happy wedding wednesday - today let's talk cocktail hour! h and i are planning on having an hour long cocktail hour following our ceremony with tasty appetizers (the exact menu is still tbd) and drinks. we love the idea of having a signature cocktail - we came up with some fun ideas: a manesh mojito (our new last name + one of my favorite drinks); jack + jill (a play on the classic jack + coke - h's favorite); h bomb (a energy drink inspired cocktail).
cute names aside, i also love custom little drink stirrers!
sounds fun right?! okay, so now the big question-- is it worth it? now that we're closer to the wedding we have most of the vendors picked out and our budget is getting real... so i'm trying to decide if it's worth spending the extra money ($10/person in addition to the cost of an open bar) to have a signature drink or custom drink stirrers.
do you remember these little details at a cocktail hour??
do you remember these little details at a cocktail hour??
xo,
jillian
39 comments:
I always wonder the same thing. Does anyone remember or am I totally talking to myself?
I think depending on the size of your wedding, $10/person is a lot. Could you cut the cost by just having the drink and not the fancy stir sticks etc.?
I think it would add a personal touch. I have never been to a wedding where the couple had a signature drink, so I would find it absolutely adorable if a couple did have one.
Let us know what you decide!
XO,
Sam
www.ThePeakofTresChic.com
We decided 2 weeks before our wedding to have a signature cocktail. It definitely was a tight squeeze in our budget, but I don't regret it for a second. It was the HIT of our wedding. Our bartenders couldn't make them fast enough and people STILL talk about them. We didn't do custom drink stirrers, but we did do the ubiquitous soda shop striped straws, and those really made the drink. I say go for it!!
I think they're super fun...we decided against the b/c of a) cost and b) being in higher altitude, people tend to get drunk faster so we wanted to avoid that. I love the idea of manesh mjoito! Super cute!
I love love love the idea of having a signature drink!!!! :) I think the coolest I ever saw was one at a wedding show where they had an ice sculpture & it was this milky blue drink that was soooo deliciosu!
It's a super cute idea, and I think people definitely remember it! I do think the actual drink would be more memorable than the stirrer, so if you have to go with or the other I would definitely go for the signature cocktail :) great ideas all around though! xoxo, morgan
LOVE the mojito idea especially. :) would it be less $$$ to just have the signature drink during cocktail hour?
p.s. even a jack & jill would be $10/per person more?! seems odd since those are items already stocked in the bar that don't take any additional crazy blending/mixing.
We had a signature cocktail & it was a hit. Our friends nicknamed us "Jellie" (a mashup of our names) so our drink was the Cranberry Jellie. People definitely remembered it & we still drink it today.
I remember some of the signature drinks, but only if they have special meaning to the couple. Those stick out. Your suggestions sound good!
What a cute idea. It is pretty expensive, but it would be a fun addition to a wedding right? =)
Right after the ceremony we are having one signature drink passed to avoid having huge lines at the bar when they first open. This way you can have a custom drink but not all night long (and just enough straws/stirrers for one drinks worth!)I think its a fun idea as long as it doesn't break the bank!
I don't drink alcohol but I love all the little details of cocktail hour. I saw one where they served chocolate milk in adorable pitchers. Stuff like that is so sweet to me.
Having a signature drink/s is such a sweet idea! At 10/pp seems kinda pricey in addition to your open bar. You could always premake batches of your cocktails and have them on display in big glass drink dispensers! With a note or tag on them saying what they are. And the straws? I think its the little things that make a wedding so memorable! Sounds like a craft night is in your future!
These super fun cocktails are very hard to look at while I'm at work. Wish I could be lazying on the beach with one of them instead!
These super fun cocktails are very hard to look at while I'm at work. Wish I could be lazying on the beach with one of them instead!
We had a signature cocktail and beer and wine as a way to avoid the open bar fees. It was fun, but since you're having an open bar anyway your guests won't miss it if you decide to skip it :) They can go pick out their own signature cocktail! haha
I think that is a super cute idea...but the reality of the cost is a bummer. What about doing something a little simpler...like buy a case of sparkling wine and mix together peach and O.J. or something. Just have those and not an open bar. Still a cocktail but not as hard on the budget?
