank vault.
Featuring the original door and plenty of Art Deco glam, we guarantee that you’ll have the most unique wedding bar around!
The bar at The Treasury on the Plaza is located inside a historic bank vault. | Photo: Ashley Steeby Photography
Let’s Raise a Glass!
Here at The Treasury Collection, we aim to ensure every event is a blast from start to finish.
For more unique wedding bar ideas, including a complete list of our specialty bars and mocktail options, visit our bar packages page, or speak to a member of our team!
Looking for more inspiration for your specialty bars or specialty cocktails? Check out our Wedding Bar Videos playlist on YouTube!
If you are still looking for a venue for your upcoming nuptials, schedule your tour today at The Treasury on the Plaza or our sister location, the Lightner Museum.
From start to finish, our team will help you create a unique, customized event that you and your guests will be raving about for years to come!
