Top Wedding Planners and their Favorite Bar Setups
From 3D infused lighting to a quirky truck themed bar, our favorite wedding planners dish out the latest in bar décor and setups that are trending this season
The wedding celebrations are about having a good time and if your top priority is a fantastic bar set up, we got you covered. Sit back and imagine your guests revel in the glory of an ‘opera’ themed bar as they raise a toast to you with the crispest of whiskeys or maybe they would love an ice-bar with a sci-fi looking LED display.
Bar setups are huge this season for their ability to be a party-starter. But it can be daunting to decide what you’d like your bar to look like. We took some cues from India’s best wedding planners and they’re here to tell you about the best bar themes, décor and set ups that will raise the roof as you raise a toast. Cheers!
Priti Sidhwani, Founder & CEO, DreamzKraft, Mumbai
“Bar trends are theme-centric. We usually set up bars with specific light patterns and a vibrant color palette. This year we took it up a notch and experimented with laser cuts, 3D lighting and chandeliers. We use backlighting to bring an iridescent dream like feel to the bar or bring out its dimensions with paper and ribbon elements. The most talked about ideas so far though have been the ice bars – especially the ones with flowers embedded in the ice. The relaxed vibe at sangeets and cocktail parties allow for elaborate bar themes. It’s rare to see a mammoth bar set up at a mehndi function but we did one at a beach wedding in Goa. We organized a playful chalkboard façade with a splash of vibrant color which was a quirky backdrop.”
Neha Seth Arora, Partner & CEO, Var Vadhu, Mumbai
“At weddings, the presentation and decoration builds mood. The bar is not just another setup at the wedding. It’s an experience in itself. Molecular bars are the standard but mobile and human bars are gaining popularity at weddings hosted at resorts. Whether moveable, mini or bar-trucks, they bring a quirky element to the evening. The single, huge bar kiosk has now evolved into multiple mini-bars where several bar stands are strategically placed next to food stalls. LED mapped and other concept bars are popular in this forum. Ice bars, floral and foil décor is also quite a trend this season. Our favorite one was when we converted a real truck into a bar. Since, it was a Punjabi wedding, with a very ethnic theme, it worked very well!”
Neha Shroff, Co-Founder, Momente, Mumbai
“Molecular mixology and theatrical bartending are the hottest things this wedding season. Liquid Nitrogen infused cocktails are really impressive to look at and the theatrics involved in Molecular Mixology also adds that extra ‘wow’ element to the bar. The bar made out of ice and ice sculptures is proving irresistible as a trend and it looks good and uplifts the entire wedding décor . Our clients are insatiable in their need for new concepts in cocktails and bars and we’re constantly innovating and accessorizing our bars with new ideas and props to keep the excitement alive.”
Vishal Chand, Co-Founder, WeddingDuo, Delhi
“Bars as installations are definitely gathering momentum and are very popular during weddings. They are becoming an important design statement in the overall theme and concept of a wedding. The youngsters want to experiment with unique styles of service, bar props, thematic bartenders and hookah stations. Decorative bars are very thrilling and can be used to leverage some quirky, offbeat and innovative wedding functions.”
Abhinav Bhagat, Founder & Creative Head Abhinav Bhagat Events
“We’ve been asked to create island bars with leather quilting, mirror finish or use light decoratively. Colors and motifs play a major role in rendering new, unique concepts to reality and in the overall presentation. Then the concept of a skilled mixologist and gastronomical bars are also trending. The bar menu itself is being reinvented with a lot of focus on its design and the inclusion of the couple’s favorite drinks in a stylized manner for a cool style quotient. We just did a bar backdrop made out of colorful beer bottles at a mehndi set up. We’ve also created a Buddha-bar themed set up with a huge Buddha sculpture in ice and candles around that looked dreamy and theatrical.”
Purvi Modgil, Head – F5 Weddings, Mumbai
“Dressing up the bar is as important as having a beautifully dressed bride! From bulb signage bar to personalized motifs, couples want crazy, creative themes to make sure their guests are in high spirits (pun intended) We have witnessed drinks served by professional bartenders who act like performance artists, juggling and entertaining the guests while serving them the most weird concoctions there are! By far, the hanging bulbs bar setup makes for a very visually appealing bar décor and is also quite popular among guests.”
Need more ideas to plan the perfect bar at your wedding? Get a little help from the experts who will show you how to plan the best party in town.
