Planning your wedding to the last detail can greatly help to cut down costs. Importantly, not everything needs to be outsourced, You can easily serve up some delicious DIY drinks to your guests, adding an extra interactive element to your big day.

Not only will it save you costs, but this will also create a fun vibe and you won’t have people complaining that eadrink menu did not have their favourite drink. Here are 5 DIY drinks your guest can make for themselves.

Cool lemonade 

For the non-drinkers and possibly children (if you will have them at your wedding) a cold lemonade is always a winner, it is very easy to make and you can easily be creative when making it. Another plus about this drink is that you don’t need a lot of ingredients. All you need are some lemons, water, and sugar/syrup.

Cut the lemons in half and then juice them.  Pour water and stir in sugar. Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved and the liquid looks clear again. Combine sugar solution with lemon juice. When ready to serve, add water to taste.

Mimosa 

This lovely two ingredients cocktail is a favorite amongst champagne lovers. It is easy to make. All you need is some chapmpagne and orange juice.

Ensure both ingredients are well chilled, then mix into the glass. Serve cold. To get the best taste, stir and not shake. For the ambiance you can add cherries, grenadine, strawberries

Gin bar

For gin lovers, Here’s an easy option that only requires one main ingredient and that is gin. Have mint, rosemary, and basil ready, slice up limes, lemons, and grapefruit to let guests add a refreshing twist to the classic. Look at how you can set up a gin bar.

Mojito

Whiskey cocktails

Let’s toast to the good life! A wedding day is often made much more entertaining with some bottles of your favourite booze. While an open bar is aways welcomed by guests, there are more ways to bring in your favourite drink in your big day.

Couples who have a deep appreciation for alcohol can get creative in showcasing their passion. Go big with unique drink displays, incorporate it into your seating chart or even give it out as wedding favours.

Here are some awesome ideas to sip on:

Seating charts and escort cards:

Use you leftover wine bottles as escort cards! Simply clean them out and remove the labelling, then use a marker to write out the names of your guests or print it out on paper and paste it to the bottle. Think beyond bottles and use decanters or even cocktail shakers as seating charts!

If you’d like something your guests can sip and savour, use glasses of your favourite drink as escort cards. Wine walls are super trendy and double as an amazing art installation. For a more casual vibe, have shot glasses and mini wedges of lemon set up for your guests to get the party started.

Interactive bars:

There are so many interesting and fun ways to serve up your alcoholic beverages. Instead of a boring bar, get more interactive with booze carts. A dedicated stand to your favourite drink like a champagne cart acts as an extra feature and adds a cool edge to your big day.

You can also set up some DIY drink stands to allow your guests to help themselves. Think of a gin or prosecco bar with an assortment of fruits and mixers to pimp out your drink.

Wedding favours:

Give your guests something to enjoy on their way out of your festivities with miniature bottles of your favourite drink. From whiskey and tequila to bourbon and bubbly, each little drink can be complimented with a fun and cheesy slogan. Drunk in love, anyone?

Feature image: Pexels

In the wedding industry, lockdown has become synonymous with creativity. Everything is different than it used to be, and planning a wedding in a COVID-19 era needs more lateral thinking than ever. Fear not! All that really matters on the day is being united with the person you love most in this world.

When it comes to refreshments, alcohol is a no-go for the foreseeable future in South Africa. Some couples might simply not want to offer alcohol, regardless of the ban. Whatever the reason, there are tonnes of ways to have a stellar reception without a drop of booze.

1. Have a breakfast wedding

During the morning, guests will be less likely to miss having an adult drink in hand. Brunch weddings are expertly classy, fun and pretty. Who needs wine when there’s an omelet station?

2. Have a connoisseur coffee bar

This fits in perfectly with a brunch wedding, but of course will work for any time of the day. Go all out with fancy coffee that will have even the most snobbish barista coming back for more. Add variety with other hot drinks such as teas and hot chocolate.

3. Have guests mix their own fruit juices

Having a juice bar where guests can mix and match as they please doubles as a fun activity too! Print out a directive of which juices pair well together, and label the different kinds. Add fresh fruits, ice and paper straws for extra “punch.”

