Alcohol free wedding?

I like to drink alcohol, especially on special occasions. It depends on your crowd. I don't think it's necessarily tacky but to be nice, you should give some sort of option for those who want to pay for drinks, or at least offer beer and wine. People will most likely leave weddings or any social function a bit earlier than normal, if there's no drinks. Drinks help people unwind, relax, talk, and dance even without being stiff or uncomfortable. That's just what it is! It's all up to you, I haven't even been to birthday parties with no alcohol. So a wedding without that option is just strange to me.

My husband does not drink at all - no reason in particular, but we had alcohol at our wedding. I don’t find dry weddings tacky. However, (and unfortunately) bar service usually allows guests to enjoy/unwind, mingle, get out of their seats, etc. You can opt not to have that, but I would recommend replacing it with something else. We also had a coffee bar set up where guests could order lattes and espresso and it was CROWDED. Or, a band, some form of entertainment, etc. You could also have a limited bar such as serving wine during dinner, or giving guests a certain number of drink tickets thereby limiting the amount of alcohol present. If you’re really uncomfortable with those ideas, skip it but definitely mention it on your wedding website if you have it.

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That's not selfish at all! It's your day and you should feel at your most comfortable to enjoy it fully.

There are a million reason to have a dry wedding and frankly, regardless of the reason, if people are going to refuse based on that one factor alone rather than enjoying your company on the a special day...it could be for the best and show who really cares about you and your FH. That's the way I am looking at it anywho (also doing a dry wedding...multiple severe allergies in the family).

One thing I would mention to prepare yourself for (if you haven't already nailed down a venue): Finding a venue will be harder.

Some venues restrict dry wedding dates harshly....limiting to off-season months only, Monday-Wednesday only, etc. More than one venue has told me they had to double the rental charge because of it being a dry wedding. One straight up refused to even give me a quote because "wouldn't make them enough money to make it worth the writing time". I am not saying this to be mean, but to share with you what to possibly expect. It may take a little longer to find the venue, so give yourself plenty of time.

If someone decides to not attend a wedding based on the fact there will be no alcohol served, I would not want them there in the first place. It is a special date for both the bride and groom, as well as their families, so the last thing that should be on a person's mind is if there will be drinks.

Most of our guests do not drink or are not heavy drinkers, so we opted out the option to pay the standard fee per head for alcoholic drinks. Instead, we will pay for what is consumed once the wedding is over. We hope this will encourage people to not drink more than they can handle.

View quoted message Its just mainly for my own selfish reason of not wanting to be exposed to alcohol since I had a problem with it in the past. I'm okay at saying no to things now and can go to bars with friends while not having any alcohol but idk, seeing everyone drinking while I myself can't have anything on my wedding day just seems odd

I’ve been to many alcohol-free weddings. The only thing I noticed was people were less willing to dance, even though dancing is still fun without it, but that’s what I noticed. We debated not having alcohol as well.

I say to each their own. I personally am not a fan of dry weddings (as I like to have a cocktail or wine with my dinner). I would just make sure to find a way to say it on the invite. or on your details card.
and those closest to you will understand if they know you aren't a big drinker.
you could also just do wine and beer. if you want.

I don't think that it's tacky but at the same time - it depends on the people that you invite. If there are a lot of kids and parents then it may not make sense to have a bar. It really just depends on the reasoning behind it. If you and him lead an alcohol free life then everybody should understand and not care but if it is money related; then sadly people will probably complain because it's what people love to do. They will find something to complain about no matter what.

View quoted message Ooh good thought! Don't want them to spend anymore money than they have to

It's not tacky at all. People choose to have dry weddings all the time. Perhaps find a way to let guests know ahead of time, so there's no surprises. (Some people may carpool, cab, get a hotel, etc, if they think they are drinking)

I don't think its tacky to have an alcohol free wedding, most of the guest we invited don't drink so we aren't having an open bar, just wine available on the tables. It's your wedding so its up to you how you want to plan it, and if no alcohol is what you want I think all your guest will respect your decision !

You could do a late morning ceremony and then have a lunch reception. People tend to drink less then so it won’t be noticed as much.

That said if you want your reception in the evening but don’t want drinking do that. It’s your wedding. And especially if there are reasons why you don’t want drinking (not just the cost) then your friends and family should support you. If you don’t mind other people drinking and you just don’t want to pay for it you could have a cash bar. Either way is fine.

If you and your FH don't feel like you need it, then skip it.

I don't consider it tacky, but it would definitely be a surprise since all the weddings I've been to offered an open bar.

You can still have fun without alcohol. No one is to judge you, just to celebrate your day and happiness.

View quoted message If alcohol has been an issue for you in the past and your both thinking of just going with a dry wedding that is completely understandable. You can still have fun without drinking. You may find people start to leave earlier than usual but I wouldn’t make it a big deal.

I have had a lot of trouble with alcohol in the past and thus don't drink anymore, but my fiance enjoys having a beer or two once or twice a month.
I definitely don't want the reception to go on that late so I think I'll be okay.

Depends. What time of day? Are you two drinkers? How late does the reception go? Is there a personal reason for it?
I personally would not have an issue if the couple chose to go no alcohol. Especially if they themselves don't drink. But it probably wouldn't be the late night party reception that carries in till 2 am then.