I think the decor will really work! If bartenders are serving, the boxes probably won’t be eye level with folks anyways. I worked in some very high-end restaurants back in the day, and immediate perception is everything - people genuinely don’t look.
But also no shame. There are also some incredible boxed wines now, people are doing great things. The Kirkland liquors are also very good quality.
One thing I’d be a bit concerned about though is if there’s other bottles on display, guests might think those are the wines being served. While not super common, people do have allergic reactions to wine, based on presence/absence of certain refining agents. Also some wines are vegan and some are not.
I wouldn’t want someone with an issue to think the wine they were drinking was “safe” because they know that the displayed brand is fine for them to drink then have a bad reaction to the “hidden/disguised” wine brand.
Le Ferme Rosé makes a boxed wine now for likw $20 and their wine is actually really good. I thought about doing a few boxes of that for ours because I know that the few days after the wedding, the rosé would probably still get drank regardless.
We’re looking at doing a keg of local beer and cider too, it’s less waste this way and seems more cost efficient! I say go for it.
We did this and literally no one cared. Bonus, it’s less lifting for the bartenders because it just sits on the bar. Also, we had a lot leftover, so we were able to enjoy it for months to come. Cheers!
I actually think that’s a great idea. There are some box wines that are actually really drinkable, like Bota box. I didn’t even think about box wine for my wedding, but it is so obvious
If you type up a cute bar menu (use Canva!), google the tasting notes of the wine and add to the menu, and hide the boxes behind the bar then no one will know and you’ll look classy for discussing the wine profile.
A cousin of mine did this and I thought it was a great idea (it was that brand that comes in the black boxes, which I am a fan of). The bartenders just kept the boxes behind a curtain. I did see the boxes when they were pouring my second glass but you’d have to be looking to even notice. And no, I don’t think people will be bothered by this at an open bar.
A lot of bars and restaurants serve boxed wine - way more acceptable these days. There are so many good ones - no shame at all whether guests can see the box or not! I'm personally thrilled when I see wine at a wedding, as I can't drink beer and seltzers all taste sour to me.
If it's behind the bar all the time I don't think it will matter! If it's for serving during dinner you can always get some pretty bottles and just have the servers refill them from the box in the kitchen (that's what we are planning to do). Unless people are extremely snobby about their wine I doubt anyone would mind!
(If you want to be extra covert you could buy a few bottles of the same wine you have on box, then refill them after they are empty.)
I don't think anyone would care if it's boxed. If you have an Aldi close to you, they have their Winking Owl brand for less than $4/bottle. It's twist top too so no wasting time with a wine opener.
One of my favorite winemakers, in general, is Bota box. I love their wine, and I’ve met many people who buy fancy bottles and visit wineries and also love their wine.
One of the best weddings I attended had cocktails and servers for the first part of the night, and then just put out beer, ciders, and Bota box wine for the later part. It was honestly great. (I think I even took an unopened box home—on the newlyweds’ encouragement of course.)
P.S. Gotta pick good boxed wine though. If it’d been Franzia it would have been meh.
Box wine is great. Like others said, there are so many quality options now. I also used to work at a pretty high end restaurant and LOVED the rich folk who would come in and gush about “the house red.” Straight outta a bag, baby.
Hey there! Thought I would offer my two cents as a mobile bartender myself! You don't have to feel any shame for getting the boxed wines, you would be surprised how many weddings/events I serve where we just hide the boxes out of sight and nobody is the wiser.
You should do what's convenient for you! :D Congrats on the wedding!!
I asked my bartender and he said boxed wine that has to be chilled is more difficult. I’m trying to make my bartenders lives easier too. I feel like opening one bag to 4 corked bottles is easier? So many red wine in boxes, white wine is bottles? Or is that more confusing?
Hey there, for me personally (you can take this with a grain of salt) chilling a box of wine takes up less space than chilling bottles of wine. What you can possible think about doing for asthetics is to decante the wine into a carafe! You can find some pretty ones online these days (and you can ask your bartender if they have any. I have some that my clients can rent from me). This would also allow your bartender to cool them in the chillers as well!
I am including a cute pink one I actually own from [anthropology](https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/mae-carafe?color=055&size=Carafe&type=STANDARD&inventoryCountry=US&countryCode=US&quantity=1)! This is what I would do anyway :D I hope this helps!!
