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Keeping your wedding guests well watered

Keeping your wedding guests well watered

With World Gin Day this weekend, my thoughts go to wedding drinks.

Keeping your wedding guests well fed, watered and entertained is key to a really happy wedding day. Get this right and you’re on to a winner.

Remember everyone loves free things! If you can’t afford to pay for the bar all night then perhaps welcome drinks and some with the meal will be a nice gesture.

Here’s a quick guide to getting the drinks right for your wedding day.

1. Drink seasonally – if the weather is hot then you’ll need to make sure you’ve got plenty of cool drinks including non alcoholic beverages and possibly extra ice too. And vice versa, if it’s cold then consider offering a hot toddy, mulled wine or a hot chocolate to warm up your guests.

2. Service – if your guests are serving themselves then they may pour more than a bar tender. However they may drink less depending on the time of your wedding or on a weekday. So allow more or less accordingly.

3. Bar – the main alcohols to stock a basic wedding bar include: gin, vodka, rum, tequila, whisky, beer, wine, and champagne. And make sure you have a good selection of soft drinks, mixers and non alcoholic options too.

4. Drinks with the meal – roughly you can get 4 servings per bottle of wine (and 18 servings per bottle of liquor). Consider placing bottles of wine (and water) on the table for people to serve themselves during the meal.

5. Drinks with the toasts – allow 1 bottle for every 8 guests for the champagne toast and only pour half glasses (as most guests will just take sip and go back to their original drink).

6. Quick calculations – Here’s a quick sum to give you a rough number of drinks needed for your wedding = number of guests  x  1.5  x  number of hours of serving.

Cheers!

Photography by Farrow Photography

 

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Wedding traditions: Toasting the happy couple

Wedding traditions: Toasting the happy couple

There are many traditions, rituals and customs that people uphold and perform in connection with weddings. Some of these have now lost their relevance in modern society and sometimes we are not even sure why we undertake them. However we continue to perform them for fun, family tradition and superstition, especially as many of them have derived from efforts to bestow the happy couple with good luck.

After the ceremony, one of big focal points of the wedding reception is the speeches and toasts. Here’s a quick guide to toasting the happy couple on their wedding day.

 

Why do we make toasts at weddings?

Traditionally toasts were a way of checking your drink wasn’t poisoned. This custom harks back to the Middle Ages to check that you hadn’t been poisoned by your enemy. A small bit of wine was poured into each other’s glass, clinked so that the wine splashed into the other person’s glass, and then tasted. This is also why often the toast is joined by the phrase ‘to your health’.

Some say that the clink sound was to keep evil spirits at bay. And back in Elizabethan times, an actual bit of spiced toast was put in drinks to flavour it and to soak up the dregs (with the person being honoured receiving the saturated piece of toast).

Nowadays, a toast is used to express and share feelings in words at a special event.

 

Photography by Farrow Photography

Who makes a toast at weddings?

Traditionally, there are a number of speeches with each ending in a toast. The first of these is a welcome toast performed by the host (often the father of the bride) who concludes his speech by toasting the bride and groom.

The second speech is often by the groom, who finishes by toasting the bridesmaids and attendants. The best man replies on behalf of all the attendants and ends with a final toast to the bride and groom.

Photography by Thomas Phillips

Photography by Thomas Phillips

 

When do you make toasts at weddings?

Toasts generally follow after the speeches which brings the formal part of the wedding day to an end and is a signal for the informal part to begin.

 

Champagne coupe glasses and gold cutlery | Journey to the Centre of the Earth | modern ethereal winter styled bridal shoot by Hanami Dream | agate | marble | airplants | tulle | pale blue | gold | Oxleaze Barn | Gloucestershire | October 2017 | Photography by Squib Photography www.squibphotography.co.uk

What do you use to make toasts at weddings?

Traditionally a different drink is served for the speeches at a wedding. Guests have their glasses charged and ready to take a sip after each toast. This can be with champagne, sparkling wine or Prosecco. Alternatives for drinks to accompany the toasts could include a shot for each toast, a signature cocktail, sparkling elderflower or have your guests choose their own drink.

Photography by Squib Photography

How do you make toasts at weddings?

Originally a toast would be raising your cup as a drink offering to the god(s). This translates now with an arm outstretched with a glass in your hand and saying either: please be upstanding, please raise your glasses, or join me in toasting. Followed by a sentence for everyone else to repeat like ‘to the bride and groom’, ‘to the happy couple, ‘to your health’ or something else as equally poignant.

Cheers!

Photography by Farrow Photography

Whichever customs and traditions you decide to incorporate into your big day, Hanami Dream wish you health, wealth, happiness and all the very best in your married life.

Take a break from tradition with this handy guide to modern alternatives to personalise your wedding.

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#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 16th May 2018 – toasts at weddings

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 16th May 2018 – toasts at weddings

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 16th May 2018

As well as general wedding planning chat, today will be about toasts at weddings #UKWedLunch

WHY: traditionally toasts were a way of checking your drink wasn’t poisoned, or the clink was to keep evil spirits at bay. An actual bit of toast was put in drinks to soak up the dregs (with the person being honoured receiving the saturated piece of toast). #UKWedLunch

WHO: The welcome toast is by the host / father of  bride = toasts the bride and groom
The groom = toasts the bridesmaid(s)
The best man = final toast to the bride and groom
#UKWedLunch

WHEN: after speeches, toasts bring the formal part of the wedding day to an end, so the informal part can begin #UKWedLunch

WHAT: traditionally toasts are with champagne, sparkling wine, prosecco, or alternatives may include shots, a signature cocktail, sparkling elderflower or have your guests choose their own drink

HOW: arm raised and outstretched with glass in hand and say either: please be upstanding, please raise your glasses, join me in toasting. Followed by a sentence for everyone else to repeat like ‘to the bride and groom’ or ‘to good health’ #UKWedLunch

HOW MUCH: allow 1 bottle for every 8 guests for the champagne toast and only pour half glasses (as most guests will just take sip and go back to their original drink) #UKWedLunch

This week’s top tips were about toasts at weddings. Take a look at previous top tips from #UKWedLunch networking hours

As well as general wedding planning chat, next week will be about networking #UKWedLunch

JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 16th May 2018 – toasts at weddings

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 21st March 2018 – drinks at weddings

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 21st March 2018

As well as general wedding planning chat, today will be about drinks at weddings #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 1: drink seasonally – if it’s hot you’ll need cool drinks (and possibly extra ice) and vice versa #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 2: If guests are self serving then they may pour more than a bar tender. However they may drink less depending on time of wedding or on a weekday #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 3: main alcohols to stock a basic wedding bar include: gin, vodka, rum, tequila, whisky, beer, wine, and champagne #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 4: roughly you can get 4 servings per bottle of wine and 18 servings per bottle of liquor #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 5: allow 1 bottle for every 8 guests for the champagne toast and only pour half glasses (as most guests will just take sip and go back to their original drink) #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 6: Here’s a quick sum to give you a rough number of drinks needed for your wedding = number of guests  x  1.5  x  number of hours of serving #UKWedLunch

This week’s top tips were about drinks at weddings Take a look at previous top tips from #UKWedLunch networking hours

Thank you for all the RTs, follows and likes! Hope to see you again next Wednesday 1-2pm for more wedding planning chat #UKWedLunch

As well as general wedding planning chat, next week will be about networking #UKWedLunch

JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT