Water bottles

I would say depends on the overall vibe of the wedding. Ours was more laid back (backyard afternoon wedding) and we didn't have drinks on the tables (same problem as you - no one to fill the pitchers). We had big tubs with ice and water bottles and soda and a lemonade self serve bar with big drink dispensers. It probably wasn't as hot as yours (around 70 and sunny) and it worked great.

I didn't like the look of the water bottles everywhere but for practicality decided just to get over myself.

If it's going to be hot and outside, I don't think you can overestimate the amount of water and ice you will need. Dehydration and heatstroke are real dangers at summer outdoor events, especially when alcohol is involved. Use water bottles, pitchers, dispensers, whatever you got.

But you're right that someone will need to be in charge of keeping the pitchers/dispensers and ice buckets full. What about your bartender or catering staff? Can you ask them if that could be included in their services?

If the bar had a sink you could have spare, full pitchers on a table near the bar and people could return their empty pitcher at the table and pick up a full one.

Do you have a bartender? Let them be in charge of distribution. I would skip the pitchers. Have at least triple the ice and water that you would have on hand to be on the safe side because it is so hot. Make sure you can get a huge 25/50 gallon cooler tub to store the ice and water.


If you were having a formal wedding, the water bottles might seem out of place but guests will care more about keeping hydrated than appearances.

Do whatever it takes to make sure that your guests are hydrated and comfortable. That should matter more than anyone thinking that water bottles look tacky on the tables.

I would do water on the tables. We had water in glasses on the tables and bottles at the bar. There’s some people that will drink water if it’s right in front of them but won’t go out of their way for it. I personally drink a TON of water but start limiting myself at events where it’s all bottled bc I feel crazy going for a 5th bottle


If you do glassss, you could have large refillable glass bottles prefilled and maybe even handed out at the bar “for the table” — even if no one is pouring glasses for everyone, a shared bottle placed on the table is likely to get consumed ! Or just start with 3 or 4 per table and even that is better than only bottles at the bar.

I would skip the water bottles to save on waste. I like Mcskipper's suggestion of water at the bar and also on the tables! A pitcher of water on each table is great because guests can fill their own glasses while sitting, then while walking around they can grab some at the bar. You could also include a tub of water bottles to begin with, but once those are out your guests can use the water on the tables and at the bar.

Why not just have pitchers (the kind with the spout on the side, not the kind you pour from) available in the bar area and people can fill their glasses from those as needed? You can also do fruit infused water (add some citrus slices or other fruit) to make it feel a little more upscale, and you can add additional water stations near the dance floor or other areas to make it more accessible to people.

I would just avoid the water bottles if you are concerned about the aesthetic. There is no way you will be able to have them available but also control where people put them.

Also make sure you have a clearly labeled recycling bin on site in addition to trash

I had a diy social hour and we had both!

we had a boba bar that was in drink containers and we had water bottles on the side. as you can see via the photo: