One of the first questions, at least one of the first questions that my friends ask, when someone mentions getting invited to a wedding is if there is going to be an open bar.  Open bars can be quite expensive and when on a tight budget there are other options to consider. Check with your reception site or vendor on what options they offer. Some offer an open bar for one inclusive price or offer it by the hour. They can also offer different level packages of drinks from top-shelf packages, which includes just about all drinks a bar can possibly offer, to basic packages of wine and beer.

Instead of having a full open bar, one of my friend’s at her wedding last June had just a few specialty cocktails along with wine and beer. The cocktails were concoctions she made up herself, with names that went along with her East Coast Beach themed wedding.

Here are some fun wedding cocktail recipes from www.drinkmixers.com:

            Wedding Cake Martini

                        1.5 oz vanilla vodka
                       1/2 oz Malibu® coconut rum
                        1.5 oz pineapple juice
                    1 splash grenadine syrup

                Combine all ingredients in an ice shaker, half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into glass.

            Wedding Bells Cocktail

                        3/4 oz cherry brandy
                        3/4 oz Dubonnet® French vermouth
                        3/4 oz gin
                        3/4 oz orange juice

                Shake well over ice cubes in a shaker, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve.

Tags: Reception