Don’t let your most special day turn into a drunken brawl; there may be a fine line between an open bar and mass chaos at your wedding or reception. Use party planner tips and strategies that can help you avoid drunken shenanigans and snafus at your event.

Know the tips and tricks of when to say ‘when’ on your wedding day:

• Hire a bartender. Hire a pro to mix and serve your guests and let them shut-off guests that have clearly been over-served. Also, advise them to make weaker drinks during open bar hours or for guests that appear tipsy.
• Serve mocktails; no liquor. Instead of serving a full bar, consider doing something different and only serve ‘mocktails’, without liquor. These beverages will still awe and appeal, but won’t intoxicate your crowd.
• Serve only signature drinks. If you still want to serve alcohol, simply limit the options available. For instance, do not offer shots during your party. Also, create a couple signature drinks that you serve the guests but that limits the wide range of booze that you have on hand.
• Keep it short. You can avoid a drunken scene when you limit hours of service from the bar. Make sure to do this when offering an open bar, or you could face a bill that takes your breath away.
• Serve food. Serve your guests food throughout the event and give them something to nibble on with their drinks. This will help avoid a lot of problems!
• Use smaller glassware. Consider using smaller glasses for your cocktails during the event. This may help to slow-down anyone imbibing.
• Consider a different time of day. Have your wedding during morning hours, during a time when less or no alcohol would be served. For instance, have a wedding brunch with just a champagne toast.
• Give guests a ride. If you still want to serve your guests cocktails, consider providing rides or a shuttle for them to get home.
• Hire some security. Still worried about drunk wedding guests? Hire yourself some security to take care of any issues before they bloom into problems at your wedding event.

When making your wedding plans, consider hiring an officiant that does it all: Dr Viau. Dr. Viau is a wedding officiant and editor of Ottawa Wedding Journal in Ottawa, Canada, which brings the best in wedding advice and trends to light. He has performed over 1200 weddings and life celebrations- if getting married in Ottawa, consider him for yours!  With over a decade of experience in live performance, Dr. Viau pays attention to the small details that elevate your event. Dr. Viau welcomes the opportunity to bring cultural, religious or spiritual aspects that resonate and honor your heritage to your special day.