Signature Wedding Cocktails and Such
By Brooke Porter
Reading through the Wilson Living Bridal Edition I became inspired. I began thinking of the great weddings I had attended in the past. The food, the music, the dress and the venue were all crucial. Then there are the libations.
One particular wedding came to mind. The setting: the family farm in North Carolina on a gorgeous, warm sunny day. The bride processes out from behind the white colonial house accompanied by her father. The walk down the black fence towards the gathering where her future husband awaits. The vows are simple and sweet under a large oak tree. Immediately following the ceremony guests are ushered the the back to the garden where waiters are passing around, not champagne, but mint juleps in silver cups. So beautiful, refreshing and so delicious. This wedding will always be one of my fondest wedding memories. On a more practical note, what a great way to utilize heirloom silver. Nowadays these silver cups can be purchased at antique stores or online. Folks just don’t use them enough except maybe on Derby Day. This signature drink is certainly a winner for a wedding.
There are so many signature cocktails to choose from. Serve Cosmopolitans, Manhattans or Cape Cods, Whiskey Sours, Sidecars maybe even Mojitos. Choose your favorite liquor, something that matches your color scheme or sounds delicious. A vintage cocktail in antique glassware is a lovely, unique twist. A bonus for budget conscious: you can save on drink tabs by offering wine, beer, champagne and just the signature cocktail. Interesting glassware for your cocktail of choice and cocktail napkins are details that make an event special. Cocktail napkins are fun to design and an be used long after the wedding is over. Plus inexpensive glassware can be purchased at Old Time Pottery or an antique mall and reused in the couple’s new home.
And then I think of the wedding where a couple met on the river bank in Tennessee among friends and family. The wine was flowing as the Gypsy Hombres were belting out some old time Jazz. As the Sun dropped down below the horizon couples danced to the band under a tent lit up with candles. The night could not have been any more perfect, well maybe if there had been a signature cocktail in a vintage glass.
Here are two websites with great ideas and advice on how to choose the perfect libation for your big day!
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/230714/signature-drinks/@center/272429/diy-weddings
http://www.theknot.com/weddings/album/your-ultimate-signature-cocktail-finder-35685