Ah, country weddings!  So many things to love! Incredible photo backdrops, sunsets to die for, room for all your guests to camp the night – I could go on and on. But bringing the party to a cow paddock in the middle of nowhere is no mean feat!  There is so much to consider. Toilets? Power? Food and drink? Oh and getting all your friends there in the first place. We all know that the basics of throwing an awesome wedding are getting the logistics down, making sure everyone is fed, that the drinks are flowing, and that there are some banging tunes for the dancefloor.  Simple really.

One way to make sure that the party really comes to the paddock (and an easy way to get at least one thing ticked off your to-do list!) is by considering hiring a mobile bar for your wedding.  A mobile bar is essentially just as it sounds – a bar, usually stocked and self-contained, complete with bartenders to serve those all-important drinks, that comes to you.  Mobile bars come in many shapes and sizes so there’s something to suit everyone! I hope you enjoy “Why You Should Consider A Mobile Bar & Local Suppliers For Your Country Wedding” by me – Sophie from The Bedford Bar for The Country Issue.

A mobile bar is a perfect addition to your country wedding for oh so many reasons!

1. Mobile bars specialise in parks, backyards, paddocks, and barns. They are usually self-contained and include everything needed to roll up and provide a top-notch drinks service for your wonderful friends and family.  This may include the use of their own glassware, ice, mixers, and a whole host of other bar equipment, logistical necessities, and styling features.  They bring everything they need, including the literal kitchen sink…

2. A mobile bar provides the perfect useful feature for your wedding styling, a well-lit, functional backdrop that will add some extra glam to the cow paddock and stop it looking too much like an *ahem* cow paddock and more like that twinkly, love fest you saw on Instagram.

3. There is so much to think about in planning a drinks service – glassware hire (and washing them afterward!), how much to buy (and then how to chill it all!), and not forgetting anything (bins, bottle openers, ice…)  And of course, if you plan on doing this all DIY, who is going to look after it on the day?  That’s where the professionals are worth their weight in gold – they’re going to do that morning ice run for you, monitor your booze consumption through the night, re-stock the fridge, collect the glasses (and wash them too!), and most importantly keep their RSA well-trained eye on your rogue Uncle Gary.

4. Speaking of professionals, when you hire a mobile bar you get years worth of experience as part of the package.  Beverage Caterers are experts in their field, and given the chance, they can advise on a plethora of alcohol/wedding-related topics, including (but absolutely not limited to!) how much to buy, where to buy it, and what to buy. Beer on tap, cocktails, or Espresso Martinis when the dancefloor opens (yeah, you heard me!) – a mobile bar can create all of the above for you without you even lifting a finger,  providing expert knowledge on all the things and leaving your guests talking about those Margarita’s for months.

5. There are mobile bars all over the country now, taking the shape of vintage caravans, horse floats, bikes, or like my bars at The Bedford Bar, vintage trucks.  There’s likely someone local to you (or even a few options!) so you can choose something that suits your style and most importantly, your budget.

Finding wedding vendors is likely pretty easy, there is a whole heap around.  All working in their zone of genius and creating some magic wherever they go.  But choosing the ones that suit you?  Maybe not so easy after all! Oh, the choice!  One thing to bear in mind is considering picking local suppliers, and here are just a few reasons why you should choose local for your wedding day.

1. It was the covid catchphrase that kept so many country businesses alive –  ‘shop local’.  And while the whole country banded together to put their money into their local retailers, there was nowhere this was more apparent than in the country.  If you’re hosting a country wedding, you likely have some country connections and you’ll know how keeping it local and supporting the local economy is all the more important in the country!

2. Budget is a huge concern for anyone’s wedding planning.  And one simple way to save?  Choosing local suppliers.  Travel fees are a thing.  Many wedding vendors spend long hours in the car, notching up the K’s and so of course, they charge for it.  But choose someone local and save on those fees straight up, you might’ve just made room in the budget for that lolly bar after all!

3. Locals in the country know all those secret spots like the back of their hands. This is even more poignant for photographers. The exact time the golden hour hits, that secret cotton field or frangipani garden (hello portrait session location!), or the farmer that will let you take photos with the cows. Hiring a local photographer will take your wedding photos from great to down-right incredible!

4. There’s nothing like local fruit, freshly picked at the prime of the season. Or locally caught fish served alongside hand-grown produce.  This isn’t just a cookie-cutter wedding menu – this is a wedding banquet to remember!  And who’s going to bring that alive for you?  The local caterers of course!  Not only is serving local food an awesome way to keep the carbon footprint of your day down (no one likes food miles), but it’s also the way to show off what the country does best, hero-ing the incredible landscape and people that surround your country wedding venue.

5. Lastly, what is better than a bunch of wedding vendors? An awesome bunch of wedding vendors, who have worked together more times than they remember and know each other’s strengths, working together as a cohesive unit to create a flawless event. When you choose a team of locals, you’re not just getting ‘wedding vendors’, you’re picking a whole team, your dream team. And that, my friends, is when the magic happens.

Planning a country wedding is not always the easy option, but does it pay off? Yes. Every. Damn. Time. But choose your wedding vendors carefully and they will be your right hand, both in the months and weeks leading up to the day and of course, even more so on the day itself, creating the twinkly, love-filled day of your dreams.  Yep, that one you saw on Instagram.

About The Bedford Bar: Started by a couple of lovebirds looking for that “special something” to have at their own wedding. The Bedford Bar is an innovative solution to your wedding drinks dilemma, operating throughout Far North Queensland. Based in Cairns the Bedford Bar provides bar services with an old-school charm to any event, big or small. Frequently travelling to Port Douglas, Mossman, Mission Beach, and throughout the Atherton Tablelands. The stars of The Bedford Bar show are, of course, our 1950’s Bedford trucks. Transported all the way from Melbourne and Perth and lovingly restored by the team, these beauties retain so many original features and are resplendent in a vintage industrial style including reclaimed silky oak and luxurious details, which will compliment any wedding or party!