Alcohol or not?

"In Florida, Florida Statute 768.125 is the state’s “dram shop law” and it makes vendors legally liable for any harm that comes to someone served alcohol at their establishment who is a minor or is in someway alcohol-dependent."

Not a lawyer, but I am a paralegal. So yes, you are liable for any harm caused by intoxicated guests coming from your home. Either set limitations or hire a bartender with insurance!! Stop serving alcohol an hour before the party is over too.

Just thinking out loud here, but could you encourage people to be designated drivers and do something cool or special for them ( like a hot chocolate bar or mock tails?). A bartender would help a lot. You might also consider setting aside some budget for Ubers for guests who drink a little too much. Just some thoughts! Good luck though.

I think that it can happen. A friend in MI got insurance to protect himself against it, I don't know the specifics of how it worked though but maybe just talk to your insurance agent.

I am an attorney, but in MN. I agree 100% with everything OG Alecia said including DO NOT LISTEN TO MRSFG.

@MRSFG - I flagged you for giving poor legal advice. Do not do that again.

Hire a bartender through your caterer.

You are having a caterer, right?

I'm not a lawyer, but in Florida, I can think of/remember a number of these lawsuits being publicized over the years. Typically, though, it's been more than someone being pulled over for drunk driving. There's usually been an accident or a hit and run. In those cases, I'm sure people are more desperate to get out of charges and put blame on someone else.

It's not just weddings. It's anytime you serve alcohol in your home, you have to be concerned about the safety of the people you're serving alcohol too. Get insurance and hire a bartender.

You have to get liability insurance. It's cheap add it to your homeowners policy. My friend paid $50 for a million dollar policy

I'm in Florida and we do a lot of events for my company involving alcohol. Second what everyone says about a licensed bartender, it's obviously an added cost but one that is so worth it when you think of the risk.

Also, I know that Uber has a way to add credit and ride tokens that you can designate to your event. Seems like a very good way to provide a safe ride for those that shouldn't be driving.

https://www.uber.com/events

I also have a friend that hired her younger cousins (18-20) that obviously couldn't drink at the reception to drive people home. They would go in pairs, one person would take the car and the people and the other other would follow in one of their own cars. That way the guests have their cars at home the following day and don't have to worry about it. The cousins loved it, I think the bride gave them $20/hr and a lot of the guests tipped out of generosity, and it was probably more fun for them than sticking around a reception that they couldn't drink at/didn't bring dates to so no dancing. Obviously this falls into the "friend vendor" category that I know is a hot topic, but I feel like the circumstances were right in this case.

I haven't read the other comments, so I'm sure someone addressed this, but just to reiterate.

Your FH is right. You would be liable, UNLESS you hire a licensed bartender. That would absolve you of liability. I would still purchase liability insurance for your wedding anyway, just in case there were any other issues.

Ask your caterer for recommendations for a bartender.

Umm...ALCOHOL - YES. ALWAYS.

Hire a licensed bartender.

We are having our reception at my family home as well, the best way to cover your bases is have a licensed bartender and we are also providing transportation to and from the hotel. Mostly due to parking, but I want our guests to be able to drink without worrying about driving afterwards

Hire a bartender, and get insurance. Problem solved.

Also, you don't need a lawyer. You can Google this.

Bartender. Cabs. Uber. Designated drivers.

Thank you for all the advises. I will definitely talk to him about add and insurance and of course a license bartender at the end it was his idea of having a backyard wedding

Dayivi, backyard weddings are very beautiful, but often times they end up being more expensive because you have to add in a bunch of things that venues already include.

Going off Lindseyk17 comment in my area there is a company that provides the service these cousins provided so you can check if something similar exists in your area