Alcohol thoughts

I would offer wine and beer. I don’t see the difference between beer and wine or just wine except that serving wine limits the amount of guests that would have an alcoholic option that they enjoy.

I would either do wine and beer, or just forego it all together.

View Quoted Comment That’s a good point thank you

In the end it's your day.
If you think this is a happy medium, go for it.
I personally see wine as a classier drink than beer, so I feel like it may dissuade some from being intoxicated.
That being said, some parents are just awful and wont watch their children. Sober or drunk.

View Quoted Comment This is why I am worried about the deposit 😩

Wine and beer should work and if there are not a lot of people who drink it won't cost too much

I'm going completely dry and frankly if people need alcohol to have fun they are welcome to leave.
Where you have religious reasons involved majority of those people know how to have fun without alcohol and it shouldn't be a problem.
Wine and beer is a popular solution to this problem, if you're having a wedding a little earlier in the day then there's less expectation for drinking.
Don't let people on these forums bully you into something you're not comfortable with, everyone's situation is different and sometimes we gotta get creative

View Quoted Comment Totally agree with Kelly! These forums are a place to go for help and advice, not to be told you’re doing something “the wrong way”. Also agree with Mandi, wine feels like a “classier” drink over beer. And I feel like people are more opt to just have a glass of wine over a few beers so that may be a safer option. You could also maybe just provide a champagne toast and that’s all. Or just champagne if you want to be “classy”. OR you could just do a cash bar, then people really won’t drink 🤪 But at the end of the day if you really don’t want to provide alcohol no one should make you feel bad about that choice, especially since your fam is super religious.

View Quoted Comment Totally agree! I've considered bringing in wine, but with a mixed crowd I'm just going to have a dry wedding, plus I know me and my friends can still have full without alcohol. Alcohol might help loosen people up, but it's not the most important thing. It's not even something I think about when I go to other people's weddings. I've been to both dry weddings and weddings with drinks and they were all fun in their own way.

Do whatever works for you! I've never been to a dry wedding but if your family is against alcohol then I am sure they are used to social events without drinking and will have a perfectly amazing time!

Editing to add: if you get some push-back on the wine/beer option then maybe you can compromise with your family on having a champagne toast at least. Or mimosa's! Love those.

I am pretty sure my wedding will be dry for similar reasons.

My fiance and I are both only occasional drinkers, and our families are kind of a mix. My family for the most part is more Christian/conservative. I don’t think they’d necessarily mind, but I don’t want to disrespect them. Also my bio dad is alcoholic and I don’t want the temptation for him on such an emotional day. My fiancé’s family definitely has more drinkers so that’s part of why I’ve been on the fence about this. I want everyone to have fun. But I also agree with kelly and think that if people can’t have fun without alcohol for a few hours, they can find the door.🤷🏼‍♀️ To be honest I don’t think I’ve ever even been to a wedding with alcohol. Maybe that’s just not as much of a thing in small towns? I don’t know. This website makes it seem like everyone has alcohol at weddings and I just don’t necessarily agree. Also, my venue requires a bartender to serve, and the event insurance goes up so even just beer and wine would end up costing us quite a bit more.😕

Hi Monique,
in my opinion you of course should do whatever you feel best for your day. However, when most people go to a wedding they typically make it a “date night” they leave the kids home and get all dressed up and most of the time like to be able to let loose and enjoy their beautiful evening. So I 100% think you should offer a beer and wine bar to your guests if it’s in budget and you speak with your fiancé about it. Offer a few different types of red and white wine and a few different drafts of beer... I know it was stated about to be “classy” and not serve beer and to only serve wine however, a lot of your male crowd may not like wine and would prefer a beer or a craft beer! Just some food for thought! Last point I would like to give you my opinion on just because I read it in an above comment, I would have a dry wedding before having a cash bar where your guests would need to pay for their own drinks.. we just attended a wedding last weekend where as we waited in line for our drinks we watched guests walk away from the bar extremely unhappy and even stated “ if they would have know this, they would have put less money in the card.” So they guests definitely did not enjoy their evening out. I wish you the absolute best of luck and I know you guys will make the best decisions for you and your big day!

I'd go with wine and beer, but no hard alcohol. And for the toast, maybe offer people the option of cider or a sparkling wine?

I definitely get where you're coming from, and it's important to gauge your audience. It definitely sounds like you're leaning towards some alcohol. Hopefully your family can respect the decision. Sparkling cider is a great alternative for a 'celebratory toast.' If you want some additional non-alcohol suggestions, my SIL and BIL introduced me to Belvoir Elderflower & Rose Lemonade. I has a slight carbonation, but not really 'bubbly' in a traditional sense. It was used as a signature drink mixer for us, and we loved it so much we used it as a non-alcohol too.

As per the alcohol choice, you absolutely do not need to have hard alcohol. Honestly, that's common anyways for anyone who's money conscious too. I suggest gauging your 'drinking audience' as well. Are your friends/family who do drink beer drinkers as well, or just wine? If you have an equal split (which is typical) consider having a beer option as well.

I can understand having free wine. Some people will only drink it on special occasions. Personally have not heard that said about beer. Usually people don't drink 4, 5, 6 glasses of it even at a wedding. BUT a beer and wine bar is preferred. Any alcohol where guests don't pay is awesome. And I don't mean a half glass of champagne for toasting.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for this 😃

View Quoted Comment Thank you for giving a positive opinion 😄

Like everyone has said, just do what you are comfortable with. You could do sparkling cider or some kind of yummy punch instead. There is no hard and fast rule about alcohol... you know your people the best. And it is YOUR day.

I think having unlimited free wine is a good compromise for your situation!

Check out Pintrest for mocktail recipes. You do not have to have alcohol at your wedding if you do not want to.