Story: Justin Thompson
Pictures: Victor Sizemore
Dress Provider: Bridals By Jodi, Charleston, SC
Bourbon keeps on proving that its range of appeal is not only vast, but growing. From the trendiest restaurants and bars in Manhattan, to guest appearances on T.V. shows and even recently political references from the President, its growth of popularity is outpacing everyone’s expectations, including its distillers, of what anyone would have thought a decade ago. Now brides have turned their attention on the brown water to help them celebrate their special day.
Mindy Weiss has 30 years of wedding planning experience in Southern California and hasworked with high-profile clients such as Gwen Stefani, Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie. She is seeing a high demand in brides wanting to include a new option her event company can provide that she calls the “Brown Bar”.
Weiss will put together a nice selection of as many of the whiskies she can source that the bride or groom asks for and then builds that into an area that’s designed for enjoying conversation and sometimes cigars.
When asked if she thinks incorporating intimate Bourbon experiences in her weddings is a trend she thinks will continue to grow she quickly responded with, “The Brown Bar is just at the beginning of the trend….it’s gonna be big!”
Cocktails for the Bride
Serving the proper Bourbon cocktails is as important a detail as any for planning a successful Bourbon-wedding. If you have a favorite bartender that makes great drinks, think about having them on board as part of the catering team. You’ll also want to serve cocktails that can be pre-batched if you’re having a large crowd for the reception. Molly Wellman is a nationally-known mixologist, Bourbon expert and author of Handcrafted Cocktails, The Mixologist’s Guide to Classic Drinks for Morning, Noon and Night and provides brides-to-be with some recipes and tips on some of her favorite Bourbon cocktails for entertaining.
Special Bourbons for the Bride
