Well, I've never heard that one about the alcohol either and we've had an abundance of weddings in our family over the past 5 years. Ours of course, was just 5 years ago and a second marriage. Being the partents, we paid for the wedding, but we had a cash bar. Most weddings are cash bars these days anyway.

My daughter got married 4 years ago, next week. Between her father and I, we paid for most of the reception, but not the booze. Again, a cash bar.

We've married off one of my stepsons and my stepdaughter in the past 3 years. My husband paid for the whole wedding for his daughter, but not the alcohol and for his son, her divorced parents paid for the wedding but there was a cash bar. I'll have to ask him if he paid for the rehearsal dinners. I don't remember.

My first wedding - my father paid for the whole thing, including an open bar for a good portion of the reception. We finally shut it down.

I don't think anyone is obligated to pay for alcohol. I can't remember the last time I went to a wedding and didn't have to buy our own drinks. At my stepson's wedding however, his mother bought the alcohol. The town they got married in had funny laws. They only allowed alcohol if you supplied it and you couldn't charge for it.

Louisa