The wedding bar says a lot about the personality of the couple, but whether more relaxed or formal there are a few things we’ve learned along the way that are important to keep in mind to ensure all guests are served in a stylish, safe, and timely manner.

This starts with the fact that the bar is a part of the wedding decor and should be treated as such. In order to keep it from being an eyesore, we like to wrap our bars in fabric. In the photo above, we matched the fabric to the custom envelope liners from the invitations to tie it all together. And if you look at the photo you will notice that each bartender has at least four feet of space each, giving them ample room to make delicious drinks. Also make sure you have at least one bartender per 40 guests. Super important! Both of these tricks will keep guest happy and served quickly.

If you can’t tell, we’re all about coordinating (it’s the little details that really make a wedding special), and in this example, we’ve created custom paper liners to dress up the passed trays of custom cocktails. Passed drinks are a nice way to make sure everyone gets served, and if you narrow down the drink selections for the cocktail hour, this is an easy and fun solution.

We like to add personal and decorative elements to the bar, and in this case we added personalized matches, used as small favors. But speaking of matches, please, please, pretty please don’t put candles on top of your bar! Guests and bartenders are always reaching back and forth and it’s an easy way for someone’s sleeve to catch on fire!

While we love the idea of adding fruit to cocktails when appropriate, we don’t love the idea of putting the fruit on the side of the glass. It looks cheesy and makes it hard to drink. During cocktail hour, we also recommend having snacks set out on the bar such as nuts or cheese biscuits to keep guests from getting hungry before the meal is served.