No Alcohol Reception

Thanks @ LeahH --never seen that abbreviation before

You are if you cant afford alcohol.

I missed the sock hop wedding comment. Eww no.

Can we define "minimal,' because to some people that means 120 guests and to others that means 30.

As you likely can tell, dry weddings are a big no-no on this forum. That said, I've been to dry receptions for religious reasons and have had a fine time. Was it the same type of party vibe as an open bar? No. Did people leave early? Yes. But I thought it was fine. They just had sodas and juices. You could also do "mocktails," but I think that might remind the guests that there is no alcohol.

Also, I would prefer a cash bar to a dry wedding personally.

Minimal is 60. Only family and a few friends in the BP

I have been to one dry wedding in my life and let me tell you it was a disaster! Guests were going out to their cars throughout the night to drink alcohol they brought themselves and many got sloppy drunk because there was no bartender to monitor consumption. You said you wanted to avoid people drinking and driving and I am sorry to tell you a dry wedding won't prevent that. Even if a guest were to become inebriated off of alcohol they brought themselves, you could still be held liable for an accident that guest caused by driving drunk after your event. Bartenders carry the liability insurance to protect themselves and you from an issue like this. We cut printed programs and favors to afford a better bar package from our guests and no one missed them. Our venue was about 30-45 minutes outside of town and no one had an issue driving home.

@Trish - and people can have fun without food too. What are you getting at here?

I swear if you expected me to show up and play sock hop and there was no booze. So help me god. lol. No one is goign to be dancing.

@Trish --yes they can. I'm not a big drinker myself..but I have a couple cocktails at an event like a wedding. If you have no bar at all you are making that choice for them.

#1 etiquette rule --Properly host your guests!

Although I think a reception should have at least beer and wine, I think the most acceptable type of reception that will not involve this is one during the day. You should have a ceremony followed by a meal and it should be short and sweet. Lunch time is appropriate for this. You can word your invitation to say that the ceremony will be followed by lunch.

Please don't do a reception on a Saturday night that is 4-5 hours long and does not have any alcohol. This is when people would be expecting alcohol.

We are doing afternoon for the event

If you are inviting ANY drinkers the first thing they are going to say when they walk into your reception is "what the fuck, where's the booze". Is that really the first impression you want them to have? You could always warn them beforehand and then they can spend all Saturday getting ready for the boozeless party they aren't excited for.

Also it's insulting that you think that your guests would drink and drive. As a stressed out middle class American who really enjoys a beverage, I never drink and drive. I plan for it. I would get a hotel and/or pay for a taxi (even if it was an outlandish fee).

My last point I would like to make is $400 dollars for a bar setup is a really good price. It probably includes setup, take down, ice, mixers, and the licensed bartender. Many people on here who are on a budget are paying for much more.

@Miami2NorthernVA I love this idea. Do a brunch or lunch reception. No one will expect alcohol there. Perfect solution.

@Mandi I can't speak of other countries, but this is not how liability works in the U.S. There are reasons not to have a dry wedding, but this isn't one of them.

We are doing a late lunch reception

What is late lunch? Specify? What time is your ceremony and reception?

@Lillian I think you are fine. I don't have an issue with a dry wedding if it isn't a 200 person evening event with a DJ and a 4-5 hour reception. In those cases I feel like the person is being cheap. A ceremony followed by brunch or lunch is fine by me and I think would be by most people. And I would much prefer a nice lunch over just cake and punch.

@IslandGirl Thanks.

ETA: I think people do still expect alcohol at a wedding, I just think it is more acceptable to have a day event than a night event and to keep it short if you aren't having any

Even at a cake and punch reception, I'd hope that it's spiked.

I love that you admitted to only scrolling looking for answers that support your decision.

#thatsnothowthisworks

No one has been rude or immature. Flagged and flagged.

Sock hop. Yep.

I only did minimal scrolling bc I only have 5 minutes between classes to look