Is alcohol necessary?

Do they NEED them? No. Are they more fun for guests with them? Yes. Have they become expected by guests? Yes. Do weddings seem to last longer and have more of a party vibe with them? Absolutely! I think it really just depends on the type of vibe people want for their weddings. When FH and I sat down and made out a list of our top three important items, we both had top shelf open bar on our lists. So of course that was a priority for us. But, we also have a friend and family circle who all enjoy going out and having cocktails, as do we. So that was definitely the vibe we wanted for our wedding. And guest experience is also at the top of our list, so we’ve made sure to host everyone above and beyond.

Yea. Most guests want to let loose and celebrate with cocktails.
I’ve never been invited to a dry wedding.

It just depends on the bride and groom and what they want. The bottom line is this; alcohol or not, if they love you, they will come and celebrate with you on your special day. To get invited to a wedding should be looked upon as an honor and not what the bride and groom can provide for you.

I'm hoping just to have wine and beer at our reception. We're not really into anything stronger.

In my state you have to have a bartender and provide all the booze the bartender costs 700-1000 the booze cost the same
A lot of venues require you to have a bartender.
Out of all of our guests maybe 6 out of 50 actually drink I am not paying 1400 for that So we decided not to do it. Lemonade and tea with hot coffee options No soda It cut out tons of cost

I am biased as I have never been a big drinker, I rarely drink in public, so I totally do not think alcohol is needed at a wedding (it’s expensive and can lead to too much silliness!). I’ve had just as good a time at events where I drink as where I don’t (I’m not much for parties regardless 😆). However, my family absolutely insists one must provide copious free booze at a wedding, and from what I hear most people agree. I was also recently at a business event where folks were pushing me to get a drink simply because hey, it’s here and it’s free (I never drink in a work setting, even when it’s strongly encouraged at these kind of evening events - just my personal preference). I still don’t understand why events and alcohol are such a thing … isn’t dinner/dessert enough … but I guess folks like getting tipsy on someone else’s dime? Lol. It is expected, but always up to bride and groom. As one commenter just said, the people who love you will show up regardless.

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Same here (except for the 'top shelf' ) My FH does not drink at all, ever. I love that our venue will be going around with a choice for the toast - champagne or sparkling juice. They are also providing N/A beer for my honey. For the rest of our guests, AND ME!!!!!!!! there will be a full open bar. It's just what our circle of friends does - not over the top, but we all love a good glass of wine or a cosmo. I say know your crowd and use that as your guide.

It completely depends on the bride and groom! My FH and his family/friends are big drinkers. I drink but no one else in my family really does and we’re having an open bar. Most of my extended family doesn’t drink and doesn’t really approve but it’s not their decision. It’s honestly just preference and if people have a problem with you having or not having one then it’s their issue, not yours.

Totally depends on the bride and groom and their crowd. My FH and I are really into craft beer and so is our crowd (one of our fav breweries is giving us a keg as a gift) so it would be weird if we didn’t have at least one or two beers. However if the bride and groom aren’t big drinkers and that’s not their scene then I don’t think it’s necessary.

Yea. The majority of visitors want to party and drink.

It was a lot of fun with it for us and no one made a mess of the night luckily

I would not go to a dry wedding nor would I host one - also, not a big drinker! I think that it's incredibly important to host your guests, not just to your own taste but in a way that makes them happy/satisfied/comfortable. Most of my circle + family loves to drink, and therefore if I cut the open bar to save money at their expense...ick. The reception is a thank you to the guests for coming out and supporting your love, why cut corners! Just my opinion

Barring the bride/groom is in recovery or for religious reasons, of course.

Not necessary especially if you have a reason not to (religious, personal or family history of abuse, etc). I’ve been a one dry wedding. The bride was 19 and pregnant. It was still plenty of fun! Personally, We did an open bar for beer, wine, and a few mixed drinks. I requested no shots be given out because I didn’t want anyone getting tooooo crazy. You can make it work for your comfort and or budget for sure.

I don't think you need alcohol, but I do think it's the norm to provide it.

Personally we’re not having an open bar. We’re having ours at a restaurant and in the room we booked there won’t be any alcohol but if they want some they can leave our room and go to the bar. I just feel like sometimes people can get out of hand when there’s too much alcohol and I don’t want to worry about drunk driving or having a police officer.

We are having our signature cocktail drink and Sangrias and other wine beer and sodas,bottled water. Because the othe alcohol we like things started to get expensive so that's our because yes our guest all like to party. Now you dont have to do top shelf make a alcohol punch and add some little things

I agree with this. It depends on your particular situation and common among your social circle because there is no one size fits all answer. Not serving alcohol is not bad hosting and should not be the deciding factor on whether a guest attends or not. There is also no reason why guests need to be informed ahead of time if no alcohol is served.


That said, we have attended many dry weddings and no one batted an eye, and guests in attendance were the type to be vocal to each other if they felt disrespected or inconvenienced. Among our families, dry weddings are more common, though no one has an issue with drinking. On the flip side, if someone absolutely cannot enjoy themselves with no alcohol, they have bigger issues they need to deal with on their own time that is not the host’s responsibility. We are having open bar, mainly liquor with non alcoholic options because hardly anyone in our group drinks beer or wine. What is seen as poor hosting among our circles is asking guests to finance anything themselves, and that is not allowed at venues in our area to begin with.

In my opinion - no. Alcohol is not necessary. I attended a lovely wedding where the bride and groom were Baptists so no dancing or liquor. They had a string quartet and there was a bar outside the reception room, in the restaurant proper where anyone could get a drink if wanted. I've been to, and heard about, many weddings ruined by drunkedness. I'm no teetotaler. But let's face it, folks use a big wedding to get drunk & stupid. And, that includes the bridal couple, their attendants, their parents, and too many of their guests. Everything from embarassment that night, and the next day to a 2 day hangover, to broken friendships and even broken up newlyweds (I have a friend from church who had an elaborate engagement ring, engagement party, bridal shower and wedding, and her drunk bridegroom beat her up on their wedding night because she danced with another man - her brother! He wasn't nice sober either, 2 kids and 2 years, a messy divorce, and a court order later, she finally got rid of him!) If I were planning a wedding, and if alcohol was requested, I'd keep it to champagne, wine and beer, and make sure the bartender can tell a guest that can hold liquor from one who can't.

From all of the wedding that I have been too alchohol was greatly wanted and was provided. We definitely did because that's just how we roll lol lol and our guest were having a ball no bloopers or anyone begin to intoxicate everyone was feeling nice and able to function and able to be responsible. But if they choose not to have alcoholic beverages thats a choice that will be respected but others may want to have some booze. But we wanted it