'It Was Cheaper and Chiller': Couple Bans Alcohol From Karaoke Wedding

When people think of weddings, the bar is often a big part of the celebration. But while raising a class to the newlywed couple may be a tradition for some, others are more inclined to forgo the drinks.

Becky and Paul Cribdon hosted their own sober wedding in July 2022 and said that it was both cheaper and more relaxed.

"I think there definitely were guests that were a little bit disappointed, but there weren't many and everyone was very polite," Paul Cribdon told Newsweek.

Eleven percent of couples in 2022 said that they had a dry wedding with no alcohol, a slight increase from 2021 when the figure was 10 percent, according to a national wedding survey of nearly 1,000 respondents conducted by site Hitched.co.uk.

"When you combine with the latest Pinterest Predicts findings which show that searches for 'fancy non-alcoholic drinks' were reportedly up by 220 percent this year, and there was 75 percent more interest in 'mocktail bar' inspiration by users too, we can see that booze-free bars are on the rise driven by Gen Z's disinterest in the drinking habits of the generations before them," wrote the wedding site.

"I used to drink, especially in my Uni years, but I stopped when I ran out of money and didn't miss it all that much," Paul explained. "Becky has never drunk in her life. She says she's just not interested in it."

The couple said they had always hoped for a low-alcohol wedding, but were always fuzzy about how that would happen. Eventually, they agreed that they would have a completely dry wedding.

"It was only about a month before the event that we agreed with the venue that they would run a completely dry bar and we asked our guests not to bring any alcohol themselves," said Paul. "We were able to get that agreement with the venue through our personal connection with it—our venue was the local community theater where Becky and I volunteer. But even then, we had a little bit of pushback from the venue since they were worried about their bar revenue being very low."

Zoe Burke, leading wedding expert and editor of Hitched.co.uk, told Newsweek: "It might be hard to consider a wedding without the free-flowing bubbles, but when you think of it without the headache and hangover the next day, with all your memories of one of the most exciting events in your life intact, it becomes a much more enticing prospect."

The couple were thrilled to have their desired alcohol-free wedding, and their guests took it pretty well too.

"We have various friends at the theater who would normally be partying until 4 a.m. and they warned that our party would be over very quickly," said Paul.

Without alcohol involved, the party ended at a reasonable time and cleaning up afterward was minimal. And above all, the guests seemed to enjoy it.

"We had more guests tell us how much of a positive experience it was for them. Several guests had traveled from further afield, and when we announced it was a dry wedding they realized they would be able to drive back home the same night and save money on accommodation, which they really appreciated," said the newlywed. "Other guests just said it was really nice to have such a chill event without any worry of the party going over the edge and getting messy or dramatic."

Perhaps the most shocking for guests was that the couple had arranged for a karaoke machine at a party, which can often result in quite the drunken affair.

When it comes to dry weddings, the couple would definitely recommend it to others: "It was cheaper and chiller for our guests, the party finished when we wanted it do, and there was a lot less mess to clean up afterwards, both physically and emotionally," said Paul.

"We felt like this was the party where we get to decide these things. Of all the parties in your life, your wedding party should be the one you can do your way," he added.

Has a wedding come between your relationship with a loved one? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.