Is anybody else having a dry wedding?

Onceinalovetime · October 2013

It's not my choice to have a dry wedding, but It was our choice to get married and have our reception in the church we have always gone to. So we have to follow the rules. Also the future in laws can't stand alcohol and didn't want to come if we were having it, so it just wasn't in the cards for us.

What has been your experience with a dry wedding?

arrippa · October 2013

I can let you know later this month as I am going to a dry wedding in the rec center of our church. I can't imagine it being as long as a reception with alcohol and dancing but I am sure I will have fun.

Onceinalovetime · October 2013

Oh we're having dancing just no alcohol

fre3doms · October 2013

I've been to a dry wedding. Instead of having the alcohol they got an upgraded sweets table. That was a wonderful idea and very yummy. I think lots of us were hyped up on sugar and the dancing was fun.

thejucheidea · October 2013

We're not having booze! We don't drink and neither of our families drink much. Our friends also aren't big drinkers, but if they want to drink, we're having an afterparty at our house that will have some booze. No one seems to care that there won't be alcohol.

HisGirlFriday13 · October 2013

I have been to two versions of a dry wedding. One I didn't mind, and one seriously pissed me off.

The first was straight-up dry. The parents of the B&G, who were paying for the entire reception, did not approve of drinking (religious reasons), so there was none. There was dancing, toasts, etc. It was a standard reception, just no booze. That was fine. I had no problem with that.

The second one, only the WP (B/G, BMs, GMs), got to drink. For the rest of us, it was dry. They wanted to "save money," so we ate off paper plates with plastic utensils, but by God, the bride and groom drank champagne all night. I was NOT OK with that version of the dry wedding. I was pissed.

I think as long as it's straight-up dry, you're fine, I really do. I don't know anyone who goes to a wedding reception *just* for the booze.

Unrelated to dry weddings, I don't like receptions that have slideshows, multiple toasts and/or speeches, or anything else that forces the guests to be a captive audience.

WonderRed · October 2013

The only dry weddings I've been to were afternoon cake and punch receptions in a church atrium or gym with no music, dinner, or anything. It was fun to talk to people and congratulate the couple but I'm not sure I could say they were fun, so much as they were nice. They were definitely short, no more than an hour. I personally can't imagine having my own wedding without drinks just because wine is so deeply engrained in our social circle and family traditions but I think it's really a to each their own thing. I think it's entirely possible to still host a really fun wedding, complete with all the bells and whistles, without alcohol. There are definitely lots of levels of happy medium between cake and punch and an all out crazy, drunken party.

bunni727 · October 2013

We had a dry wedding (park rules and budget). They are the norm in our social and family circles. I don't know anyone personally who had alcohol at their wedding.

Chipmunk415 · October 2013

Mine's going to be semi dry. We're having late morning ceremony with lunch reception, so I kinda raised the eye brow at the idea of serving booze at lunch. We are however offering mimosas with appies while we do photos, and will have a champagne toast.

daria24 · October 2013

I've had a similar experience to @HisGirlFriday's. I've been to one dry wedding that was at a family B&B. It was in the afternoon (With full meal), on a huge wrap around porch. I am not sure whether they didn't have alcohol for budget or religious reasons, but it didn't matter. The food was amazing, everyone had a nice time chatting, I didn't even think about the fact that there wasn't alcohol until talking about the wedding later.

My other experience was a tacky as all hell wedding where the WP had champagne and the rest of us barely got enough soda to drink. There was a lot of improper hosting going on, the alcohol was the least of my issues with the wedding.

Iloveshanej · October 2013

We're having a dry wedding and everyone is fine with it. I've been to them and I think it's perfectly fine. Our ceremony starts at 2 pm and we plan on leaving our reception (both are at the same venue) no later then 5:30 pm so 3 1/2 hours without alcohol isn't going to hurt anyone plus it's mid day. We are inviting some of our close friends and family to our house that night to have a bonfire and some adult beverages since we're not leaving for our honeymoon right away.

ei34 · October 2013

I've never attended a dry wedding (I don't know anyone who is that religious or doesn't drink lol), but I feel that if that's what your or your fiancé's family is comfortable with, you should go for it. I wouldn't not go to a wedding because it was dry, I'm sure all of your guests will have a nice time and most importantly I hope you and your fiancé enjoy!

Rebl90 · October 2013

My FI and I are having a dry wedding since alcohol is not permitted at our venue (it is a historic estate owned by a church). We are still doing dinner and dancing and putting money that would normally be used for alcohol towards classic bottled sodas (Coke, Rootbeer, etc) and we'll also be having an Italian soda bar (if you haven't had an Italian soda, you are missing out!).

aurianna · October 2013

I went to a dry wedding once. My good friend from college had alcoholics in her family and she was marrying into a very religious family that didn't approve of alcohol so they kept it 100% dry.

It was a sweet church wedding and then the outdoor reception was outside of a B&B. It was very simple; sandwiches & chips at picnic tables. Cake and a fondue fountain (I knew almost all the people who used it, so I wasn't too weirded out by germs. It was yummy). The DJ was good and figured out fast what kind of songs the crowd would dance to (we're the YMCA / Love Shack and Cha Cha Slide type of crowd).

