Did you serve alcohol at your wedding reception?

[Bethy Lou]

The norm in the South is to have a dry reception, but we had a large wedding and decided to have alcohol. It was more expensive, but we do not regret it at all and no one got out of hand!

 

[SandraVB79]

Every (non-Muslim) wedding in Belgium includes alcohol, so mine will too (if it ever happens)

I have been to quite a few weddings in the US (well, in Texas actually) and all were so different. One was at a B&B near Austin and included way too many margheritas (nevermind I was far from being 21 at that time! : ), the others were all at churches and only included punch (whatever that is) and cake.

Btw, I never get that "no alcohol at church" thing. After 14 years of Catholic school, one of the few things I remember was Jesus changing water into wone...

 

[CheshireVal]

The norm in the South is to have a dry reception, but we had a large wedding and decided to have alcohol. It was more expensive, but we do not regret it at all and no one got out of hand!

I don't know if I'd call it the "norm."

Most of the weddings I've been to have all served alcohol at the reception. Actually, the only exception I can think of was my cousin's wedding, but she and the groom were only 20 and couldn't drink, anyway.

 

[nataliela]

The norm in the South is to have a dry reception, but we had a large wedding and decided to have alcohol. It was more expensive, but we do not regret it at all and no one got out of hand!

I guess it depends on what part of the south because I am pretty far down here and have only been to one wedding with out liquor - all others have been a completely open bar

Heck- We even serve wine and champange at our bridal and baby showers!

 

[4greatboys]

We did. My husband is catholic so I think its required

 

[Bethy Lou]

In the rural parts of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee that my family and husband's family is from there is not alcohol served at the receptions. It could be a rural Southern thing, but people were pretty surprised when we said we were having it.

 

[vettechick99]

I find it sad that you feel this way. Weddings are not all about the party but about celebrating the actual union of the couple. Frankly if I knew someone had that attitude I would not want them at my wedding anyway. True friends and family would not only care about what was available to eat/drink imho.

Don't misunderstand my post. I know I won't be long because if it's dry, it's a church reception and no one will be there long. See, in the south there are two types of receptions - daytime, church ones with punch, and nighttime party ones with dinner, dancing and booze. The daytime ones last about an hour or so - you munch, you socialize, you leave. The nighttime ones are an all-evening event. And I have never been to a nighttime party where they didn't serve alcohol. But if there ever was one, I would munch, socialize and leave. You won't catch me dancing without alcohol - for me and the people having to watch me!

 

[Angelhalo]

My DH's dad provided an open bar up to $2000 as our wedding gift. Once that ran out, it became a cash bar. We also had a champagne toast. We had people on his side of the family who wouldn't have even come if there was no alcohol.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Yep--open bar throughout the reception. In fact, our bar bill was higher than our food bill. Fun times!

 

[Angelhalo]

I don't think they were making fun, but commenting on how different receptions can be. Not having an open bar here would be like not serving cake, or serving cake, but having the guests pay for it.

Ditto. And I know some people enjoy weddings with no alcohol but they make me Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz, what the heck are you supposed to do if people aren't getting jolly?

 

[Bethy Lou]

Ditto. And I know some people enjoy weddings with no alcohol but they make me Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz, what the heck are you supposed to do if people aren't getting jolly?

I completely agree with you. My dad is in the Air Force so I was not raised in the South, but all of our family and husband's family said that alcohol at a reception was not normal. I was shocked and my mom and I agreed it would be kind of boring, in our opinion, without it. So we had a Disney wedding and everyone had a great time!

 

[Angelhalo]

I don't find it offensive, but I do find it sad that you feel that way. We had a dry reception (we paid for the reception ourselves and just didn't have the money for alcohol) and the dance floor was so packed that I left the dance floor so I could breathe. We partied into the night, and there wasn't a drop of alcohol.

So I guess I don't get the stigma of needing to have alcohol at a reception to have fun. But I've never been a person that has needed it to have fun anywhere.

Based on the dry weddings I have been too, yours sounds like a minority. Any I've been to have been dull dull dull

 

[disneymom3]

Heck, we had an open bar at my dad's FUNERAL - he was always adamant about that...

OH I have to say I love this!! My dad would have loved that too! It was quite a racaus wake I will say, but only a couple of bottles of wine were available. We just didn't think of it.

The place we had our wedding was an historic mansion and you had to jump through some major hoops if you wanted to serve anything other than champagne. Which I don't get, but whatever. So that is alll we had. Worked fine for me because I didn't want the expense (for my parents) and my brother had been stinking drunk at his wedding and I didn't need anyone drunk at mine.

 

[themilesfamily]

My DH has many relatives in AA -- we took them into consideration and decided not to serve alcohol at our reception.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Yup and a lot of it

 

[lillygator]

absolutely - full bar!

 

[powellrj]

we had a church basement reception so we didn't serve alcohol and to be honest we don't drink so it never occurred to us to even think about serving it. We have been to lots of reception's with and without alcohol and have had fun both ways.

 

[MushyMushy]

Open bar for the wedding party and cash bar for everyone else. I felt my parents were being pretty generous in paying for the open bar for the wedding party because they don't drink at all. In fact, nobody on my side of the family drinks!

Also, it's customary to have cash bars where I live. I bet my in-laws thought we were so tacky. I think things like that are only tacky if you go against your own cultural norm.