Wedding Party Guide

If you are like me then you LOVE the unique and creative side weddings bring out in people. Everyone wants to do something special or just a bit different to separate their day from all the others in their life (and sometimes from the big day of everyone else ). I love this even more when it comes out in the drink selection at the reception. So without further ado, here are my choices for the top five wedding party drinks and the way I mix them:

5. Shirley Temple – This makes the list because you always need a special drink for the little ones, the designated drivers, and the recovering alcoholics. Not to mention it is pretty tasty, all things considered.

How I mix it:

Fill a highball glass with ice. Fill with ginger ale (when you fill a cocktail glass you leave about 2 fingers width from the top of the glass) and add 1/4 oz of grenadine. Garnish with a citrus slice and a cherry.

4. Bellini – This version of the Champagne cocktail with a twist of peach is a favorite of women everywhere, and quite a few men too

How I mix it:

In a Champagne flute, add the puree of 1 peach and slowly pour chilled Champagne until the flute is full. Garnish with a slice of peach, of course.

3. The Something Blue – Every bride needs something blue, right? Well, this is a something blue that can actually assist her in getting up the nerve to marry that loser. This is a newer drink from Hpnotiq, but it fits in well.

How I mix it:

In a Champagne flute, add 2 oz of Hpnotiq, then 2 oz of white wine, and last an once of ginger ale. No garnish

2. The Mojito – This traditionally Cuban summertime rum drink is a favorite of party goers and the deep south. It is a refreshing classic that works well with spring and summer weddings.

How I mix it:

You want to muddle (lightly mash) a couple of mint leaves with about 2 teaspoons of sugar and a splash of soda water. Once you start to smell the mint and the sugar is dissolved you want to add between 2 and 3 ounces of a light rum. Shake with ice and pour over an iced highball glass. Fill with soda water and garnish with a sprig of mint.

1. Colorado Bulldog – That’s right, another classic drink. When I learned to make this drink I thought it sounded awful. When my girlfriend asked me to make one I thought she was nuts. When I drank it, I was wrong! If it is mixed correctly it tastes like a well made chocolate milkshake with a hint of coffee. This is my choice for the number 1 wedding drink, at least for this season, because everyone will be drinking it at my wedding this May

How I mix it:

Fill a Collins glass with ice. Pour one ounce of vodka and one ounce of Kahlua. Add one ounce of creme, and fill with Coke. Chocolate shavings as a garnish if you like as a twist, but the classic doesn’t call for a garnish. You can roll the drink (pour it into a mixing tin and then back in your glass) if you would like a more consistent flavor.

Enjoy!

Last time we discussed the four most well known members of the wedding party, so this time we’ll focus on the rest of the group.

Father of the Bride – Also known as Mr. Moneybags, because he tends to pick up a substantial part of the bill. As if that weren’t enough, in more recent years he has started to be responsible for a wedding version of a “honey-do” list. Traditionally he gives the bride away.

Father of the Groom – His main responsibility, financially anyway, is the rehearsal dinner, but he assumes the role of “in charge guy who really isn’t in charge” dealing with vendor issues. He is usually found toasting at the reception and dancing with the guests.

Mother of the Bride – This is one role that isn’t very clearly defined because the bride chooses her responsibilities and as you can imagine this varies greatly from wedding to wedding. I think we all realize that the the mother of the bride probably takes gets the things done that the rest of the bride’s party misses, way to go Mom!

Mother of the Groom – She is allowed to assist the mother of the bride in any way needed, but her moment comes at the mother and son dance at the reception.

Flower Girl – This is usually a younger child say 6 to 12 who precedes the bride going down the isle preparing for her a carpet of flower petals.

Ring Bearer – Again, a young child, who carries a pillow with two fake rings on it to represent the wedding rings in the procession

Junior Groomsmen, Ushers, and Bridesmaids – Depending on how large or extravagant the wedding ceremony is planed to be, there may be junior versions of the groomsmen, bridesmaids, and ushers. The only real difference in their roles is that they aren’t going to be attending the bachelor and bachelorette parties (well, not most of the time). They still dress the same (unless the girls dresses are too revealing for a 12 year old, then they are a little different) as their adult counterparts, but they are just much more cute!

Officiant - Whether male, female, rabbi, priest, preacher, bishop, or any variant thereof, we cannot forget the ceremony official. Without the officiant it would just be another fancy party!

Now that we have the introducations out of the way we can proceed on to the other definition of the Wedding Party. Next time we’ll discuss beverages (adult and otherwise) that will make the day more festive.