Wedding bar drab or fab?

Your may or may not want your wedding bar to be the focal point of your reception. Most couples will state something like "make it classy" or "I want elegant" when imagining their bar, no matter how much attention they want it to bring. It's very easy to add "curb appeal" to your bar with or without a budget.


Big budget weddings can employ any number of items from large center peaces to custom built bars. Some companies, like BarBop, offer custom designed light bars, high bars, and more. Also, many rental companies can supply you with alternative designs. Another idea is to offer an ice bar like the ones from SpecialtyIceCarvings.com. The possibilities are almost limitless these days with so many new styles of wedding vendors competing for business.


Ofcourse adding the features above are nice, but what if you don't have that kind of budget? No worries, it's easy to snazz up low budget bars as well. Adding a floral design with height is a great way to put life into any bar. Also, you can use what you have. For example, if your serving wine all night, don't just keep the extras in a box and wait for them to be used. Line the bottles up along the front of the table. The bar to the left used unopened wine bottles and a simple large vase filled with limes to add a nice touch to the front. The rear table used a simple wooden slab stacked on 2 evenly cut oak stumps.


Either way you look at it, snazzing up a wedding bar is easy and there are numerous options available. Some simple points for any bar design are to leave a clean center area for guests to get drinks and keep items organized throughout the night. You want the bar to look nearly as good as it does at the end of the night, as it did at the start. If you have some great wedding bar tips or ideas please post them below.

Wedding Budget Bar Ideas

With today's economy, the question of "what's less" is no surprise to me. Many people are calling to ask what they can do to keep bar costs down. I say there are just 2 levels of bar service being beer and wine or full liquor bar. Actually, this is what all of our packages are based on as a result. For the sake of the reader I'll keep this information basic. If you need more detailed information just write us.

Beer and wine bars are the least expensive bars to operate. Ofcourse one could have a champagne only bar, but the majority of our customers, usually request beer and wine as a minimum. You can expect to spend $7 per guest and up, as a rough estimate, on the basic beer wine reception bar. Keep in mind that these numbers are a minimum and elaborate beer wine bars can get much higher. In order to keep your costs down be sure to buy large bottles by the case and don't offer too many selections. Offer any selections you wish but 2 beer and 3 wine types will usually suffice.

Liquor bars are not as cost effective and will run about $12 per guest and up. Although it may seem like a simple upgrade, it's not. Your main cost increase will come in the form of buying the extra alcohol. Liquor is simply much more expensive than beer and wine. Also, many more items are required like mixers, garnishes, and shaking supplies. When serving liquor bars you will need additional bartenders for less people as opposed to a beer and wine only bar. However, the rewards of a full liquor bar can be very fun and offer lots of extra excitement.

If your looking to bridge the gap between these two then you may consider a featured drink of some sort. This way you can offer one or two cocktails with beer and wine. While this may not save you a bundle it can help. Sometimes offering a feature drink can land you somewhere in the middle of the two. If you need help with designing your own bar package call BarBop toll free at 1.800.260.6039 or get us online at http://www.barbop.com/.

Wedding reception, cons and pros!

While working a job a few weeks ago, a bride stopped by the bar to chat. It was later in the evening, everyone was having a great time, music was going, people were dancing, and all of the sudden the bride hits me with a question. "Andy you must have seen hundreds of these, if you ever get married, what will you do?"

Actually, this a question I have thought of before, so it was pretty easy to answer. First thing you have to consider is that this does not take any kind of budget into account, so in real life, much of this would probably not happen, but hey here goes.

1. I would have a live band instead of D.J.
I don't know why! I have seen hundreds of D.J.s. Most of them are great and they have done absolutely nothing to get on my badside. It's just after seeing weddings day in and day out, I really enjoy the live music much more.

2. I would definitely do a toast.
Seems like now days many people are skipping out on this. Ofcourse, who would notice more than the guys on the front lines? BarBop haha. I think this is an inexpensive, memorable, and fun thing to do. Im a bartender so that may have something to do with my thoughts.

3. My grooms cake would be crazy.
I have thought this one out well. First, it will be chocolate with tons of icing. Second, it will be the transformer Optimus Prime. Third, he will be slicing my brides cake in half. Ok, I may not get away with 3, but it sure sounds funny to me. One wedding I worked had a chopper hanging from the ceiling with the groom reaching out from the side, for his bride to be as the wedding topper. Now that was fun!

4. I would not be involved in the planning at all.
I think most grooms would be fine doing some of the leg work, but I do it everyday, and would'nt want to work at my own wedding. Furthermore, after knowing what I know, I would never have a friend provide the bartending service. That's not a company pitch, it's just pure honesty.

5. I would absolutely want finger food all night long.
A non-stop barrage of different treats. I mean non-stop, all night long, yummies! I love snackin on that junk, and usually they only last about 30 minutes, then their gone.

Anyways, there you have my wedding wishlist. Most of it fits my humerous lifestyle. So in a nutshell, yours should too! Oh yea, one thing I constantly see is bridesmaids complaining about their feet, taking off their shoes on the dance floor, loosing shoes, and stepping on things without them. I would definitely tell my bride to buy some cheap slippers for the girls.

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