What to do with a bar at a no-alcohol wedding?

Question

I am getting married soon but we decided to not have any alcohol at our wedding. The venue has a bar though. Should we ask them to close the bar for the evening or should they only serve non-alcoholic drinks? I we choose to close the bar, some guests might not be satisfied with only certain drinks available on their tables (eg. fruit juice, water, etc.) but if we open the bar, we cant expect the barman to remove all alcohol from the bar... How do we then tell the guests in a nice way that they can order from the bar, but no alcohol?

Answer 1

it is your wedding, you set the rules. there are several options, request no barman/maid and no alcohol serving. if you are going to have drinks available you could either have a few large punch bowls on the top of the bar or in jugs etc on the tables. it might be nice to still have wine glasses to drink from. as for the toasts you can buy non-alcoholic champagne/sparkling wine. but a toast can be drunk with any liquid, does not have to be alcoholic based. i would suggest you decorate the bar in some way and possibly have the main table situated in front of it which means there is no access. if they have fridges etc behind the bar displaying drinks it would be best to cover this in some way.



personally i prefer alcohol but i can enjoy an occasion just as much without it. i am there to share the time, not the booze and if people are only coming for the free grog do you really want them there anyway.



meanwhile i guess you could spread the word through friends and rellies but then i know a few people who would sneak their own in so it might be best to just keep quiet about it.



a sign, discretely on the bar might be an idea but i don't think it is really necessary.



have a wonderful day.

Answer 2

Find out if the bar can serve non-alcoholic drinks only. Make sure that it is understood that the bartender is not allowed to accept "bribes" to add a little to a drink.



I have been to many wedding where alcohol was not served, mainly due to religious beliefs, and no one said a thing about it and everyone had a good time and no one left early.



As a couple of others have suggested you could also just have a list of signature non-alcoholic drinks that will be served from the bar.

Answer 3

I would just shut down the bar. I have been to a couple non-alcohol weddings, and they are perfectly fine. Have a few different drink selections-- water of course, and then a couple of fruity punch or lemonade type drinks. Something a bit fancier than just plain old soda. And for the toast, use sparkling white grape juice or something.



You should just shut down the bar area altogether, because I think if people went to the bar expecting alcohol they might be disappointed, but if it's shut down entirely, they'll get the picture!! :)



And PS, at both of these weddings, the majority of people DID stick around after and have a great time, with the added bonus of no drunken drama!! They were both a lot of fun, so don't worry!!

Answer 4

I think people are being really rude about you not having alcohol. None of us knows their reasons and it is frankly none of our business. If people can't come to celebrate your marriage with you with no alcohol they are either alcoholics or not your friends at all. They are there to be with you it's not about the alcohol.



Anyway to answer your question have a sign made up and put at the bar that says no alcohol will be served or something along those lines. See if you can have an italian soda bar or have them make virgin cocktails instead. This way everyone will get a good variety, just without alcohol.



EDIT: Simple Lisa L she can tell the venue no drinking. She is the paying customer not her guests. It is her choice.

Answer 5

I would keep the bar open, serving only no-alcohol drinks. There needs to be a sign of the drinks that are available, and at the bottom is could say no alcohol...I dont know your reasons for not having alcohol, but is it possible for the guests to buy there own, if they really want it? I dont drink myself, but I personally know a lot of people who are invited to my wedding that wont have a good time without it...yes it sounds sad but generally its just the way it is. Anyways, congrats and good luck

Answer 6

It's your wedding and yes some people may leave but do you really want those people at your wedding then? They are there to love and support you and if they're only there to get drunk then maybe you don't want them there to begin with. I would suggest closing the bar just so there is no temptation for the guests, if you leave it open make sure your guests know beforehand that this is a dry wedding and then they can decide to come or not.

Answer 7

If you do not want the bar then that bar where reception is at, needs to be closed. Some guests are going to want a drink and if they even see alcohol at the bar they are going to go after it.

Answer 8

I agree with grammie that your guests will leave very early. They will come, eat, and then leave. If you are concerned about cost you could do a signature cocktail and have everything else a cash bar. Remember, just because you do not want to drink does not mean your guests will not want a drink or two . A wedding reception is a party and people will want to have a good time. Consider beer, wine, and a signature cocktail. You can also do drink tickets so that you can limit alcohol consumption.

