Wedding Coffee Bar

Designing a wedding reception coffee bar around your wedding colour palette is the perfect way to blend the ceremony and after party together. Caramel colours, the warm hues of the perfect cup of java, and the rustic barn venue in this inspirational photo shoot are seamless.

Wondering how to design a terrific coffee bar for your wedding in Edinburgh? Tantalising flavours alongside a gorgeous wedding venue is are easy to imagine. Read on to be inspired and find out how to make your wedding coffee bar the best.

Details for a Wedding Coffee Bar

Saying "I do" in front of family and friends is a one-in-a-lifetime event for most folks. That's why couples pull all the stops to make their nuptials unforgettable occasions. On top of exchanging vows against the backdrop of a love-filled, fun, and memorable setting; most people also want to offer their guests a unique experience.

In terms of wedding planning, the details always steal the show, and that includes creatively splashing the wedding colours around the ceremony and reception venue. When it comes to heartfelt customisations, setting up a wedding coffee bar is a deliciously trending idea, particularly if you are hosting an early morning or late evening affair.

Whether you settle for a simple, classic setup or go all out and create a stunning hot beverage station, your guests will enjoy the delightful pick-me-up. Beyond just serving regular cups of joe, you'll also want to make it a truly tasty treat by offering selections of gourmet coffee flavours or even a custom blend specially made for the occasion.

Outdoor Ideas for a Wedding Coffee Bar

With an outdoor wedding venue locked down, you have an endless list of options in terms of serving up the much-loved drink at your reception. The editorial presents a beautiful vintage-style setup with a modern touch brought about by the Keurig® machines. It conjures up the Victorian era with charming retro and rustic touches.

An alternative is a country donut and coffee station featuring wooden slates, plywood signs, and a chalkboard menu. Guests will still love a classic coffee station setup decked with refillable coffee pots, sugar packets, and coffee mugs. If your wedding budget allows it, swing for fancy specialised coffee equipment or a coffee cart complete with the services of a barista to whip up gourmet cups of joe for the occasion.

The coffee bar will undoubtedly double up as hangout spots, and it's a great idea to have multiple stations if you have a large guest count. Make the coffee bars interactive stations with brewing demonstrations as part of the schedule.

Cake and Coffee Ideas for a Wedding Coffee Bar

To get down to the coffee wedding menu, variety is the buzzword when deciding what to serve your guests. Beyond offering several options of the beloved beverage, there should be an endless flow of fresh pots of coffee for the duration of the event.

Diversify the types of coffee available by serving. It also isn't a bad idea to have Irish coffee on the menu, because after all, the occasion is the right time to make merry. Accompany the caffeinated spread with classic fixings like whipped cream, sugar, honey, caramel and chocolate sauce, cinnamon sticks, crushed peppermints, marshmallows, sprinkles, and cocoa powder.

Baked treats go down well with the pick-me-up drink, and guests will also enjoy digging into servings of delicious bitings. Coffee-flavoured desserts are the best accompaniments for the beverage station. Donuts are obviously the first choice with a spread that includes glazed, donut holes,  cake donuts, and cronuts. Other mouthwatering options include cookies, crepes, flavoured nuts, and graham crackers.

Table Setting Style for a Wedding Coffee Bar

For starters, you'll need a central table to set up your wedding coffee bar. Go the thematic route and use an old dresser, as seen in the editorial, wooden carts, or barrels to create the coffee station. Display sweet attention-grabbing signs all around the coffee station. Make them wedding-centric along the lines of "something brewed" and "something new."

Monogrammed cups decorated with the couple's initials are perfect for the coffee cart table setting. Custom cup sleeves are an equally sweet addition and they can also double up as wedding favours for the day. Provide plenty of printed napkins bearing the couple's names or a motif tied to the event.  The gold flatware and elegant plates depicted in the editorial are an equally charming vintage touch.

Also, make sure that everything needed to fix a cup of coffee is within reach. It's also important to have a small discrete trash bin nearby so to handle the waste generated by the coffee bar.

Floral Arrangements for a Wedding Coffee Bar

If there's something else we can learn from the editorial it's the fact that you need nothing more than coffee-making tools, condiments, and baked goods to create a stunning wedding coffee bar. In this case, the grand presentation is the assortments of coffee-making machines creatively blended with the rustic details and delicious treats.

However, you can still spruce up the coffee station by introducing thematic wedding flower arrangements. Red and white roses juxtaposed with lots of greenery does the trick in this case. Drawing more inspiration from the couple's table, posies consisting of soft shades of pink, coral, and off-white flowers are also wonderful choices for the wedding coffee bar. Overall, keep the floral design around the coffee bar simple, tasteful, and flavourful.

Further, highlight the theme by adding K-Cup pods to the arrangement of posies. As seen in the editorial, flowers are also best introduced as cake toppers.

