Bride Says She ‘Secretly’ Sold Alcohol at Her Dry Wedding to Cover Cost of Catering Bill

A bride says she and the groom made the decision to have a dry wedding to keep “the peace” with their families — but then she “secretly” sold alcohol to guests via a “hidden” bar at the reception.

She shared her story in a post on Reddit‘s “Am I the A——” forum, beginning by explaining that she and her now-husband planned their “dream” wedding with a guest list of 300 people. The only hitch? According to the OP (original poster), the couple’s families are “super conservative and very religious” so they told everyone they would be having an alcohol-free event.

“That decision kept the peace with our parents and extended family,” she noted.

She went on to explain that the couple was paying for the wedding themselves and she “saw an opportunity” to defray some of the cost. She chose to keep the plan to herself, not even telling the groom.

“I hired a licensed bartender friend of mine to set up a ‘VIP bar’ hidden at the venue (it was at a large event hall with a garden and private side rooms). I gave a heads-up to about 75 of our younger friends and more chill cousins, and basically had them pay for drinks — think wedding speakeasy,” she wrote.

She said the drinks were “reasonably priced” and everyone was “happy to pay.” As for the bride, the scheme was a success.

“Long story short, between the money from drinks and tips, we made about $2,000, which helped cover part of the catering bill,” she explained.

But things hit a snag when word got out about the hidden bar.

“A few of my aunts overheard someone talking about the ‘secret bar,’ and now my mom is livid. She says I lied to everyone, disrespected the family, and made a ‘mockery of our values,’ ” the OP wrote. “My [mother-in-law] also called me ‘manipulative and selfish.’ ”

But the OP argued in her post that most of the wedding guests “didn’t even know it happened,” and those who were aware “loved it.”

“We didn’t force anyone to drink,” she insisted. “We just gave the option discreetly.”

She said her husband is conflicted about the situation. “He gets why I did it, but wishes I had told him beforehand. I didn’t because I knew he’d get stressed and say no out of guilt,” she wrote.

The OP concluded her post by asking fellow Redditors if she was wrong for “secretly selling alcohol at my dry wedding to offset the cost.”

In the comments section, many readers had no issue with the OP setting up the hidden bar — but they did question her choice to not tell her husband about it beforehand.

“I was SO on board with you! This was a great idea… Until you neglected to inform your spouse! If you both had agreed then frankly I’d say your conservative family’s opinions don’t matter, BUT your spouse’s does!” one person wrote.

“Let this be a lesson in marriage for the future: always consult your partner,” they added. “The rest of the world can be against you, but you both should always have the other’s back.”

Others said the couple should have stood up for themselves and had the wedding they wanted, regardless of their families’ opinions.

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“Your life and your values are YOURS. Nobody has the right to tell you how you should live your life. You’re a grown, married woman. Grow a backbone and stop letting them try to control you,” one commenter said.

Another chimed in: “Either have a dry wedding to please the elders and honor the culture, or have a non-dry wedding because it’s your wedding and that’s what you want. But own it.”