How to Spice Up the Beverage Menu for a Non-Alcoholic Wedding Reception

Your wedding reception will be held in the social hall of your family's conservative church. You're expecting a baby. Family members associated with the wedding party are staunchly against alcohol (and so are you) for religious reasons. You just don't want Aunt Lucy drinking herself into a break-dancing furry like she did at your sister's wedding. For whatever reason, you have decided to serve non-alcoholic beverages only at your wedding reception. However, because wedding receptions so often depend on an open bar as the "main attraction" that guests have come to expect to be rewarded with (they didn't buy those $200 toaster ovens without expecting a little return on their investments, after all), you're concerned about disappointing those looking for a little post-wedding fun. Have no worries. While Aunt Lucy might be at a loss, you can dress up the drinks in ways that are sure to please the taste buds of every other guest. Spice up the beverage menu for your non-alcoholic wedding reception using one or all of the following flavorful ideas.

Idea #1: Add carbonated water. Whether you're serving punch or fruit juice, just a dash of carbonated water adds a tingle and a touch of lavish fun. Do be careful not to let the taste of the water overshadow that of the main drink, however. Just a touch, and your non-alcoholic wedding beverages just got a whole lot more fun for everyone.

Idea #2: Offer colored sugar cubes at the beverage bar (or on tables). Cute, colored sugar cubes in crystal serving glasses scooped up with decorative, tiny spoons will be too hard for your wedding guests to resist. Have your wedding staff encourage guests to pop a cube in any beverage. Do be sure that the colors match the theme of both your reception and the drinks offered.

Idea #3: Add crystal swizzle sticks. We're not talking about the plastic swizzle sticks your favorite margarita joint throws in their drinks. We're talking about specially ordered, crystal sticks with enough elegance to keep up with the formal occasion. Think sterling silver, Swarovski crystals, and even your wedding month's stone.

Idea #4: Serve locale-associated or seasonal beverages. Offering sweet tea for weddings held in the Southeastern U.S. or hot apple cider for cold holiday weddings are just two examples of the possibilities here. Think of the location of your wedding reception and/or the season in which it will be held, and serve fun beverages associated with one or both. Guests will be so charmed by your thoughtfulness, they'll give little thought to the lack of alcohol in their drinks.

Idea #5: Offer garnishes with cocktail skewers. That's rights, cocktail skewers aren't reserved for alcoholic beverages alone. Place lemons, limes, cherry tomatoes, olives, etc., on skewers and place them boldly in drinks related in flavor for a festive feel, regardless of alcohol content.

Idea #6: Add a candy stick. From candy canes to jolly ranchers to licorice, long candy "sticks" that can stand upright in a similarly flavored (or complementarily flavored) drink add a dash of unexpected spice and fun to any non-alcoholic beverage.

Idea #7: Drop in a hard candy. Before pouring, have wedding staff drop a flavorful hard candy into glasses before guests' eyes. They'll watch as the pouring causes a burst of color, fizz, and flavor to their drinks. Do be sure to test candies ahead of time with each offered beverage to determine how the flavor of the drink is altered and how it will react to the poured beverage (candies should remain on the bottom of the glass and never float up....making the act of placing them in glasses before pouring even more important).

Idea #8: Offer a drink "topping." Non-alcoholic wedding drinks look fantastic topped with tiny marshmallows, edible flower petals, foam, whipped cream, etc. The result is endearing and much more festive than simple drinks alone.

A final tip: Think twice about serving non-alcoholic versions of popular alcoholic drinks. Sometimes it just isn't the same when you're expecting the real thing. Serve beverages at your wedding reception that are fantastic on their own, and let guests enjoy new versions of classically non-alcoholic favorites.