We had a martini bar with different kinds of martinis as our signature drink. We were allowed to bring in our own alcohol, so luckily it didn't cost anything additional other than the martini luge ice sculpture (happened to be inexpensive through the caterer.) Since we were also doing an open bar, I'd say some people went the signature drink route while others just ordered what they wanted. $10pp seems like a lot, so I probably wouldn't have splurged on that when, like others have said, all of the ingredients are there anyway to create anything. As for the custom from stirrers, I think those would be a sweet touch. Are an you provide your own, or is that part of the $10?
xo,
Laura
we had signature drinks at our wedding and guests loved the personalization aspect of it...do i think they'll remember it later? not so much--but who cares! it's the little details that set you apart!
we didn't do a signature cocktail, but i always love this idea!
i mean, you;re already spending a ton right? and it's SO cute and fun. i say do it! and then, maybe, save a little on something else!
I love the flags! And those striped straws! They both make the drink taste so much better! ;)
Ohh fun stuff! I love little details like fun drink stirrers at a wedding--adds a touch of whimsy! And really, isn't that what it's all about anyway?
These all sound and look amazing! xo
I think they're fabulous in photos, but probably get ignored when you're celebrating–at the end of the day, if they're going to make you smile, I say YES!
Good luck with the wedding! I really like your blog, hopefully you could stop by my personal style blog sometime too :) :)
www.raindropsofsapphire.com
All of a sudden I'm so thirsty for a cocktail.
even though i am still a ways away from the big day i have definitely spent sometime thinking about this. i love the idea behind it but i think we will probably pass. mostly because both if us tend to have such opposite tastes we would hate to restrict or impose a drink on our guests. not to mention the added time, worry and expense. i say focus all of that on something else and make it memorable and unique : )
life spelled jen
I hear ya on the 'budget getting real' part! That aside, I think that a signature cocktail is a sweet detail and something that your guests will remember! And details are everything, I think :) I say go for it if it makes enough sense to your budget - not sure what your guest count is, but $10/pp will add up. We would totally be having chartreuse & a twist {our favorite cocktail} if our venue allowed liquor - being a vineyard, they only allow wine, champagne & beer. Can't wait to hear what you decide!!! XO brynn
we had signature drinks at our wedding too! but i don't for the life of me remember what they were called or what was in them haha!!
Love the play on jack and coke idea!! Can't wait to see it come to life. I definitely notice these details. Especially if there is a sign for it at the bar.. we had a specialty drink called brideshead, created by the mixologist at the gramercy, well it looked like rose with extra decorations, but it was actually a gin infused drink. Ppl took them down like it was bubbly but def felt really good like gin!
I did a signature drink and think it was so worth it. You can try to make it from some of the alcohol you are already buying too. It's a fun way to add interest to the bar and I think everyone enjoyed trying it. Plus, the photos look so cute :)
Stay in the Lines
I think that is an adorable idea!! =)
Lemanie's Randomness Blog
This looks yummy!
Our signature drink was a local beer tub (my hubby's favorite's) and my favorite white wine - so we really didnt need the extras. I never remember that...I think its cute but expensive.
xoxo from Trinidad
We're spending the extra money to do signature drinks, because they can also be made without alcohol - and my fiance doesn't drink alcohol. I didn't think it would be fair for us drinkers to have cocktails and wine and for the groom - or any non-drinkers - to be stuck wtih just soda and water.
I don't know if the venue will let me bring my own paper straws and drink stirrers, but I hope so.
i thought long and hard about this one too! i really wanted to do it, complete with cute straws or stir sticks, but we decided to put the money elsewhere. oh, to be rich! xo
What a great idea!
we're working on my sister's signature recipe over easter. just love the idea and the inspiration you rounded up are FANTASTIC. so creative!
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