Any thoughts on a Dry Wedding?

I'm doing a dry reception for the exact same reasons, religious family and some family members struggling with alcoholism. Everyone knows it up front, it's an afternoon reception, not too long, and low-key, so hoping it all works out

I too have had a great time at parties sober where I didn't drink.

YOU NEED A ROCKING DJ Thats all it is. Someone who will get the party started. Yes parties are more fun with alchohol but it doesn't have to be.

I think you will be fine. Spend more on the DJ skip the liqour

A Dry Wedding doesn't mean a boring Wedding. Please good food, music & laughter is all you will need. Just make sure your DJ & MC have enough skills to rock the house, it will turn out lovely.

I understand your reasoning for being unsure if you should have a dry wedding or not. I would look at your guest list and determine how many people you would think would like to drink and go from there. You can always just offer beer/wine and nothing else, full bar, or no alcohol. I like to have a glass of wine with my dinner, so I would want it there. I have recovering alcoholics at my wedding (FMIL in particular), but she is more than fine with alcohol being there. Youl should please yourself and your FH. It is your wedding. You will make someone mad no matter what decision you make, so make the one you want and the one you will be happy with.

You all are wonderful. I appreciate everyone's input!

I would be disappointed to see no alcohol at a wedding, but then again ive never been to a dry wedding....

on a side not why does everyone always say my family is very religious when it relates to no alcohol? Do religious people not drink? It may be a silly question but i know many priests who like to hit the bottle

Do you like alcohol? Will you and your friends have more fun if there is alcohol available?

Personally I paid for my wedding and I went by the good old it's my party, I'm hosting I want to have wine and dance my face off with my friends and gosh darn it I'm gonna do that. A good compermise might be having a dry wedding until __pm sometime after dinner (have sparkling grape juice ont eh tables to cheers etc. And open the bar at whatever time. Let your friends know that you will be having an open bar starting at __pm. These are adults and should be able to decide to go home at that time if they are worried about drinking. You can also heads up to the bartenders as to which people have alcohol problems so they can keep an eye out and not overserve. I was at a wedding where a friend of mine was told they were only serving one drink her person per hour. Total lie, (I had more than that & never heard the rule) but b&g knew he gets out of hand when drunk so they said one per hr for him.

Vanessa, depends on the religion, I know my bro's ex gf was mormon and they don't drink, but they also don't drink caffine or eat sugary goodness.

That's actually a great idea about serving after X o'clock. I was considering moving my entire thing up like four hours to reduce the issue all together, but maybe doing it that way can allow me to have it later like I'd originally planned.

All good things to think about!

I'm having a dry wedding. We don't drink plus we want kids at our wedding and we want people to be able to leave and go home! I'm hoping to get a great DJ to get the party started!!!

I've been to a wedding with an open bar, and only a handful of people danced (sober me being one of them). There were some instances in which the dance floor was completely empty. Many people left early, as they were bored. At another wedding I went to, several female guests were sloppy drunk and conducted themselves extremely inappropriately. So, alcohol doesn't really determine if the party will be a success or not.

We are only having champagne for toasts, because we both have close relatives who cannot control their drinking.

Just try to keep things fun and interesting for your guests. I'm hoping everyone who is there wants to be there to support you, not because they are anticipating free alcohol.

Dry weddings and cash bars are the norm around here. I'm in the Bible belt, so there are many who don't drink. Never affected the party one way or another. The one open bar wedding I went to was the most boring and had the least amount of people dancing. Depends on your DJ and your guests.

Pay for a really good Band or DJ. Most of the weddings I attend are "dry" and that's really because the couples can't afford the alcohol...

We still party...

Plus...Who says the groomsmen can't have bottles of moonshine, whiskey, tequila, etc. out in the cars...

That's what flasks are for :-)

Gift idea for the bridal party...Personalized flasks!

Riki : Great idea about the bridal party gifts! Especially since I'm sure they will be the ones primarily asking about.

I'm so encouraged to hear that many people have had positive experiences with no-alcohol weddings. I'm pretty motivated now to find a great band/dj.

@ Riki, great idea about the gifts.

@ Hillary, you know, alcohol can be used in such a way that the placebo effect can be applied. Get good quality non-alcoholic grape juice - there are some that are not sweet - and most people won't even notice that it's non-alcoholic. They'll believe it is and start to enjoy themselves, believing they are feeling the effects of alcohol. I've seen it happen and it's rather amusing.

Maybe you can have an after party somewhere and provide alcohol there.

For me I like the option of having booze at any celebration, but that is because I am not a huge soda drinker and they rarely have iced tea. I think a nice compromise would be to have fun non-alcoholic beverages [flavored lemonade, iced teas, fun sodas etc.] to at least have the option for guests to get something they don't normally get.

Dry weddings are the norm in my region for religious and money reasons.

So do as you want. People will complain no matter what you decide.

What do you and your FH prefer? If you're torn on the subject, why not just go with what you want? If you personally would like to see some alcohol, then have it. If it's not important to you, then don't worry about it.

I would be a little put-off when discovering a wedding is dry, but I would not be a rude guest and complain to the couple! I would assume it was what they wanted and be happy I was included in their special day.

I went to a private Christian university that had a dry campus and lots of the students didn't believe in drinking (except me, of course) and every single wedding I've been to for a fellow graduate was a dry wedding.

Some were awesome, some were meh. I think it depends on other elements. If you keep the energy right you can have a great time!

A really good friend of mine is having her wedding in August at a really nice country club near home. Her parents told her they wouldn't pay for the wedding if she chose to have alcohol and they couldn't afford their wedding (I know how we all feel about that but, whatever. It's not the most immature thing she's done.) She's a really fun girl so I'm guessing her wedding is going to be really fun; alcohol or not!