Dry Wedding Venue

I honestly wouldn't pay for a bartender to mix some juices together. Their prices are high because of liabilities and insurance, which would be a waste. You can probably find a server or someone on Thumbtack that's willing to do it for much cheaper.

I kind of feel like at this point you could consider maybe other options like some people do boba bars or coffee carts or just a table people can make their own Italian soda pops, etc

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Oooo a boba bar! how unique and fun!

View Quoted Comment I had one at my wedding aha

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Its brilliant!

Another option would be like fancy spa water with fruit.

Lemonade and iced tea in those big mason jar drink dispensers. Then guests can mix their own Arnold palmers too. I adore the idea of italian sodas. I might steal that! haha

View Quoted Comment Italian sodas would be a bunch of different syrups and sparkling water or soda, basically. So that’s easy too

You could definitely could still hire a bartender! Or maybe ask around to family & friends if anyone they know has experience that you could hire for less than a caterer's bartender. Offer some fun Italian sodas, a signature mocktail too (for those that don't like bubbly drinks) and then also waters with different fruits. Like cucumber & lime, grapefruit & orange, lemon etc. A lemonade bar would be fun too, especially if you offered fruit or syrup add ins. One of my girlfriends moms puts watermelon pop rocks in her fresh squeezed lemonade and it's so good lol.

I know that a lot of people go to wedding receptions and they want to get drunk but at the end of the day the people are there to celebrate your union regardless if you have alcohol are not. To me the fact that you're not having liquor is not going to make your wedding any less boring. As long as people have some good music or they can dance or you can have games or people to socialize that to me is what really matters. Alcohol or not I only never liked a reception if I was there and I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone because I didn't know anyone. As long as I have good conversation with people I have a great time. I agree with some of the previous people in that I would not pay someone to come out make non-alcoholic drinks rather I'm not sure thing you're going for but why don't you buy those lemonade or drink dispensers maybe come up with the fun mocktails like you said and if people can pour their own drinks. My only suggestion is that I would let people know in advance in your invitations that it will be a dry reception so they can mentally prepare in advance or they know that if they really want a drink that they can do it off of the venue.

View Quoted Comment Thanks Kristen, you're absolutely right.

Thank you all for the feedback

There are a lot of bartenders who you can hire and just pay their time rather than booking a whole service, or there are bartending companies where you provide the alcohol so I assume those would also be fine doing it because they don't benefit from alcohol sales anyway. I think for something simple like no alcohol drinks, I'd just rent a margarita machine and make a few nonalcoholic drinks in it and have something like a coffee cart come by for guests, then have a ton of self serve soda & juice options. If you want to hire someone, you probably wouldn't even need them to be a licensed bartender.

All the fancy seltzers. There are so many ways to make mocktails (or have a do-it-yourself mocktail bar), which could be fun!

Most bar services will fix nonalcoholic options. Let them know what your plans are and they should work with you.