After connecting on Tinder (both are adamant that they were each on it for a short, short while) Charleston residents Arlene and Andrew met at a local café where she says she knew she was in trouble—...
Just one more workday separates us from our beloved weekend and in the spirit of such, we wanted to set the mood and get you all primed and ready for what is to come. So let’s drink happy thoughts and settle in for a little convo with Theresa Dulken Wolf, genius and creator behind the very cute, very precious Chug-A-Lug wagon, a roaming booze bar that is hot, hot, hot in Charleston’s wedding industry. Cheers, dears and as Theresa would say, bottoms up!
The Wedding Row: We always love hearing the backstory on local businesses. What drove you (pun intended!) into making this mobile bar dream into a reality?
Theresa: The idea was born in early 2017 from my love of all things vintage and my experience in the Charleston wedding industry. At the time, I worked as the sales director for a vintage transportation company, Lowcountry Valet & Shuttle. It was here that I grew an affinity for classic cars. Simultaneously I was co-creating The French Eclectic , a specialty vintage + boutique event rental company with bestie & biz partner Katie Elmore. To me, with so much experience in the wedding scene (and Charleston being a major hub for weddings and events) it just made sense to blend all the things I loved into one adorable pint-sized dream. Connecting with people, darling vintage vehicle + booze = Chug-a-Lug Wagon! I call her “The Chug” or “The Chuglette” (depending mostly on my mood for the day.)
TWR: We are already big fans of your biz (obviously) but for those who aren’t as familiar or are wanting more, can you tell us all you offer?
Theresa: The wagon can serve up to 6 mini kegs at one time. One of the things that was really important to me when designing the concept was variety & abundance. I can’t pretend that I invented the idea – mini mobile bars + traveling tap vehicles are huge over in Europe (since that’s where most of the adorable, small vehicles come from) – but something I noticed is that most of the ones I was coming across only served Prosecco. I wanted to expand that vision into serving a variety of beverage options that can cater to each individual client. From Kombucha + Nitro Brewed Coffee, Local & Domestic Craft Beer + Italian Wine, to Prosecco + Sparkling Sodas, we serve it all.
TWR: What a way to wet a whistle. Favorite drink you’ve ever served. Go.
Theresa: One of my favorite combinations on tap is mixing the ever so delicious fresh fruit craft sodas from Cannonborough Beverage Co. with varying liquors to make an unforgettable cocktail. Flavors on tap include: Raspberry Mint, Ginger Beer, Grapefruit Elderflower + Honey Basil. These tasty sparkling sodas are perfection on their own (great for kids at the party or folks who prefer to enjoy a non-alcoholic beverage) but they also mix flawlessly with liquor.
TWR: We’re sold. Now, for brides-to-be … what does the booking process with you all look like?
Theresa: Clients would inquire by submitting an availability request form found on our website, or they could simply give us a jingle and a few details about their Big Day (like number of expected guests, budget, and overall vision). From there, we’ll send over some basic info + PDFs that lay out each package along with pricing and beverage menus. Clients will choose the package that fits best for their special day and any Adornment packages they’d like to add on. Next, we send them a quote along with directions to book should they decide to move forward.
TWR: Got it. What are the perks to allowing The Chuglette (adore, BTW) to roll on into your wedding?
Theresa: Besides the cuteness factor, one thing I can say with confidence is that the Chug-a-Lug Wagon is 100 percent a show stopper. Folks attending a wedding will certainly expect to be provided with complimentary drinks throughout the night … but drinks from an adorable, pint-sized booze wagon? It’s definitely not something they expect to see and are always delighted to be indulging in an eclectic mix of beverages with a side of “oh my goodness, isn’t this just darling.” Besides the novelty of the wagon, in my humble opinion – draft beer, wine and cocktails just taste better than bottled (plus there is way less waste)!
TWR: Can’t argue with you there. Is this bar babe only available for outdoors wedding? It may be a silly question but we want to know!
Theresa: Not a silly question at all – we can totally serve indoors as well as out. Our tiny wagon just got a HUGE makeover when we did an electric engine swap. What was once a finicky vintage two stroke engine (that produced a lot of loud noises and gas emissions) now is completely silent and runs on clean electricity. We essentially are like an electric golf cart so as long as there is at least a six feet opening (standard french doors do the trick). We can drive right inside to serve!
TWR: So, say you are having a baby shower or something (a little birdie told us you were expecting yourself! Congrats!). Can you rent for something like that as well?
Theresa: Absolutely! We have done several corporate events as well as birthday parties, private backyard barbecues, baby showers, bridal showers, wedding showers (all the showers, ha), anniversary parties, bachelor & bachelorette parties, sip & see’s, block parties and one of our all time favorites gigs, serving artists backstage at music festivals.
TWR: You do it all! Any final words?
Theresa: To this day, I have attended every single wedding and event the wagon has ever been booked for. As my hubby and I are expecting our first little one in early August, it is finally time for me to step away from the serving side for a little while which is simultaneously scary and exciting. I am so grateful to have the most amazing staff that I trust with my littlest Chuglette to carry on giving excellent service to the Lowcountry and beyond.
TWR: Too sweet. Best of luck in the future, with both the bebe and the booze.
Images by Lala Lensart