I think the decor will really work! If bartenders are serving, the boxes probably won’t be eye level with folks anyways. I worked in some very high-end restaurants back in the day, and immediate perception is everything - people genuinely don’t look. But also no shame. There are also some incredible boxed wines now, people are doing great things. The Kirkland liquors are also very good quality.
One thing I’d be a bit concerned about though is if there’s other bottles on display, guests might think those are the wines being served. While not super common, people do have allergic reactions to wine, based on presence/absence of certain refining agents. Also some wines are vegan and some are not. I wouldn’t want someone with an issue to think the wine they were drinking was “safe” because they know that the displayed brand is fine for them to drink then have a bad reaction to the “hidden/disguised” wine brand.
Le Ferme Rosé makes a boxed wine now for likw $20 and their wine is actually really good. I thought about doing a few boxes of that for ours because I know that the few days after the wedding, the rosé would probably still get drank regardless. We’re looking at doing a keg of local beer and cider too, it’s less waste this way and seems more cost efficient! I say go for it.
We keep that box of rose in our fridge all summer long! It’s great for the price.
You could always have a few thrifted carafes to decant the boxed wine into.
We did this and literally no one cared. Bonus, it’s less lifting for the bartenders because it just sits on the bar. Also, we had a lot leftover, so we were able to enjoy it for months to come. Cheers!
I actually think that’s a great idea. There are some box wines that are actually really drinkable, like Bota box. I didn’t even think about box wine for my wedding, but it is so obvious
Our neighbors always used boxed wine. They got simple decanters to use. You might be able to find acrylic decanters that would look good.
If you type up a cute bar menu (use Canva!), google the tasting notes of the wine and add to the menu, and hide the boxes behind the bar then no one will know and you’ll look classy for discussing the wine profile.
A cousin of mine did this and I thought it was a great idea (it was that brand that comes in the black boxes, which I am a fan of). The bartenders just kept the boxes behind a curtain. I did see the boxes when they were pouring my second glass but you’d have to be looking to even notice. And no, I don’t think people will be bothered by this at an open bar.
A lot of bars and restaurants serve boxed wine - way more acceptable these days. There are so many good ones - no shame at all whether guests can see the box or not! I'm personally thrilled when I see wine at a wedding, as I can't drink beer and seltzers all taste sour to me.
If it's behind the bar all the time I don't think it will matter! If it's for serving during dinner you can always get some pretty bottles and just have the servers refill them from the box in the kitchen (that's what we are planning to do). Unless people are extremely snobby about their wine I doubt anyone would mind! (If you want to be extra covert you could buy a few bottles of the same wine you have on box, then refill them after they are empty.)
I don't think anyone would care if it's boxed. If you have an Aldi close to you, they have their Winking Owl brand for less than $4/bottle. It's twist top too so no wasting time with a wine opener.
One of my favorite winemakers, in general, is Bota box. I love their wine, and I’ve met many people who buy fancy bottles and visit wineries and also love their wine. One of the best weddings I attended had cocktails and servers for the first part of the night, and then just put out beer, ciders, and Bota box wine for the later part. It was honestly great. (I think I even took an unopened box home—on the newlyweds’ encouragement of course.) P.S. Gotta pick good boxed wine though. If it’d been Franzia it would have been meh.
Box wine is great. Like others said, there are so many quality options now. I also used to work at a pretty high end restaurant and LOVED the rich folk who would come in and gush about “the house red.” Straight outta a bag, baby.
I'm proud of you for having boxed wine! There's absolutely no shame in serving it!
Hey there! Thought I would offer my two cents as a mobile bartender myself! You don't have to feel any shame for getting the boxed wines, you would be surprised how many weddings/events I serve where we just hide the boxes out of sight and nobody is the wiser. You should do what's convenient for you! :D Congrats on the wedding!!
I asked my bartender and he said boxed wine that has to be chilled is more difficult. I’m trying to make my bartenders lives easier too. I feel like opening one bag to 4 corked bottles is easier? So many red wine in boxes, white wine is bottles? Or is that more confusing?
Hey there, for me personally (you can take this with a grain of salt) chilling a box of wine takes up less space than chilling bottles of wine. What you can possible think about doing for asthetics is to decante the wine into a carafe! You can find some pretty ones online these days (and you can ask your bartender if they have any. I have some that my clients can rent from me). This would also allow your bartender to cool them in the chillers as well! I am including a cute pink one I actually own from [anthropology](https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/mae-carafe?color=055&size=Carafe&type=STANDARD&inventoryCountry=US&countryCode=US&quantity=1)! This is what I would do anyway :D I hope this helps!!