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In the middle of a dance floor surrounded by dim lights and tables decorated with wild flowers, someone asks for a “red fruits mocktail with basil.” There is no toast with cava, or white wine glasses. In short, there is no alcohol. And more and more weddings are rewriting the bridal script: goodbye to the champagne, hello to the mocktails with a hibiscal flower and the dance tracks without stumbling.
How without alcohol? More and more couples are consciously deciding to eliminate alcohol from their celebrations. The motivations are diverse: healthy lifestyle, background of addictions, religious reasons, or simply the desire to avoid the typical drunk drama at the party.
In a report for The Wall Street JournalGracie Giambrone, a marketing professional in Tampa (Florida), summarizes it clearly: “If it’s a day on us, it makes no sense to put alcohol just to please others.” Instead of a open bar, he will opt for live chefs cooking Paella and a handmade coffee station.
Tradition vs Trend. Here comes the clash. Some guests do not understand it and do not hide it, as is the case of American influencer Siobhan McCaffrey. Interview by the American media did not hesitate to qualify the experience as “the worst wedding of his life” after attending a celebration in Paris. “Your wedding is not just about you, it is also about creating a good experience for others,” also declared the WSJ.
And, despite the growth of the sober movement, most weddings continue to bet on alcohol. According to the Wedding Wedding Sector Report.in Spain 94% of couples claim to have served alcohol in their celebration. In addition, for 81%, it is still directly “essential.”
A slight change. However, there are nuances: only 58% of couples hired Barra Break for the final party, a slight drop compared to the previous year. And most interesting: the mocktails, without alcohol, are booming. “More and more work so that they are up to alcohol classics,” has pointed out in the newspaper Albert de O’Drink Molecular cocktails. In fact, in his letter, one third of cocktails are already without alcohol.
The debate is spilled in networks. The Argentine influencer Sol Carlos, with more than seven million followers on Tiktok, was a trend for a radical decision: his wedding I wouldn’t have a drop of alcohol. “Neither my partner nor I almost ever took. Maybe that money we invest in a show where we all enjoy,” he said in one of his most commented videos (now not available).
The reactions soon. Some supported their decision with a blunt “The wedding is yours.” Others asked for a “midpoint”: some alcohol, but without excesses. Also She was criticized for her intention not to invite children: “In several weddings that I was, the children destroyed decorations and nobody tells them anything,” he argued. The truth is that the debate no longer revolves around what is drinking, but how we redefine the meaning of the party.
There is a generational change. Behind this trend there is a new generation that begins to reconfigure the ecosystem. Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, already represents almost 20% of couples who marry in Spain, According to Bodas.net. And with them comes a new way of celebrating: more customization, less protocol, and a different relationship with consumption.
As we have already detailed in Xatakathis generation stars in a new underground of leisure that includes raves without alcohol, rest zones and sensory experiences designed to “heal a broken generation for stress.” For many young people, getting drunk is no longer synonymous with having fun, and emotional and physical well -being prevails even on holidays.
Rewriting weddings. And it is not just alcohol that is changing. Also the menus. In full explosion of conscious food, vegan weddings have gained prominence. This was shown by the tiktoker @rocio.girasol, which narrated a 100% vegan banquet: ham and cheese without animal origin, cauliflower croquettes, vegan gossip and chocolate brownies. Although the opinions were divided, the video exceeded 25,000 views. The debate is the same: is it all at a wedding, if it reflects the identity of the couple?
What do you get for? Maybe the answer is there, because they are finally ceasing to be crowded rituals to become personal expressions. Some couples choose classic luxury, others prefer fair -type celebrations or intimate parties with sustainable decoration. The important thing is no longer to meet others, but feel represented.
And that is very good. But it should also be remembered the context: today weddings are no longer only emotional rituals, but events of high economic, logistics and social voltage. In Spain, more than 160,000 weddings are celebrated a year, According to the INEwith an average expenditure per link that exceeds 20,000 euros. Guests, meanwhile, usually assume gifts Between 150 and 250 euroseven if the wedding does not feel like it, it does not suck them or not remotely close. They go because “it’s what touches.”
In the midst of that emotional and financial machinery, alcohol had remained the only collective consolation. The open bar was the prize: what justified the expense, the hours of travel and to the ill -ironed shirt. And now, that also disappears. This new generation not only changes the menu or the protocol: it eliminates the agreed drunkenness. Is it a revolution or a betrayal? It depends on who you ask. But if you are going to marry you and yours, do not forget that there are many others that – although they don’t say it – are there only for you.
Image | Unspash
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