LDS Wedding Reception Drinks

Non-Alcoholic Drink Ideas

alternative drink ideas for LDS receptions — Photo Courtesy of JarvieDigital.com

Latter-day Saint couples may be unsure how to handle drink service at their wedding receptions, especially if not all of their guests are LDS. If you are uncomfortable with serving wine with dinner or alcohol at the bar, you’re well within your rights to have a 100% alcohol-free reception.

Having a non-alcoholic wedding reception is simple: think of better and tastier alternatives! Use sparkling cider instead of wine for the wedding toast, and serve a variety of non-alcoholic alternatives like sodas, juices, punch, flavored water, spring water, and other drinks at the bar.

You could also draw ideas from your wedding theme and season, serving hot cocoa in January or apple cider in October.

Creative Non-Alcoholic Bar Ideas for LDS Wedding Receptions

Non-alcoholic drink ideas for receptions — Photo Courtesy of JarvieDigital.com

Of course you can always go with “virgin” drinks or mocktails, but imitating alcoholic beverages at your wedding reception may not be exactly your style. Why not try something completely different?

Soda Bar

Letting your guests play mix-and-match with soda is fun for them and inexpensive for you. Experiment ahead of time and post a list of at least 10 tasty combinations for the benefit of your less adventurous guests.

Juice Bar

Bring the fun of creating your own blended juice and smoothie concoctions to your wedding reception by hosting a juice bar! There are an infinite number of possibilities to please any taste, including acai, peanut butter, or blueberry. Serving smoothie and juice blends in martini glasses or adding little umbrellas makes drinks look more exotic.

non-alcoholic drink alternatives for LDS receptions — Photo Courtesy of JarvieDigital.com

Milkshake Bar

Of course you want to offer the standard chocolate and vanilla milkshakes, but think outside the box to offer some truly unique combinations. Some favorites are mint chocolate chip, cookies and cream, marshmallow, banana, mango, peach, or lemon cookie. Fun straws are a nice touch to a milkshake bar, if you can afford it.

Lemonade Bar

A lemonade bar is great for a casual summer wedding. Besides plain and pink, there is also kiwi, strawberry, raspberry, cherry, pomegranate, and watermelon. For the finishing touch, serve lemonades in funky-shaped glasses.

Slushie Bar

Except for those who drink them too fast and come away with headaches, guests will love a slushie bar at your wedding reception. Slushie concentrate comes in dozens of different flavors including pineapple, red raspberry, blue cherry, and piña colada.

Italian Soda Bar

An Italian soda is a classy combination of flavor and fizz on ice, with a more sophisticated taste than plain old soda. Some of the most popular Italian sodas are orange cream, coconut, lime, white chocolate, vanilla bean, and strawberry. An Italian soda bar is perfect for an Italian or old-world themed wedding.

Lassi Bar

This traditional Indian yogurt drink comes in several tantalizing flavors including mango, strawberry, mint, or saffron. Lassi drinks are perfect for multi-cultural weddings or couples who just want something really different for their guests.

punch bar for LDS receptions — Photo Courtesy of JarvieDigital.com

Remember that with any type of non-alcoholic reception bar, it’s important to post a “menu” to help guide guests in their decision. They will hold up traffic while asking the bartender what is served, and some guests may avoid the bar altogether if there’s no “menu.”

Will My Non-Member Guests Be Upset If There’s No Open Bar?

If you’re really concerned with your non-LDS guests’ reactions to the lack of alcohol at your reception, you can give them a heads-up by casually mentioning, “Oh, and just so you know, we’ll be having an alcohol-free reception.”

You certainly aren’t obligated to put anything about it on your invitations – in fact, doing so may just make more of an issue out of it. However, a small statement like “dry bar only” could be added in small print at the bottom if you still feel it’s necessary.

There are a ton of fantastic non-alcoholic wedding reception drinks to serve at your wedding reception. The old standbys like soda and punch will always be popular, but you can really make a splash with a unique themed non-alcoholic bar.