If you’re hosting a wedding, it should be the best day of your life. It’s a joyous occasion where you make memories and make a vow to share the rest of your life together. They come in many shapes and sizes these days and where once booze was a centrepiece of the event, many people are now opting for a more sober occasion.
There are many reasons for this, most commonly for those in recovery from addiction, having gone through alcohol rehab and now being committed to a new, sober and healthier lifestyle. To this day though, a sober wedding is something that is a little more unusual and there are a few tips to make sure it works just as well for both you and your guests…
Communicate Clearly
First of all, communicating that your wedding will be a sober one is the most important thing. You should do this well in advance and can do so either on your save the date cards, the wedding invitations or on your wedding website, if you have one. Ideally, it will be all three, just to reiterate that’s the case.
You can be transparent in why you wish to do this, and most guests will certainly be respectful of this. After all, they’re coming to your wedding – they love you!
Offer Fun Non-Alcoholic Alternatives
A good way to combat no alcohol is by offering exciting non-alcoholic alternatives. Getting creative with your drinks menu, perhaps with a great range of non-alcoholic cocktails is a good way to do this, while a solid range of alcohol-free beers will also be appreciated.
By doing this, you’ll ensure the offering of drinks isn’t dull and there’s still plenty to taste and try.
Focus on Delicious Food
Rather than what people are drinking, put more of an emphasis on the food that will be eaten. Food at a wedding can be delicious, it’s also easy to get wrong, so take more time to create a flavourful menu that will leave a lasting impression.
There are dozens of ways you can put more of a focus on the food element, whether that be a three course meal, sharing platters or something more interactive like food vans or different stations around a room.
Plan Engaging Activities
Keeping the energy levels high is important at a wedding. Alcohol will often lower inhibitions and get people dancing, but you can also do this with various activities. Arrange different games and elements of fun throughout, whether it be outside with lawn games like croquet, giant Jenga or games of cricket or crazy golf, or indoor forms of entertainment like photo booths with props, live bands, or if you’ve got the space, you could even go all out on fairground activities like coconut shys or dodgems! It’ll make your wedding nice and lively, and people will forget they’re even missing the alcohol.
Embrace the Meaningful Moments
Finally, embrace the meaningful moments. Often alcohol can be a detriment to the meaningful moments across a day and lead to regret. However, a sober wedding can make sure everyone is in the present for the important moments across the day, from the speeches to the cutting of the cake, the first dance and more.
In fact, the entire day becomes all about enjoying each other’s company rather than finding the next free drink at the bar. Which is certainly going to make for a brighter and more memorable occasion, for all the right reasons!