So we all had a ton of fun. I think it helped that it was a very casual reception and that my college friends only drank together every once in a while anyway.

But anyway, a dry wedding can still be a very fun time.

aurianna · October 2013

I wonder if the double posts get my post count nice and inflated.

thelastdreamer · October 2013

We're having a dry wedding. I've been to great dry weddings and awful dry weddings. I've also been to great weddings with alcohol and bad weddings with alcohol. I recently went to a dry wedding that had amazing food, a fun DJ and wonderful hosts, and it was a blast. Nobody seemed to miss the alcohol.

Inkdancer · October 2013

I'm having a dry wedding. The ceremony will be at 11 am, with lunch served at the reception. I don't think FI's extended family will be thrilled, but it was the right decision for us.

mstallae · October 2013

I have only been to one dry wedding and it was terrible! It wasn't terrible because the wedding was dry though it was terrible because it was improperly hosted.

The wedding was dry for both religious and budget reasons - both of which I respect - however, the ONLY drinks available the ENTIRE time were tap water in plastic pitchers on the tables and ONE bottle of sparkling apple juice (750 ml bottle) for a table of about 8 people. No juice, pop, tea, coffee, etc...

The food was take-out chinese food and it was COLD by the time we got to it (was served buffet style where you had to go table by table to get it). The plates were the cheap dollar store ones that are so flimsy that you can barely put any food on them before they started to bend.. and the cutlery was plastic.

There were some nice aspects of the wedding - her dress was beautiful, and the cake looked nice (I say looked because i didn't get to taste it .. there wasn't enough for everyone...) ...

Anyway I digress a bit here but my point was that a dry wedding CAN be lovely and just as much fun as any other wedding with alcohol I'm sure - but just make sure to host your guests properly! (Not saying you weren't going to do this!)

Also an Italian Soda bar sounds A-MA-ZING and THAT alone might make me completely forget about alcohol because I'd enjoy it so much!

GypsyWife_ · October 2013

ive been to 2 dry weddings. both were borring but not because it was dry. there was no music or dancing.one of the weddings my kids werent fed. i had to purchase french fries from the resturant it was held at.

margaretskye · October 2013

We're having a dry wedding. Both of FI's parents are alcoholics and neither of them are able to be around alcohol without abusing it, so we think it's definitely for the best. We're going to have lots of music and dancing though, so it will (hopefully!) be a grand old time! Much grander than if his parents were inebriated, that's for sure.

TerriHugg · October 2013

I've been to a dry wedding before and had no issue with the lack of alcohol. I don't know if they had a dry wedding because the bride was pregnant or because of religious reasons. Regardless, it was dry and I had no issue with ti being dry.

What I had an issue with was sitting alone at a table with people I didn't know while my hubby sat at the sweetheart table. What made it suck was that for the most of the night the dance floor was only open to the wedding party as announced by the DJ. So I had a grand time watching members of the wedding party including by hubby have a fun dancing while I sat there and watched.

RebeccaB88 · October 2013

I've been to many dry weddings. They haven't been the full-on party atmosphere that wet weddings have, but they've all been fun in their own way, and I can't say I honestly missed the alcohol. They're just different. Most all of them were dry for religious reasons.

kerbohl · October 2013

I'm having my reception in a church basement, and I asked very nicely and they finally allowed me to have one class of wine for every guest. It has to be pre-poured to ensure that there is indeed only one glass per person, but the church was okay with it. So it is not really a dry wedding anymore per say. I was a little worried about it at the beginning, but as long as you find a way to keep guests otherwise entertained, I don't think they will mind the lack of hard alcohol.

kerbohl · October 2013

Curse you weird double posts!

clg1213 · October 2013

We're having a dry wedding for a number of reasons (personal stuff) and I have to admit that I'm a bit nervous. I know I personally feel shy dancing w/o a little "help" and I just feel more celebratory with a glass of wine.

But, I think it helps a lot that it is a brunch wedding (10:30 reception, 11-12 mingling hour, 12-1 brunch, 1-3 DJ w/ dancing). I think it also helps that we're a little older (it's my 2nd, his 1st....I was 28 the first time and had a full bar and an evening event)...I'll be 36, he'll be 35..I think that makes for a bit of a different dynamic. I am telling a handful of folks to kind of hit the big groups and spread the word...it makes me more comfortable and I think it is good for people to have the right mindset going in. Yes, I'm trying to make myself more comfortable by rambling. It is very much the right decision, but not an easy one

lovesclimbing · October 2013

Our wedding was dry. Neither of our families drink, H and I drink very rarely and most of our friends don't drink or drink in very limited amounts as well. Also, the reception was in our church's reception hall which did not allow alcohol. And, we had a 2 p.m. cake and punch reception and those are generally less conducive to having alcohol.

I find dry weddings to be just as fun as wet weddings. Most of the weddings I've been to have been dry (as I mentioned above, my crowd just isn't much for drinking).

Is anybody else having a dry wedding?

Re: Is anybody else having a dry wedding?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards