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alcohol-free reception???

Bridetobeme30Bridetobeme30
First Comment
in Iowa-Des Moines
Any thoughts on a alcohol free reception? One of the places I like (Iowa Arboretum) says no alcohol, while some winery's charge "corking fees" for anything other than their wine (White Oak Vineyards), and most places require off-duty police officers if you are having alcohol and that can cost upwards of $35/hr with a 4 hr min. I personally could care less if we had alcohol, but my FI has expressed that he thinks it would be "lame" to not have alcohol at the reception. Has anyone else had this delimia? How have you gone about makeing a decision?
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Re: alcohol-free reception???

  • jumpingbeanx2jumpingbeanx2
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Having no alcohol at the reception isn't lame, especially if it's going to cost a lot just to have it.  The people who attend your wedding and reception are going to be fine without alcohol, they came to help you and your FI to celebrate your marriage.  My FI and I decided for alcohol, but we're not having a full bar.  We'll have a keg or two of beer and maybe a few favorite drinks of mine and my bridesmaids.  Most of our friends and family are beer drinkers anyways so that was what worked for us.  We're also having our reception at a place where we don't have to pay extra for bringing in alcohol, if we did have to pay extra we might not have decided to have any.
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  • isufans4everisufans4ever
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I didn't want alcohol at our wedding but my FI was the same way...he was adament about having a "bar" at our reception.  However, our reception hall doesn't have a bar of any sort so we are having to bring one in from an outside source...it is proving to be a difficult task.
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  • krysh2302krysh2302 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are doing an alochol free reception. We are doing a day time wedding, and just felt it was a good way to save on costs. With alcohol, you usually have tapping fees, keg fees and security fees.

    We are getting married at Jester Park Lodge in Granger, and are substituting a Sparkling Cider for the champagne.

    Instead of serving alcohol at the wedding, we booked rooms at the Ramada Resrort in Urbandale, are having a "post wedding swim party" after the wedding festitives are over with. That way, we can relax, drink some beers and enjoy the free water park!!

    But don't worry...IT"S  NOT LAME!! :D
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  • farmgirl8806farmgirl8806
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Having alcohol present is a personal preferance.  I've been to a few wedding receptions that were held in a church and no alcohol was present.  It is likely that people won't stick around very late if alcohol isn't present.  Of course, it all depends on your crowd.  If you chose to not have alcohol, you could have games, DJ, etc. to keep guests entertained without even having alcohol.  Our reception is at my parent's farm.  My FI has a cooler ("the kegerator") to keep the kegs cool.  My dad is getting Miller Lite from HyVee because it tends to foam less than other beers.  One of my sister's was married on our farm as well; they put the kegs in big tubs with water and dry ice.  Since we did it all ourselves, it made the costs cheaper.
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  • harpjenharpjen member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am wanting an alcohol-free reception, my FI is insisting that there be at least beer and a champagne toast.  We are having a mid-day wedding with a simple cake/punch reception.  Personally I don't want the boos because, I do have a great need to party hard and long.  We are also planning to have an intimate dinner after the reception with our immediate families and out of town guests, and there will be a bar, and I'm sure we will all be drinking by that point.  No I don't think it is lame, I just need to convince my FI about that!  Good luck!
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  • Bridetobeme30Bridetobeme30
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks everyone! We are trying to work it so that we can find a place that will at least let us have beer and wine. I still couldn't care less one way, but since we haven't settled on a venue yet and I'm still waiting for information requests from two other possibilities, there's a chance that we can have minmal booze. I don't want a full bar because it doesn't fit my budget and I'm in the air about cash bars. I get that it's rude to make your guests pay, but open bars can get pricy. So, thanks for the suggestions!
    image 31 Total invites!
    image 21 Are ready for a good time! image 7 Are sorry to miss the fun! image 3 Are making me crazy!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
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