5 Tips For Serving Beverages At An Outdoor Wedding
Do you want your guests to enjoy a chilled glass of rosé while you say your wedding vows? Maybe a park or other outdoor venue seems perfect for your reception, but you have no access to refrigerators. Serving cold drinks at a summer wedding can create a perfect experience for you and your guests, but it can be difficult if your venue of choice is outside, away from electricity and easy cold storage. If your wedding or reception is being held outdoors and you want to serve cold beverages, there are a few things that you should keep in mind.
Purchase Plenty of Ice
If you are serving cold drinks outdoors, you will need ice to put in the drinks as well as ice to keep the drinks cool while they are waiting to be served. You can use an ice calculator to determine how much ice you will need based on the number of drinks you are serving and how you are chilling them.
If you are concerned about having enough ice or storage space for your drinks, you can consider purchasing a small drink cooler and using a generator to run it or chilling your drinks with dry ice as opposed to traditional ice.
You should keep in mind that you will need a place to store the ice until you need it. If your venue is remote you should have a few coolers solely for storing ice that should not be opened and closed throughout the day.
Educate Yourself About Dry Ice
Dry ice can cool drinks faster and more efficiently than regular ice, meaning you will need less of it than regular ice to keep your beverages ready to be served. It can also be used for interesting fog effects to give your wedding a special touch. Unfortunately, you cannot safely put dry ice directly into a drink, and it can cause injuries if it is not handled correctly.
You should educate yourself about the benefits and hazards of using dry ice and make a plan to use it at your wedding. Also, you may have to order dry ice in advance in many locations.
Serve Smaller Drinks
At weddings, many guests sip on a drink over a long period of time. If it is hot outside, their drink may get warm quicker, causing them to discard their drink and get another one. To avoid waste and make sure your guests have great-tasting drinks, tell your servers to pour smaller portions of drinks for your guests.
Keep Drinks Cold Before Serving
You may be tempted to simply use ice in your drinks to cool them down as your guests order them. However, if you fail to properly chill your beverages, the ice will melt quickly, resulting in watered-down drinks that are still warm.
To ensure your beverages taste great and are the right temperature, you should keep all beverages, including hard alcohol and mixers, on ice or in a cooler. To save space and prevent labels from getting water logged you should rotate beverages into an ice trough or cooler as other beverages are taken.
Be Aware of Potential Puddles
If you are using ice to keep your beverages cool, then you should be aware that you may develop puddles throughout your reception. Your coolers may gradually fill with water and need to be emptied. To avoid a disaster, make sure your drinks are being served down-hill from your dining and dance areas. Also, try to avoid serving your drinks on lawn that may become muddy when it gets wet. If there is no asphalt or concrete surface that can be used for serving drinks, consider placing a board beneath your coolers to keep them off of the ground and help disperse melting ice.
Keeping your drinks cool at a hot, remote wedding venue can be tricky, but with a bit of planning you can make sure your guests enjoy the perfect toast on your wedding day.