The wedding of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon has unexpectedly sparked a conversation about personalised wedding beverages, with industry experts noting a significant increase in UK couples seeking bespoke drinks for their celebrations.
From Regular Customer to Wedding Supplier
Pat McInerney, founder of Sydney's Willie the Boatman brewery, never imagined he'd be supplying beer for a prime minister's wedding when he first named a pale ale after Anthony Albanese over a decade ago. "Before he was prime minister he was a very regular customer," McInerney recalled. "He genuinely loved coming in and was warmly welcomed."
The opportunity arose earlier this year when Albanese visited the St Peters brewery, and McInerney offered to create custom cans featuring the couple's faces for their wedding. Though Albanese paid for the 16 cases, they couldn't use the popular Albo Pale Ale as it was out of stock, instead opting for another pale ale from the brewery.
Growing Trend in Personalised Wedding Beverages
While this marked Willie the Boatman's first wedding commission, customised drinks are becoming increasingly popular at weddings globally, including in the UK. Darcy Green, former wedding planner and current general manager of Easy Weddings, confirmed this trend.
"Over the last couple of years, everyone's trying to – not necessarily out-do each other – but they're trying to create unique experiences for their guests," Green explained. She noted several approaches couples are taking:
- Custom cocktails named after the couple or their pets
- "White labelling" existing wines or beers
- Brewing entirely new beer styles for the occasion
Industry Response to Personalised Demand
The wedding industry has rapidly adapted to this growing demand for bespoke beverages. Michael Chiem, owner of Sydney cocktail bar PS40, launched a mobile cocktail van specifically for weddings and events this year.
"The whole process, from start to finish, is similar to when you get your wedding suit or dress fitted," Chiem described. Couples visit for consultations where PS40 creates a personalised menu of five or six drinks, including at least one specifically for each partner.
Rachel Stone of Archie Rose distillery reported creating personalised spirit bottles for hundreds of weddings annually, while Josephine Perry of Dormilona winery offers custom labelled wines with original artwork that becomes a keepsake for the couple.
Ashley Dionysius of White Label Brewing confirmed that while corporate gifts remain their primary market, bespoke wedding beer cans represent a growing segment, despite some traditional venues restricting outside beverages.
As Green summarised: "I'm sure now that [Albanese has] done it, everyone will follow the trend." The prime minister's personalised wedding beer has undoubtedly raised the bar for couples seeking to add a unique touch to their celebrations.
