Not Serving Liquor at Your Wedding

Deciding whether to have alcohol at your wedding can be daunting. Traditionally, people have an open bar, with beer, wine and liquor drinks, as well as a champagne toast to welcome in the new couple. What happens though, if you or your hubby don’t enjoy alcohol or don’t want it at your wedding?

It may be an issue of comfort: some people prefer to not have alcohol around at all, for personal or religious reasons. Obviously, you should not be uncomfortable at your own wedding, so if you’d prefer the room to be dry, than it should be. People who know and love you will understand, and it’s becoming more and more common.

Decide if you’re going to have it in limited doses or not at all. If you are going to eliminate alcohol entirely, serving punch is the easiest and cheapest alternative. You can also have a “caffeine bar” which consists of sodas, coffees, espressos, cappuccinos, and teas for your guests to try.

In moderation:
If you decide you want to have some alcohol at your wedding, there are key times when you can have it in smaller doses. Toasting the new couple with champagne is a tradition at the reception, and an obvious way to include a small amount of alcohol into the festivities, while keeping your costs for liquor low. If you eliminate alcohol completely, sparkling cider is a good stand-in.
 
The size of your wedding really makes a difference with this stuff.  The larger the crowd, the harder it will be to disappoint expectation.  Here are some other options if you want to eliminate costs or control the amount of alcohol you have at a wedding:

Have a one-hour only cocktail hour.
This window gives your guests time to have some drinks, with a limitation on how much you spend and how much alcohol your guests consume.

Serve only beer and wine to your guests.
One of most cost effective ways to have alcohol at your wedding is to only serve beer and wine. Your guests have the chance to sample some great drinks without burning a hole in your pocket.

Whatever you choose, inform your guests. You can send out a casual email, or specify a “dry” reception on their invitations. Remember you never have to tell anyone why you decided to forgo or limit the alcohol. It’s your day, your wishes and that alone is reason enough!