Answer 9

My friend had no alcohol at her wedding, so instead of having an alcohol bar, they had a candy bar. They just had a bunch of different candies, and the best part was that all the candies went with their color theme. It played in perfectly.

Answer 10

My husband and I did not serve alcohol at our wedding either. Our catering manager told the bartender we weren't serving alcohol. They took all the alcohol out of view for us. The bartender then poured unlimited non-alcoholic drinks for our guests. We had sodas, juices, coffees, teas, and of course water. We told everyone there wasn't going to be alcohol at our wedding via word of mouth, actually our mothers told most of our relatives. Most of our guests knew before they got to our wedding there wasn't going to be alcohol. Everyone raved about our wedding. Nobody left before the reception ended either and it was a room full of alcoholics on both sides of our families, but they respected our wishes because they love and care about us.



Don't listen to people who try to convince you that you need to have it, you don't. It's rude for people to expect it and if they assume, well most people know how that saying goes. We opted not to have it because of all the negative effects we've witnessed among our families (DUIs, prison time, being in need of a liver transplant, child abuse, etc). Alcohol also makes both my husband and I very uncomfortable, as neither of us drink by choice. I also personally think it's pathetic that people feel they need to drink in order to have fun. I feel like people who need to essentially poison themselves are doing themselves harm, not to mention how it effects those around them. We actually had one of my husband's relatives say, "I CAN have a good time without drinking!" It's more sad than anything else, but knowing her issues with alcohol, we were pleased with this reaction.

Answer 11

this is a wedding venue problem, let them know that you don't want alchahol served and they can either close the bar in which case your guest will have water and juice (and the guest will LIKE it) or they can have the bar tender serve non alchaholic drinks (and possibly bring home some tips).

Answer 12

Maybe you can ask that they serve non-alcoholic fruity sort of drinks, you know the kind with umberellas and all. Except non alcoholic- if the venue would do that for you.

Answer 13

Thats a hard one to answer as we spent forever looking for a venue that had a open bar, because we want our guests to enjoy themselves and give them the option if they want to drink or not. We booked a fantastic venue, with a open bar, huge dancefloor and lots of open space!! I wish you all the best with your wedding but be prepared for some unhappy guests. I know I couldn't do it with such a big italian family, I think people would be very annoyed and not to mention insulted if I asked them to pay for their drinks.

Answer 14

Well the thing is that the people at your wedding are grown adults and although you do not want them drinking you really cant stop them and a bartender cant refuse them service if they are over 21 and a paying customer. Unless you are prepared to kick them out if they do drink there is really no stopping them. I personaly think it would be rude of you to confront a drinking guest unless they were drunk and disorderly. Also, how would you stop them? You cant put "No drinking" on your invitation and you can not tell each guest as they arrive that they cant drink.

Answer 15

Serve virgin drinks in decorative glassware to disguise the fact it has no alcohol. Make the drinks fun!

Answer 16

You have them serve non alcoholic drinks, at the bar. and have some signs made up at the bar says no alcohol will be served.



But plan on your guests leaving after dinner. If you don't want to serve or pay for liquor, you can still give your guest the option of buying their drinks. Have a cash bar.



I don't personally like cash bars, I believe them to be rude, but to me that is a better choice than not have any alcohol at all,



Again your guest will be leaving early.But this is up to you. This is your dry wedding.

Answer 17

we aren't doing alcohol either, we don't drink and most of his family doesn't drink either . i have been to a wedding to where there wasn't any alcohol and no buddy left after dinner

Answer 18

Not even any champagne for a toast??



Wow...



I hope you didn't spend too much money on a DJ/band because not many people will stick around for dancing and having fun!!



No offense, but people look forward to the booze at weddings, unless of course it is against your religion and they know ahead of time...



Good luck with that!

Answer 19

hm that's really hard actually.

I think you should tell your guests that their here for you two and not for the beer or the party, so apology and ask the barkeeper to keep it closed

Answer 20

mock tails and phoney beer!! you know that people are going to be sneaking there own booze in anyway... might as well have a good mix for them

Answer 21

well it's simply simple

you should train your self to not drink and drop of alcohol

after your marriage you can drink when ever you want....

simple eh ?