4. Serve non-alcoholic drinks

These days, you can find almost any alcoholic beverage with an alcohol-free counterpart. Wine, sparkling wine, beer and even spirits like gin all have non-alcoholic ranges that are equally tasty and will add a sophisticated feel.

5. Don’t hold back with the dessert table 

What better way to celebrate than to eat delicious treats? A delectable dessert table will have the mouths watering and no alcohol likely means you’ll have slightly more flexible budget. The key here is variety. More options mean more happy taste buds!

Images: Pinterest

Featured image: Unsplash

When guests toast to the newlyweds, it should be in style. It’s easy to pour some bubbly in a glass, but where’s the fun in that?

Since signature drinks have grown in popularity over the years, many couples are opting for creative, aesthetically pleasing ways to serve up their beverages. If you’ve got a particular wedding theme, extending it to your drinks is a great way to make your wedding even more cohesive.

Here are some fun and creative ways to serve up your drinks and give your guests liquid courage.

A champagne tower:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_r6P5HlrAe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Cotton candy dreams:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_t-8orDsg_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Wall of wonder:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9z13cQpyZF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Floral fancy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_q7g7GD2oQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

One tequila, two tequila:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_1IYJSlrtn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Go coco-nutty:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B67Ot5Yqsqd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

DIY:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_pxdXQHCuA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Popping prosecco popsicles:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_o5Q8cqLfK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Tutti-frutti:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_X5tItpDHu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

When life hands you lemons:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_XgAD1FA6G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Synonymous with celebrations and a must at every wedding, everyone enjoys a glass of bubbly on the odd occasion. Feminine, sophisticated and classy, Prosecco is popular not only in South Africa where sales are up 24%. Globally 325 million bottles of this premium Italian sparkling wine are sold per year: that’s a lot more than the ‘odd occasion’. So why is Prosecco so popular? And where does Sparkling Wine fit in?

Here are some pointers from Rowan Leibbrandt, founding owner of Cape Town-based premium drinks company, Truman & Orange:

1. Prosecco is crisper, slightly sweeter and more delicate than Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) and both have a subtler fizz and softer bubble than sparkling wine.
2. While MCC, Champagne and Prosecco are all double-fermented to produce their unique fizziness, Prosecco’s second fermentation is according to the “Italian Charmant” method and involves fermenting in tanks, resulting in a crisp taste.
3. Prosecco is made to be drunk fresh and derives its delicate floral and lively fruity notes from the Glera grapes used to produce it, characteristic of the rolling hills they’re grown on in Northern Italy, in a relatively small area protected by the surrounding Alps, called Prosecco DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata).

Recommendation: Try Mionetto Prosecco – as the world’s best-selling international Prosecco, its R200 a bottle price tag answers the call for a premium, exceptionally-made, genuine Italian Prosecco fit for any occasion. Its affordability makes it possible to enjoy an imported glass of bubbly as an everyday luxury and is certainly a great option for a wedding celebration.

4. Sparkling wine is created by carbonating wine, resulting in a large, even bubble and a distinctly different – and perhaps even more celebratory – drinking experience. While MCC and Prosecco offer more refined effervescence, many people enjoy the more exciting fizz of sparkling wines and the sweetness created when bubbles pop on the palate.

Recommendation: Using grapes chosen for their balance of sweetness and acidity and harvested at night to maintain their freshness, Grace du Roi sparkling wines offer a lively bubble, and a refreshing green apple and pear character, while the Rose variants offer a hint of raspberry and cream. Naturally cold-fermented, the clean, delicate character of the Grace du Roi sparkling wines is gently fruity as a result of their Chenin Blanc base and the use of the cuvee (first press) of the grapes. The wines in the blend are kept separate to allow flavour to develop first before marrying achieving a ‘state of Grace’: lighter, more delicate flavours. Retailing at only R95 a bottle, we’d recommend having each of the 3 variants – White Gold, Rose Gold and White Sapphire – on offer at your wedding. That way you have something to suit every palate!

Still battling to decide which to choose? This might help: a glass of Prosecco contains only about 80 calories, while a glass of MCC or Champagne contains around 130 calories and a glass of sparkling wine can contain up to 200 calories!

Feature image: supplied