Over the generations, many of us have become used to the idea that there’s barely such thing as a wedding without alcohol. Of course, that’s not quite true – Muslim and Hindu weddings, for instance, do not traditionally involve alcohol. Recently, however, there has been an increasingly noticeable trend towards ‘dry weddings’ in the West, even outside of these cultures.
Could it, then, be an idea worth embracing for your own nuptials?
What’s causing ‘dry weddings’ to become so popular, anyway?
There are a number of factors behind the rise of the ‘alcohol-free’ wedding. One of these is simply the greater tendency for many people to eschew alcohol altogether these days, with recent statistics suggesting that about a quarter of those aged between 18 and 24 are teetotal. The last few years have also seen a major rise in alcohol-free challenges like Dry January.
It probably shouldn’t be surprising, then, in this changing cultural climate, that many couples planning Gibraltar weddings decide to embrace the ‘alcohol-free’ approach for their own special day.
You might have your own reasons for preferring a sober wedding
Traditionally, people have tended to organise alcohol-free weddings for one of two reasons: either they belong to a religion that doesn’t permit alcohol, or someone important who will be present at the wedding doesn’t drink, so the couple decide to respect that choice.
The reasons you choose to have a dry wedding can, of course, be absolutely yours. You might, for instance, wish to ensure everyone set to attend your wedding feels included, for fear that a wedding involving alcohol might deter them.
Or it may even be the case that you don’t drink, your spouse-to-be doesn’t drink, and most of your invited guests don’t drink, either. In that case, you might like the idea of skipping the financial expense that would be associated with alcohol at your wedding.
The message we’re trying to get across here, is that making your wedding alcohol-free is absolutely a valid choice, even when you aren’t doing so for reasons of religion, health or addiction.
Allow us to help you construct your dream Gibraltar wedding
There are many ways to approach the subject of alcohol at your wedding, and you might not want to go as far as not allowing alcohol at your nuptials at all – you may, for example, simply wish to encourage slightly more mindful drinking among your attendees.
And there can be various ways to help ensure this is the case at your wedding – for example, getting the bar at your venue to stock up on low-alcohol beers and craft sodas, or having a dedicated ‘temperance bar’ that only serves non-alcoholic drinks. A water or lemonade station could also be a great thing to have set up at your wedding.
Here at Sweet Gibraltar Weddings, we’re highly skilled and experienced when it comes to planning Gibraltar weddings of all shapes and sizes! To find out more about how we could help you put together your dream special day in the British Overseas Territory, simply reach out to our experts today.