DIY Wedding Reception Coffee Station

Brides and grooms do a lot to make sure guests have a great time on their wedding day, and one of our favorite ways of doing this is by setting up a great food and/or drink station. These stations ensure that guests have access to anything they need to keep the party going all night long. A coffee station is the perfect addition to your wedding reception - not only during the colder months, but all year long!

Consider creating a beautiful set-up with any goodies your guests may need to create a custom creation, and dress up your drink station with personalized coffee cups and swizzle sticks. Simple signs make for the perfect accents to your display, and are really easy to incorporate. With our tips and inspiration below, you will have a custom coffee station planned and set-up in no time!

First, you'll want to choose a table or piece of furniture that has plenty of room for everything you want to include. We used an antique wooden buffet with a built-in mirror that is just beautiful, but you could use anything! Once you know how much room you will have to display all of your items, start to plan a list of everything you want to include.

Ideas: 
Coffee
Decaf Coffee
Hot Milk (to use with the hot cocoa on a stick)
Hot Water (to make hot cocoa or tea)
Tea Bags
Hot Cocoa on a Stick (find the recipe here) or Powdered Hot Cocoa Mix
Whipped Cream
Creamer
Sugar
Marshmallows
Crushed Candies - like peppermint and Andes mints
Chocolate Chips
Butterscotch Chips
Flavoring Syrups (we used Raspberry, Almond, and Hazelnut flavors)

Don't Forget: 
Cute Signs
Personalized Coffee Cups with lids
Custom Printed Swizzle Sticks

Make sure to personalize your coffee bar with decorations that tie into your event decor, and add custom touches like custom printed coffee cups and swizzle sticks personalized with a monogram or message. Chalkboard signs make great accessories for any drink station! We love the idea of a sweet message like 'Warm up here' or 'Baby it's cold outside' for a winter wedding, but we wanted to keep it simple with 'Hot Coffee' in large script lettering.

There are so many different options for toppings - so think outside the box for a truly unique display. Guests will love creating their own custom drinks at your fabulous coffee bar!

Stirred, Not Shaken - Personalized Wedding Swizzle Sticks

Not quite sure what a swizzle stick is? It's just another term for a drink or cocktail stirrer. These practical tools aren't only necessary for mixing up your beverage, they also dress up your drink in a unique and sophisticated way. Because swizzle sticks can be personalized, using them at your wedding is a great way to showcase the bride and groom's monogram or a special greeting to guests. Also, if you are serving a signature cocktail at your wedding, personalize the swizzle sticks with the special name you came up with for the drink.

The styles of swizzle sticks that are available range from chic and sophisticated to rustic and cutesy. So whether you are serving cosmos and martinis or chilled lemonade or coffee there is an appropriate accessory to accent your drink. Consider using swizzle sticks in alternative ways like to skewer fruit or cheese to make adorable kabobs to be served during cocktail hour. Your guests will love the unique touch of a personalized message or design that coordinates with the theme of your wedding. Another unique way to showcase swizzle sticks at your wedding is to personalize them with the table numbers for your reception. As guests arrive have a server consult a master list with the guest's names and table numbers and have them hand the guest a welcome cocktail with their coordinating table number personalized on the swizzle stick! The options are endless with this fun drink accessory!

Check out our selection of Personalized Swizzle Sticks to find the perfect finishing touch to your wedding cocktails!

Photo Credits: My Wedding Reception Ideas.com

Mouthwatering Signature Wedding Cocktails

Add a personal touch to your wedding reception by offering up a signature cocktail to your guests.  Deciding on the perfect signature drink for your reception may be as simple as matching colors or as involved as telling a story about how you met.  With the huge variety of drink options available, it's no secret that you are going to need to do a bit of research to really find the right cocktail for your wedding.  (But hey the taste testing makes it totally worth the research!).

To decide on the right cocktail, consider picking a drink that includes your favorite liquor, one that matches your color scheme, or one that simply just sounds delicious.  To add a personal touch, choose a drink that fits with your personality or tells a story about how you met.  Seasonal drinks are an easy way to impress too.  Spring or Summer wedding?  Think clean, crisp, and fresh drinks that have lime, lemon, or mango flavors.  Fall wedding?  Consider spiced apple cider.  Winter wedding?  Peppermint drinks, eggnog, and cinnamon spiced cocktails will appeal to the season.

For those looking to save a little money, skip the cocktails all together and offer an assortment of your favorite wine or beer as your signature drink.  You will save time and money by simply limiting the amount of ingredients.  For the less frugal bride and groom, consider offering two drinks instead of just one.  His and Her drinks are a great way to get the conversation flowing and make both genders equally happy.  Offer one drink that has a rougher edge like an Old-Fashioned or Manhattan for the men and another with a feminine appeal like a Cosmo or Sex on the Beach for the ladies.

NA Wedding?  Just because your wedding reception is alcohol free, doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the fun.  Simply turn your signature cocktail into a wine-free sangria or a pumped up punch full of fruit slices and berries.  Vintage coke bottles, personalized cups, striped straws, and other whimsical accessories are all great ways to jazz up NA drinks.

To help you with inspiration for your own signature concoction, we scoured Pinterest and came up with these mouthwatering cocktails and drink stations that we just love.  Cheers!

Don't forget to name your signature cocktail.  After all, it's called signature for a reason.  Try out name generators like this one to take your wedding drink to the next level.  Still unsure what drink to serve, here is another great drink generator for never ending recipe ideas.

Image Credits: Mason jars with striped straws, Drink station, Lemonade bottles, John Daly sweet tea, Mason jars on green tray, Drinks with blue umbrellas, Makers Mark mason jars, Fruit filled punch, His and Hers drink station, Apple bourbon, Winter cocoa, Bridesmaids with vintage bottles, Mason jars with striped straws, Chalkboard sign, Maple leaf mason jars