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Sometimes, a couple choose to have no alcohol at their wedding. This can be for religious or personal reasons, and it does not have to be a problem in planning your wedding reception.
Even though you may choose to have no alcohol, it is considered proper etiquette to have two bottles of wine per table so your guests can toast the bride, and partake of other toasts during the speeches. No other alcohol needs to be served at your wedding.
So what other options do you have if you choose to have no alcohol at your wedding? If you want to stick to the more traditional, you could have non-alcoholic cocktails, alcohol-free wine and alcohol-free beer. You could have special cocktails named after the bride and groom that are alcohol-free. There are many great punch recipes that could be served as cocktails.
I, personally, use a particular punch recipe for church functions and other events that do not allow alcohol, that many people THINK has alcohol. The secret ingredient? Apple juice—but don’t tell anyone! I had one lady tell me she was getting tipsy from the punch, and I just smiled, gave her a secretive look, and quietly said, “We can’t actually serve alcohol here”. She was delighted and thought we had snuck in some alcohol—but the punch had no alcohol in it! It was the apple juice. You can find the recipe under the Resources section.
If you want to get away from the usual alcohol-free type of drinks, you do have other options. Imagine coffee stations instead of bar stations serving a variety of flavoured coffees, and maybe even a special cappuccino station. For the non-coffee drinkers, you could have a special Chai tea station (the smell of the spices alone will bring people to try it out), or an herbal tea station. Or how about a hot chocolate station—not some packaged thing, but real hot chocolate made the old fashioned way!
If you are into healthy foods, maybe a station with lots of fresh fruit with a blender to make smoothies and other juice drinks is the perfect solution. You could have a “bartender” there to make them for your guests, and they could try out all kinds of juice blends. Think of commercial outlets like Orange Julius or Booster Juice to get more ideas.
With the large number of diabetics today, remember that sugar-free options are a must. Of course there are the usual diet drinks, but water is a popular choice. Consider large pitchers of water with sliced lemons, limes, or oranges. It flavours the water and it is a very healthy option. You might even consider pitchers of this water on each table.
Just because you choose to have no alcohol at your wedding, does not mean your drink selection needs to be boring. There are a lot of great choices beside the typical cocktail. You might even choose a non-alcoholic reception just because it is more reflective of your personality. Not everyone is into alcohol, and the options I have talked about can be a lot of fun.
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About Angela Fiebelkorn