You guys keep sending in your Ask Emmaline questions, and we’re loving them! This question from Maddie is one we’ve all wondered at one time or another, especially if planning an outdoor humid and hot wedding ceremony in the summer. We’re providing the helpful bottled water wedding tips in today’s post including how much water to supply for wedding guests, where to buy bulk water bottles, and how to personalize bottled water for weddings.

She writes,

“Hi Emmaline! I’m getting married outdoors in June and was wondering, do I need to offer water at my wedding ceremony to guests? I don’t mind doing it but do you have suggestions on how to properly set it up and where to put the bottles? Thanks!”

Maddie, great question! According to etiquette, yes, providing bottled water to wedding guests is a great idea especially if you’re getting married outdoors and in the summer. Bottled water is a great addition to your wedding welcome bags, too. And it’s always a good idea to have plenty of water available so guests don’t pass out, get dizzy, or are uncomfortably thirsty before the reception begins. :)

Some venues offer bottled water for guests as part of your package, so ask first; if not, do it yourself very easily with a few helpful tips.

How Much Bottled Water to Supply for Wedding

As a rule of thumb, offer one bottle of water per guest (or you can do the 75% rule — offer enough for 75% of your guests, since that’s typically the number of guests you can expect to be present during the ceremony itself).

Where to Buy Bulk Bottled Water for Weddings

To source your bulk bottled water, look to stores like Costco or Sam’s Club to save money; your grocery store has bottled water, too, but you may pay more since it is not typically bulk priced.

You can buy Kirkland brand (which is what you find at Costco anyway!) bottled water in bulk here, delivered right to your door, so you won’t have to lug around so many bottles and put them in your car. :)

Water Bottle Labels

Now, the fun part: add your own water bottle labels to make them look wedding-ready! We found these labels at GreatLittleFavorCo. These labels are customizable with your wedding colors, theme, style, names, wedding date, etc.

Simply remove the labels on the water bottles you buy and add these labels to make custom water bottles for your wedding.

Place Bottles in a Basket or Tub

Lastly, you’ll want to place your water bottles on ice in a galvanized tub, like this, and place in the shade. If you have an outdoor bar, place the bottled water there. If not, have the tubs of water available near the back of the aisle, off to the side (not necessary to include in photos of your ceremony), and at a location guests won’t miss (near your ceremony programs table is always a good idea).

Guests can take a bottle of water to enjoy as they find their seats and, of course, make sure there is a recycling bin nearby as guests exit the space so there are no leftover bottles in the area.

Buy Personalized Bottled Water for Weddings

• Shop here to get your custom labels.

Great Little Favor Co. is a Featured Artist at Emmaline Bride.

Hope it helps + thanks so much for writing!

xo
Emma