Sure, the whole “celebration of eternal love” thing is great, but we all know the reception—and the drinks served therein—is the best thing about any wedding.
The reception is when the newly minted couple and their guests can unwind and have some fun. The food, the dancing, and the toasts all lend themselves to tossing back a drink or two.
Every couple has their own preference when it comes to serving alcohol at their wedding reception. Some offer beer, some serve wine, while others go for spirits or a signature cocktail. With that in mind, we decided to find out how these offerings vary by city. We surveyed married couples about which drinks they served at their reception, what kind of signature cocktail they offered (if any), and more. Read on for all of our findings.
Table of Contents
i. The Types of Alcohol Served at Wedding Receptions
ii. How Common Are Signature Drinks at Weddings?
iii. The Most Common Liquor Used in Signature Wedding Drinks by City
iv. The Most Common Liquors Used in Signature Wedding Drinks
v. Do Couples Have A Cocktail Hour at their Wedding?
vi. The Type of Bar Couples Offer at Their Weddings
i. The Types of Alcohol Served at Wedding Receptions
First, we looked at which types of alcohol couples are serving at their weddings. Overall, 85% of weddings serve some type of beer and 70% serve wine, but we noticed quite a bit of variation across cities.
For example, over half of married couples from San Diego, CA, served local craft beer (Stone IPA, anyone?), while only 37% of those from Washington, DC did. In a similar vein, 53% of married Angelenos offered imported beer to their guests, whereas only 23% of those from Minneapolis, MN, did.
ii. How Common Are Signature Drinks at Weddings?
Next, we looked specifically at signature wedding drinks. These have grown in popularity in recent years, as they provide another way to make it your day.
It turns out that city-dwellers tend to agree with that more than others. 78% of Miami, FL, couples report that they served a custom drink at their reception. The percentage drops by nearly half when we look at Minneapolis, MN couples—just 39.2%.
iii. The Most Common Liquor Used in Signature Wedding Drinks
It’s just as important to know what’s in the signature cocktail (ideally not the bottom-shelf vodka that haunted the mornings of your early 20’s). We asked couples which liquors they included in their custom drinks.
Most chose vodka, while Dallas, TX, and Denver, CO, went with tequila. Couples in San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA, can’t seem to agree with their fellow neighbors, and were split between tequila/whiskey and vodka/rum/whiskey, respectively.
iv. The Most Common Liquors Used in Signature Wedding Drinks
This chart shows the liquor breakdown in more detail. Bourbon was most popular in New York, NY, when looking at the data by city, though it wasn’t New Yorkers favorite liquor to use in their signature cocktails. On the flip side, married couples in Tampa, FL, must really dislike gin in their drinks — only 9.5% report using it.
v. Do Couples Have A Cocktail Hour at their Wedding?
We were also curious about what percentage of couples offered a cocktail hour at their wedding. Overall, about 55% of wedding receptions include a cocktail hour, and this split can be seen across the map below.
Couples in cities like Atlanta, GA, Houston, TX, and Riverside, CA, tend to set aside time specifically for some sip-n-mingle, whereas those in places like Seattle, WA, and Phoenix, AZ, tend to do without. This determination was based on whether the share of weddings with cocktail hours was above or below 50%. Couples in two cities — Los Angeles and Philadelphia— are split on whether or not to have one.
vi. The Type of Bar Couples Offer at Their Weddings
Finally, we wanted to see which city’s couples are most likely to provide an open bar—in other words, who’s the most generous? Miamian (whoa) couples are the friends to make, apparently, as 3 in 4 have a full open bar at their weddings.
Minneapolitans, uff-da. About 1 in 2 Minny weddings will give you free access to any beverage you’d like—not terrible out of context, but they fared the worst in our results. Your post-nuptial imbibing options hang on a coin flip.
Your wedding should be about you, but don’t forget about your guests. Even a limited open bar is better than forcing attendees to purchase drinks, but if you want to give them a truly elevated experience, a signature cocktail is the way to go. And really, all it takes is a clever title and a fancy ingredient added to a standard cocktail. You can do this, and your guests will notice.
Looking for more planning tips? Fix yourself a drink and check out The Groom’s Guide to avoid common pitfalls and generally reduce any wedding-related anxiety.