Even now, a wedding is a traditional affair, from the white dress to the walk down the aisle to the exchange of vows. But when it comes to drinks, wedding consultants say many couples are mixing it up and adding personal touches to their celebration.
Wine and spirit tastings, beverages with a sense of place and signature cocktails created by expert mixologists are some of the most popular recent wedding trends.
"What do you love about your life? Now share that with your guests," says Harmony Walton, founder of The Bridal Bar, a free referral service in Atlanta, San Diego and Beverly Hills that helps brides find the best wedding vendors. "We really encourage couples to experience the favorite things in their lifestyle in their wedding."
Walton's team worked with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith when they hosted her brother's wedding at their home and with former LA Clipper Elton Brand when he married his wife Seneca.
They're working now with a couple who loves wine and dreamed of getting married in the Napa Valley. Since very few Napa Valley wineries are licensed for weddings, they're having a wedding at a hotel and then hosting a wine and food pairing event the following day at the scenic Silver Oak Winery. Another couple is planning a rum-and-cheese pairing for their reception.
Walton said more couples are opting for a beer and wine reception, or serving beer, wine and just one signature cocktail. It keeps costs down and sets a more mellow and sophisticated tone for the event.
Toni Smith, owner of Celebrations by Design, an event-planning firm based in Nashville, agrees that more couples are putting their personal "brand" on their wedding.
"In African-American weddings, a lot of clients tend to have an idea that a wedding should go this way, but once they get into it ... they're starting to think outside the box," Smith says.
Since Nashville is near many distillers and wineries, couples often create favors or drinks that include Maker's Mark bourbon or George Dickel Tennessee whisky.
For a brunch reception Smith produced, the couple served Mimosas - a blend of champagne and orange juice - and variations with pineapple juice, blueberries, mint and strawberries.
"Instead of serving regular glasses of champagne, they're trying to come up with different ways to do it with minced fruit or sparkling punches," says Smith. "It's not just cookie-cutter, let's have a regular toast."
Smith says that the couples who don’t want to serve alcohol at their wedding are opting for punches that mix lemonade or iced tea with seasonal fruits and juices. Lulu Powers, a celebrity caterer and event planner based in Los Angeles, said couples aren't doing as many champagne toasts at the start of a wedding. Instead, she might help them create a sparkling dessert drink. At one party, they poured Prosecco (Italy’s sparkling wine) over lemon gelato. Her signature drink - The Lulu - is three raspberries in a brandy snifter topped with a frothy blend of Prosecco, lemon gelato, vanilla bean and a splash of vodka.
"It was delicious eaten with a spoon, kind of like affogato," says Powers. "It goes down so smooth."
She shares more simple ideas for stylish entertaining in her new book "Lulu Powers: Food to Flowers" (William Morrow Cookbooks, $34.99) that's being released in April.