Portrait Props for a Wedding Coffee Bar

Look no further for portrait prop inspirations for your wedding photos. The editorial is filled with awe-striking details that should get your creative juices flowing. The wooden board backdrop with dainty teacups creates a lovely photo location.

The gold/ brass signage equally creates eye-catching visuals for photographs. The "coffee" and "bar" letters are perfect for the station. Floor lanterns and the candles adorning the couple's table equally provide plenty of portrait prop ideas. Not to forget the string lights and chandelier which further highlight the romantic twinkle of the occasion. Wooden accents and chalkboards serve as other great wedding photo props. Mini chalkboards allow guests to scribble their heartfelt congratulatory messages for the couple.

The coffee station itself serves as a wonderful photo backdrop, particularly if you go the themed route. It would be a shame to put in the work and not make the most out of a wedding coffee bar.

The Perfect Wedding Reception Coffee Bar

Hands down the best thing you can do at a wedding to really make it yours is to personalize it. Creating a personalized experience not only for you and your beau but also for your guests is not as hard as you may think, and it definitely goes beyond the monogram!

One fabulous way to do this is to have a self-serve Keurig® coffee bar at your wedding reception. From choosing the blends to the toppings and the design and styling of your wedding reception, coffee bar, it creates a unique space for guests to mix, mingle, and make their own perfect beverage with ease, at the touch of a button.

STYLING YOUR COFFEE BAR

A well styled coffee and dessert bar becomes much more than a beverage station, but a gorgeous piece to your overall wedding design and décor!

BREWER: Depending on your wedding colour palette you’ll want to choose a brewer that fits and Keurig® offer a variety of colours and sizes to complement any wedding décor and venue space. To go along with the vintage neutrals and warm coffee / caramel coloured hues you see used throughout this shoot, we selected the Keurig® K475 Brewer by Sandy Pearl and Black.

Pro Tip: Add a Keurig® K475 Brewer to your wedding registry! It boasts a 70oz. Water reservoir, strength and temperature control, and customizable settings. It’s the ultimate upgrade for the coffee, tea or hot cocoa-loving couple!

DISPLAY: Create visual interest and make the Keurig® brewers a centrepiece by displaying them at differing heights. In this case, wooden crates / palettes were used and they look perfect in the rustic barn-like setting of the venue. Tables of varying heights and materials are also used around the vintage wood dresser to showcase desserts and toppings.

Pro Tip: Do not make your coffee bar look like a buffet line. Keep it interesting; make it a centrepiece! Keurig® brewers create the perfect cup of coffee (tea or hot cocoa) with a single touch of a button, making your coffee bar totally self-serve. Since it’s so easy, make it a place guests can mingle and linger as they brew over what tasty treats to pair their blend with!

DECORATIONS: While you want your brewers, K-Cup® pod varieties, coffee accessories, and desserts to take centre stage, this doesn’t mean that you should skip out on the décor on your wedding reception coffee bar. Showcase some subtle flowers and greenery to freshen up the space and votive candles go a long way towards giving everything a warm and inviting glow.

ACCESSORIES: Part of the personalization process with your wedding reception, coffee bar is that your guests get to choose the coffee vessel of their choice! Mix and match vintage teacups with modern mugs or personalized paper cups hinting at your marriage with the words: “the perfect blend.” Cute stirs sticks to mix your creamers in or to place donut holes on being another nice touch!

BLENDS: As part of the personalization process, after choosing their cup, guests can then select their own K-Cup® pod. We suggest Green Mountain Coffee® which uses only the top 10% of beans and is one of the largest roasters of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee. Some of our favourite varieties to choose from include Green Mountain Coffee® Nantucket Blend and Green Mountain Coffee® Organic Peru Cajamarca.

Pro Tip: Make it romantic by each choosing HIS and HERS K-Cup® pod varieties. You can even showcase a little signage displaying a recipe for your ‘The Bride’s Brew,’ ‘Bridesmaids Blend’ etc.

TOPPINGS & DESSERTS: No wedding reception, coffee bar should be without a sweet treat to go along with your brew! Chocolate covered spoons, marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, dipped pretzel sticks, caramel sauce, nutmeg… the possibilities for a personalized experience are endless!

Credits: Photography: Lauren Rae Photography // Floral: Juli Vaughn Designs // Event Design & Concept Design: Storyboard Wedding & The Perfect Palette for Aisle Society // Tabletop Rentals: Vintage English Tea Cup // Rentals: Vintage Rental Co. // Signage & Wedding Invitations: Southern Fried Paper // Cake & Desserts: Blooming Flour Bakery // Food Stylist: Southern Flair Events // Hair & Makeup: Elizabeth Sloan Beauty // Bridal & Bridesmaids Salon: Fabulous Frocks // Wedding Dress: Willowby – Lola // Bridesmaids Dresses: Jenny Yoo // Menwear: Savvi // Models: Samantha Wood, Claire Tompkins, Kelly Johns, and Matt Wood // Venue: Vinewood Plantation near Atlanta, Georgia.