A Hydration Station Is the One Thing Your Summer Wedding Is Missing—Here's How to Create One

Your friends and family will appreciate a refreshing glass of water to quench their thirst.

Water station 1

From tray-passed signature drinks at cocktail hour to the seemingly endless flutes of champagne served during the reception, there's generally no shortage of alcoholic options available to guests at wedding. While providing your family members and friends with an array of boozy beverages is a considerate gesture that helps create a celebratory vibe, liquor shouldn’t be the only drink available at your nuptials. Weddings often span several hours and involve a lot of dancing (and therefore sweating), so ensuring your loved ones are properly hydrated is essential for their health, safety, and comfort. Every type of affair should have water available, but it becomes increasingly more important at summer weddings, those held in humid climates, or at celebrations taking place in areas with high elevation.

Instead of distributing plain cups of water, you can hydrate your guests in a way that tastes delicious and looks decorative. Whether it’s large dispensers or single-serve glasses, including seasonal ingredients will give your water more flavor. For instance, watermelon and mint are perfect for summer bashes, while cranberry and sage will complement the fall season. You can also decorate these drinks with beautiful decorations, such as a bar cart adorned with flowers or individual cups topped with flower petals at garden nuptials. It doesn’t matter when you serve these hydrating drinks: Throw water bottles into welcome bags, set up a hydration station at your ceremony, place water dispensers on your bar, or incorporate all three to quench your guests’ thirst.

Are you looking for more ideas and inspiration? We asked an experienced wedding planner for some of the best ways to incorporate drinks of water into your big day. We’ve also included 10 of our favorite ideas below. Here’s how to keep your wedding guests hydrated throughout the celebration.

How to Keep Guests Hydrated at Your Wedding

From the flavors of water you serve to where you set up your hydrating offerings, there are a few different factors you’ll need to keep in mind when creating a hydration station for your big day. Here, an expert shares some of her top tips.

Incorporate Fun Flavors

While you can certainly serve plain water, adding refreshing flavors is an opportunity to satisfy your guests’ taste buds, complement the season or your aesthetic, and add some color to your event. Rather than doing a simple, plain water station, spice it up a bit. Guests love infused water, and it looks beautiful when displayed, too. Plus, it's a nice way to ensure that those who don't drink alcohol have something exciting to sip. We suggest flavor pairings like cucumber and mint; strawberry, lemon, and ginger; or lemon and blueberry. You could also ask your caterer or bartender what they'd suggest.

Choose an Accessible Location

Serving water at your wedding is essential, but if you place the spread in a location that’s hidden or out of reach, guests won't be likely to enjoy it. Assess the layout of your venue, and identify a spot that your friends and family will notice. “Whether it’s near the entrance to the ceremony, near the dance floor, or on the bars at the reception, make sure your guests have easy and quick access to water wherever possible.

Stock Your Setup With Essentials

Water isn’t the only ingredient necessary for a successful hydration station. First and foremost, you’ll need a table, bar, or other structure to place the beverages on, whether they’re dispensers or pre-portioned glasses. If your loved ones will be serving themselves from jugs, fill them with ice, so each glass is chilled upon drinking. Then, complete the setup with cups—whether recyclable or glass. Decorations will also make the display more appealing. Wrap the table in a color-coordinating linen and adding edible flower petals to the drinks.

The Best Ways to Hydrate Your Wedding Guests

If you’re still unsure what you want your spread to look like, we’ve compiled a list of 10 unique ideas that are guaranteed to inspire you.

1. Place Your Station in the Shade

A hydration station is an important addition to any warm-weather wedding, but you don't want to just place it anywhere. Help guests cool down and hydrate by arranging your water offerings in a shady spot.

2. Pass Beautiful Glasses of Water

Water can (and should!) be given the same special treatment that's afforded to signature cocktails. Choose beautiful glassware and garnishes, then have waiter tray-pass the refreshing option during cocktail hour. Everyone's more inclined to grab a drink of something beautiful!

3. Serve Chilled Lemonade

Offering water is important, but other cooling drinks can also be served as part of your hydration station. At this outdoor wedding, pre-portioned bottles of lemonade were left on ice at the ceremony for guests to grab on their way in.

4. Consider Hydrating Alternatives

If a water station doesn't feel special enough for your wedding, consider a hydrating, festive alternative—branded coconuts, arranged for guests to enjoy, will help rehydrate attendees while also speaking to your celebration's overarching theme.

5. Make It Special

Cucumber and mint infused water is undeniably cooling, which makes it a great option for an outdoor wedding. It also feels more special and elevated than standard H20, and, when served on a flower-covered table alongside monogrammed cups, it'll be just as at home at your nuptials as your signature drinks are.

6. Kick Off Your Ceremony

A pre-ceremony cocktail hour is an excellent way to encourage your guests to mix and mingle before the rest of the day’s events. To avoid over-serving anyone, stick with non-alcoholic, hydrating drinks. Set up a stand with a water dispenser and glasses at the beginning of your aisle, so attendees can help themselves before taking their seats.

7. Set Up a Self-Serve Station

Instead of presenting a tray of single-serve cups of water, consider filling a few dispensers with infused water, where guests can serve themselves. Not only will the liquid stay cooler in an iced jug, but also the display will present more decorating opportunities.

8. Add Water Bottles to Welcome Bags

While welcome bags aren’t a requirement, they’re a nice touch to thank those who have traveled far distances to witness your vow exchange. In addition to filling them with hangover kits and local treats, add a few water bottles, so your guests will have access to a hydrating drink at the very start of the celebration. Choose your favorite brand or purchase a regional one for destination weddings to introduce loved ones to the culture.

9. Hand Out Coconuts

Who says you have to serve plain water in a no-frills cup? To hydrate your guests at a tropical destination, whether it’s Bora Bora or Aruba, distribute real coconuts filled with fresh coconut water. Coconut water is just as hydrating as regular water, plus the fun glassware will get everyone excited to quench their thirst. You can even personalize each shell with your joint initials and wedding date.

10. When in Doubt, Put It Near the Booze

Infused water is a great addition to any bar, whether it’s for the purposes of making sober guests feel included or providing options for those who want to alternate alcoholic beverages with hydrating ones. Alongside wine, beer, and spirits, consider including a pitcher of ice-cold water combined with citrus fruits, which is a practical and visually appealing addition to summer nuptials.