No shots, no champagne, no problem? Why Gen Z is rethinking alcohol at weddings.

Kanika remembers her uncle once brought a water bottle filled with Bacardi Limon to a family wedding because the reception was only serving regular Bacardi. “Punjabi people who drink do not play about it,” the 27-year-old, who asked not to share her last name for privacy reasons, tells Yahoo.

So when Kanika realized her good friend’s wedding was not going to be serving any alcohol at all, on account of the couple’s families’ religious background, she took action. She drank before the wedding. She snuck liquor into a water bottle. She stayed out until 4 in the morning. And she even got the bride to take a sip.

But she wouldn’t go to that effort — or abstain from booze — for just anyone. “If there’s no alcohol, you will not see me,” she says. “If I have to pay for alcohol, you will not see me.”

Most Americans — and notably, Gen Z-ers like Kanika — are more open-minded when it comes to “dry weddings,” that is, celebrations that don’t include booze of any kind. In a Yahoo/YouGov poll of 1,597 U.S. adults conducted in late June, 55% of respondents said they had never attended a dry wedding (38% had), but an overwhelming majority (83%) said they would consider doing so in the future.

That said, when asked if alcohol should be served at weddings, most respondents (60%) said yes, compared with 16% who said no and 24% who weren’t sure. Younger adults between the ages of 18 and 29, however, weren’t so adamant; fewer than half (48%) considered alcohol a must, and 25% said it didn’t need to be served at weddings. That age group was also less likely to report drinking alcohol; just 3% said they drink daily, and 49% said they never drink (compared with 37% of 30-to-44-year-olds and 36% of adults over 45).

While booze-free receptions may not be the most popular choice, they are becoming more common as sober curiosity becomes more mainstream, particularly among younger generations. Google searches for “dry wedding” have risen over the past decade, spiking in July 2025, while wedding and event management companies like Taylor Lynn Corp. report an uptick in requests for teetotal celebrations this year. Anecdotal stories posted online, like that of the bride who secretly sold alcohol to guests at her dry wedding or the couple who hosted a midweek destination dry wedding, have lit comment threads aflame.

Even among Gen Z-ers, the topic can be divisive. Alexa, 28, has never been to a dry wedding. She would consider attending one but would do so “bitterly.”

“To be a wedding guest is a tremendous honor, but it is also a big ask,” she tells Yahoo. “A lot of times, people are traveling [to the wedding], so it can be expensive. The flip side of that equation is when I go to a wedding that is not as expensive, but I can tell that the bride and groom put thought into whether the guests would have a comfortable and good time. Regardless, there’s a reciprocal exchange of being together for a celebration. And to me, a dry wedding does not honor that.”

Serving alcohol, in Alexa’s opinion, is a way of being a good host. Even if the couple themselves don’t drink, having the option for guests is a thoughtful way to make sure that they are having a good time, she says. But there’s also a unifying aspect to booze, in her opinion. “Drinking can be a really communal bonding experience,” Alexa says. “I really enjoy that aspect of weddings. A lot of times you’re bringing together people who you really love in your life but may not have met before, and sometimes I think a nice drink can bring people together in unexpected ways.”

Nina, 26, has been to two dry weddings over the past year. She doesn’t drink much herself, and doesn’t really think that the joy of the occasion is necessarily tied to the presence of booze. “Both dry weddings had great receptions,” she tells Yahoo, adding that one open-bar wedding she recently attended was “way less hype” in comparison, despite serving alcohol.

Still, the lack of booze was a big talking point among guests — and for that, Nina blames some lousy mocktails. “I remember one of them was an espresso martini mocktail, but it was just really bad espresso,” she says. When done right, however, mocktails can take the sting out of not having an open bar, she adds. "Nobody was grouchy at Wedding One that had the great mocktails,” she says.

One wedding felt less “sober wedding” and more “sneak your drinks into dinner” wedding thanks to members of the bridal party smuggling alcohol into the reception. “It was nerve-racking, because if somebody saw it could’ve caused a ton of drama,” Nina says. “I think people know they can pregame in their hotel rooms and come to the reception after that.” She was bothered by people directly going against the wishes of the couple. “It really rubbed me the wrong way.”

There are many reasons why couples might opt for a dry wedding — personal preference, a history of alcohol abuse, keeping costs down, etc. The people who spoke to Yahoo about attending a dry wedding cited cultural and religious beliefs for the teetotal affair. That includes Kalli Roberts, who grew up Mormon and says most of the weddings she’s ever attended have been dry. But some guests don’t need a whiskey on the rocks to get raucous, she points out.

“I think it’s crazy to watch people behave the same way at dry weddings that I see at nondry weddings,” Roberts, 27, says. “Mormons do not need the social lubrication of alcohol to act completely insane. I think I feel a certain amount of shame watching men take off their shirts and tie their ties around their head like headbands at dry weddings, because I know they’re doing it of their own free will and volition. But there’s a certain lack of self-awareness — or maybe it really is just unabashed joy for the bride and groom’s union? — that is kind of awe-inspiring.”

Nina agrees that dry weddings aren’t doomed to be boring — so long as other social lubricants are on hand. “A great DJ and hype friends can really make or break it,” Nina says. “I think it’s a lot more important than the alcohol.”