Choosing a signature drink for your wedding day is one of those small details that leave a lasting impression on your guests ( ok maybe not, but your guests will think you're super cool at least.)

While it is not as important as lets say your venue, your menu, or your wedding dress, it still is an important part of the overall aesthetic of your wedding. It, like everything else for your big day should be perfect, fitting, and authentically reflect who you identify as a couple. If you are anything like me, which if you’re still reading this I will assume you are - you care about every.single. detail... of your big day. Your desire to create a memorable event includes having a specialty cocktail curated, served, and admired by all!

Where do you start? First you should consider the theme of your wedding if you have one. Is it indoor, outdoors, formal, or casual? If you are having a summer wedding, then your signature drink should reflect the season. It could be refreshing, airy, tropical or fruity. Some of our favorite classic summer choices are St. Germain Proseco, Coconut Margarita, Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade, and Moscow Mule. While these are classics, you can use these as inspirations.

If your wedding is in the fall adding some cooler weather inspired liquors that are all about rich flavors is the way to go. We love dark rums, sweet notes and hints of apples and cinnamon , or sparkling pear. Our favorite fall cocktails include spiced cider margaritas, cranberrry infused vodkas, and pumpkin spiced coladas.

For cozy winter weddings a cocktail with seasonal flair may be perfect. We love the thought of white chocolate martinis, winter whisky sours, or a hot white Russian with salted caramel rim. We love adding traditonal elements to winter weddings as they sometimes coincide with the holidays.

When helping couples decide I recommend that they think about who they are as a couple and if there are any cultural aspects that they want to incorporate - family traditions or heirloom recipes that can be used as inspo. Answering these few questions is a great starting point.

What is your love story ?

Where did you meet?

Where was your first date?

What is your favorite drink?

Straight up, or on the rocks?

Utimately, many couples decide to choose a drink that is one of their personal favorites. If you don’t have a favorite that you both like, you can take elements of both of your favorites and create something that is a combination of both! Mix a classic and spin it with an unexpected modern twist.

Another simple approach is to create a drink to match the color scheme. Pink drinks, pink dresses, pink roses ( you get the picture) Typically a couple chooses their color scheme for a reason- usually it is one of their favorite colors so this strategy of cocktail matching works.

What should you name your drink? Here is where it can get fun. It definitely can be a cocktail that already exists ( usually is) but you can rename it anything you like - and we mean anything (Tina Colada anyone?) because it’s your day and your signature drink. Name it after yourself if you please. I have helped plenty of couples come up with a name by asking the following questions:

What is your favorite vacation destination?

Who is your favorite actor?

What is your favorite number,or significant number to you?

Is there anyone you want to honor at your event?

These seemingly strange questions always result in a unique and special naming convention. Trust us on this.

After we have worked together to create a name for your drink, a theme, a color, we can start to curate - and this is where it gets fun. Think of how fun your cake tasting is...well this is even better. Your bartender should be able to work his or her magic based off of this criteria to curate the perfect signature for your event.

Also, I don’t know who needs to hear this but, you can have more than one signature drink. You can have one served as a welcome drink, another at cocktail hour, and another served during dinner etc. You can have a few iterations of the same drink named differently, each adding another element of surprise and wonder at your event. Thank us later.

Finally if you want to kick it up a notch, a fun idea is to bottle up your signature drink and send it as a wedding favor or parting gift for your guests. Mini bottles of your signature drink to go! This is sure to be a big hit! You're welcome!

It is all in the details, and we love helping couples find every possible way to personalize and their wedding day signature cocktails.

Cocktail curation is our specialty. Contact us today for a free quote, schedule a tasting consultation, or appointment to meet with our team.