Wedding bar

[Stiltons]

So we are having quite a big wedding and have been debating the best way to provide drinks. My latest plan is the usual fizz served after the ceremony by waiters. Then wine and fizz on the tables for the meal and the toast. Selection of beers and ciders at the side of the room for anyone who wants something different. When the meal is over a bar will open up (people will still be able to help themselves to the wine, beer and cider). The bar will have a small selection of drinks - one gin, one rum, one vodka, malibu. Mixers will be tonic, coke, diet coke, orange juice, lemonade.

This is for alcohol only- there will also be options for non-drinkers.

What did you think? Have I missed anything anyone might desperately want? What are your favourite gin, rum and vodka?!

Whisky or a bourbon i.e. Jack Daniels and Coke is a fairly common drink. Also, when you say rum do you mean Bacardi or Morgans' Spiced Rum, because they are both very different yet both very popular.

I would think a free bar is incredibly generous, and very unusual in todays; times. If I was at an all-day wedding and the free bar hadn't stocked the one thing I drank (I am a fussy drinker), and there wasn't a pay bar option for me to get it, it could be slightly inconvenient. So, is there a pay bar located somewhere else in the venue a guest could go to, if needed? My point being that I wouldn't mind buying my own drinks if my choice wasn't stocked, not that you should be trying to stock for all eventualities!

Nobody expects a free bar these days, drink through the meal yes anything after that you pay for.

Definitely a scotch (not a bourbon - not the same thing at all !!)

And soda water/fizzy water for those of us that can't do sugary or sweentened drinks

A pay bar is fine if you're supplying free beer, wine, cider and fizz, but it should offer a full range of drinks that people can buy

Thanks all. No pay bar in the venue and we are supplying the alcohol so it will be free. Similar threads on MN suggest free bars are quite common for some people. Sounds like I need to expand the selection!

Sooo... a scotch, 2 types of rum, and a bourbon to add on. Ensure sparkling water available. Anything else?

Do people still drink Malibu?!
I’d go for (evening selections) 2 varieties of vodka and gin, scotch, Brandy, port and maybe something like disarrono.
How big is your big wedding? How many guests?
Also, could people possibly bring their own? I’m quite fussy when it comes to what I’ll drink (appreciate others aren’t quite so fussy) so if I know there are only 2 selections of vodka I’d prefer to bring my own so I know i’ll like it! I’d drink what was on offer but would prefer to have what I like best.
Hard when there’s no ‘official’ bar and you’re having having to guess what people might want to drink - you’ll never be able to please everyone unless you had a huge selection which you aren’t providing.

I think your original list is fine. You will never catch everyone’s favorite. Just have a few basics with mixers. If I were making the list for my family it would be vodka, rum, tequila, and whiskey. For a big party, I would not worry about top shelf brands. If people don’t find something they love, a mixed vodka drink will likely be palatable.

I'd be inclined to just do the wine/beer/cider but let people know that so they can bring their own spirits if that's what they desperately want, which is presumably possible as there's no bar as such at the venue.

You can't hope to cater for everyone so the most important thing is that people know what to expect.

Thanks. Nothing to stop people bringing their own but I dont want everyone bringing a bottle along so I wont be advertising it.