How Do You DIY a Self-Serve Wedding Bar?

 How Do You DIY A Self Serve Wedding Bar?

Q: Hi APW team!
We’ve been talking about our self-serve wedding bar set-up lately and I’m wondering how other people arranged theirs. How many bottles did you keep out at a time? Was there a designated person responsible for bringing out more bottles or collecting the trash? Did you have any system for organizing the different drinks (like mixers and liquor together, non-alcoholic beverages separate from alcohol)? Is there a good way to encourage guests to reuse their glasses throughout the evening?

Looking forward to seeing what the others have to say!
Cheers,
Lauren

Dear APW HIVE-MIND, how did you keep the drinks rolling without hiring a bartender? How much can you really expect from drunken guests? What’s the deal with labeling glasses so you can keep track of yours all night long? We have many questions, I believe you to have many answers. Let’s do this.

If you want the APW community’s two cents, send it to QUESTIONS AT APRACTICALWEDDING DOT COM, and we’ll do our best to crowdsource you some answers!

20 Bridesmaid Dresses You’ll Actually Want to Wear

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APW sponsor Joielle has long been my go-to recommendation for online bridesmaid dress shopping, simply because they make things so easy. Just when it seems like every other bridesmaid dress store has signed a pact to hide information from customers (seriously, why can’t you just tell me how much the dress costs?) Joielle is all about transparency. Not only do they make it easy to find the dresses you’re looking for (in sizes 00 through 30W no less), but they list all of their prices right there in plain English on the website, so you can take care of your whole wedding party in one spot and know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. Founder Tammy says:

All along the process, we go the extra mile to make sure our customers are informed and comfortable. Online shopping can be very detached and impersonal, so we try to bridge that gap through friendly correspondence and transparency. We focus on developing personal connections with our customers to give them a sense of ease and confidence in shopping with us and to make the stressful job of wedding planning a little easier.

But there’s something else that Joielle does, that you won’t find at most bridesmaid dress stores. While many brick and mortar shops are limited in how many sample dresses they can carry, Joielle is constantly adding new, hot, on-trend styles to their mix. (I think they currently have… oh… just a thousand you can choose from.) Plus, the designers that Joielle carries are names you’ll recognize (think Watters, Dessy, Lela RoseWtoo, Alfred Sung, to name a few), which means your wedding party members can try on dresses in almost any big box store before making a final purchase on Joielle. But since Joielle isn’t playing a numbers game with their styles, they can afford to add some edgier, fashion-forward options to their inventory too. (And pro-tip: almost all Joielle dresses are available in white, ivory, or blush, which means you should totally make this or this your wedding dress.) So today, to celebrate the their newly relaunched, mobile-friendly website, I’ve rounded up twenty of my favorite Joielle dresses that I think you’d actually want to wear. And maybe, just maybe, even a few you’d wear again.

Lily Bridesmaids Style LM224HB ($198)

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After Six by Dessy Style 6731 ($228)

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Dessy Collection Style 2902 ($215)

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JY Jenny Yoo Style JY510 ($214)

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Lela Rose Style LR217 ($228)

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After Six by Dessy Style 6726 ($190)

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Wtoo Style 807 ($222)

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Lela Rose Style LR208 ($224)

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Dessy Social Bridesmaids Style 8155 ($200)

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Wtoo Style 894 ($216)

Joielle

Alfred Sung Style D699 ($195)

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Wtoo Style 893 ($190)

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Dessy Collection Style 2921 ($224)

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Jenny Yoo Style JY506 ($195)

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Watters Style 4257 ($306)

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Lily Bridesmaids Style LM235HB ($178)

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Alfred Sung Style D707P ($195)

 

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Lela Rose Style LR214 ($234)

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Watters Style 7254 ($308)

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Lela Rose Style LR220 ($228)

Joielle currently offers 10% off to wedding parties of four or more, and if you have your heart set on making sure everyone’s dress is the exact same color (even if they’re different styles), Joielle will do everything in their power to get your order cut from the same dye lot. And for a limited time, all your bridesmaids can get 15% off storewide at Joielle when you use the code 15APW (or if you’re not quite ready to commit yet, simply use the code 10SWATCH to get $10 in free fabric swatches).

Trying to figure out how to coordinate your wedding party can be exhausting, especially when your bridesmaids are flung across the country and you still want to try and make everyone happy. And while they can’t fix everything about that conundrum, Joielle is just one way you can make the process more streamlined and stress-free. From the vast selection of traditional to trendy dress styles, to the ability to log into your Joielle account and see who in your wedding party has already placed orders (and which procrastinators haven’t), if you can have it both the stylish way and easy way… why wouldn’t you?

FOR A LIMITED TIME, JOIELLE IS OFFERING APW READERS 15% OFF STOREWIDE (INCLUDING MENSWEAR, GIFTS, AND ACCESSORIES). JUST USE THE CODE 15APW AT CHECKOUT. NOT READY TO ORDER YET? GET $10 IN FREE SWATCHES WHEN YOU USE THE CODE 10SWATCH.*

*Only one discount code can be applied per purchase. Cannot be combined with 10% bridal party discount. Expires July 31, 2015