How to calculate non-alcoholic drinks

If you can't afford a full meal and alcohol for 400 people, don't invite 400 people. Typically people say to expect two drinks per person in the first hour, and then one drink per person per hour after that. With no meal and no alcohol, I wouldn't expect guests to stay for 6 hours.

View Quoted Comment I second this. I need more than a snack in a 6 hour period.

View Quoted Comment Agreed! I would say expect 1 drink per person because there's no way anyone is staying past hour #2. I'd be out in Chicago looking for a bar and some food.

Maybe consider cutting 200 people and adding food and alcohol.

With it being outdoors, I would estimate 3-4 beverages per hour per guest. More water than tea or lemonade. Make sure to include sweetened and unsweetened tea.

August is an incredibly humid and uncomfortable month here. Even if you are starting at 6, half of the time is going to be light and depending on how the weather is, it might not cool down much.

You are going to need at least 2,800 bottles of water (1pp, per hour, plus an extra one pp). Especially if the entire 6 hours is outside in the summer- this honestly sounds awful.

View Quoted Comment

Lol THIS! So much this.

Please reconsider your plans. And adjust your expectations of people staying 6 hours, outside in the summer heat, with no alcohol. Because it definitely won't happen. People will stay for an hour or two, tops, and then go home.

400 people?! How????

I would reconsider this plan. I was at a wedding last year in September in southern WI and the day was unseasonably hot (over 90 degrees). It was absolutely horrible and someone passed out. That was just for the ceremony, not the entire night.

Whoops, I guess I dI'd make it sound like there isn't going to be a meal! There will of course be a meal and desserts at the reception, I just figured that was a given when I mentioned the reception. Oops!
Anyway, the reception is tented and I plan to have fans. I know, I'm hoping it won't be unbearably hot but we shall see!

View Quoted Comment My fiancé and I don't like alcohol and many of our friends don't either. It was an easy decision for us. There will be games, dinner, dessert and dancing all under a very, very large tent.

I'm sorry, but I would highly consider adjusting your plans, 400 is a lot of people, if you can't afford to host them with a full meal & the option for alcohol, cut your guest list down to a size you can host properly. If you are unwilling to do that, I would adjust your expectations for the day and not count on people staying at a dry wedding with only snacks offered for food for a full 6 hours. People are going to be hot, starving, and probably bored after the first couple hours.

ETA: just saw your reply that you are in fact hosting dinner! Your previous explanation sounded like there would just be snacks. I would still suggest having the option available for adults who want to have a celebratory beverage. Out of 400 people, surely some will expect to partake, even those that don't drink regularly can enjoy a glass of wine at an evening wedding.

View Quoted Comment So what’s your plan if it is unbearably hot?

View Quoted Comment We have big families and friends from both our churches and other circles!

View Quoted Comment Yeah.... but it's a wedding, not a family reunion/fellowship get together.

This sounds horrible. You will literally need at least 3,000 bottles of water. Don’t expect guests to stay long. They will not stay 6 hours in the heat without proper food or drinks. That’s just facts.

How old are you?

No one is going to stick around for 6 hours with no alcohol in the summer heat and humidity. You would get MAYBE 2 hours out of me. Maybe.

Do you still plan on having someone serving drinks? How do you plan to keep the water cold? You're going to need a LOT of cold water

View Quoted Comment Yeah...Are you only inviting your FH and your friends who don't drink? Host all of your guests well even if it's wine and beer.

Dry weddings tend to end right after dinner, at least in the 10+ dry weddings I've been to.

Are you going to let your guests know ahead of time that you won’t be providing a meal or drinks?

I think for each guest times it by 3 or 4. I am also having a dry wedding so don't let people in here bash you for it. People just don't get it. If people leave your wedding simply because you don't have alcohol, then who needs em anyways? I want people at my wedding that are there cause they care for me and the big step in my life. The point of a wedding is not drunk partying. I think people miss the point a lot.

Plus alcohol actually dehydrates the body so you're actually promoting hydration by not having alcohol at a hot wedding.