I think you should definitely make it clear that people shouldn't bring alcohol. A note somewhere about keeping a dry household, or putting *please, no alcohol* on the invite would work. If we were invited to a casual afternoon housewarming, my DH would likely bring a 6 pack of beer and open one himself during the party, without waiting to be 'served.' He would have no problem not drinking, but our family and friends are all drinkers and beer is common for afternoon parties, even kid gatherings. We may not notice that you don't have beer out and don't want alcohol at your house. I would feel awful if we made you uncomfortable so please give your guests a heads up.

This thread amazes me. It's rude to not serve guests alcohol? Someone who doesn't serve alcohol shouldn't ever entertain at their home? WTF?

I drink, and will happily accept a drink if offered one at a party. I always have alcohol for guests, and I grew up in a family that did the same. But it's never something I expect at a party or event, and I CERTAINLY wouldn't expect that a family that keeps a dry home would serve alcohol to guests. What if the reason for keeping a dry home was that a family member was a recovering alcoholic/addict, or had been impacted by someone else's alcoholism/addiction, instead of keeping a dry home for a religious reason? Would you expect that family to serve you alcohol so you could have "every comfort" as a guest?

OP, I don't think there's any need to tell people you won't be serving alcohol, but it would be nice if you could find a way to tell guests you keep a dry home so that they won't bring a wine gift. I'd want to know that so I didn't bring you something you couldn't enjoy!

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don't drink. Not for religious reasons, but for personal reasons. I always serve beer and wine when I have a party because the majority of people will enjoy having it.

I once talked casually with a rabbi about when you accidentally eat something unkosher and he pointed out that we have a very forgiving God, and as long as our intentions are pure, we're good with God.

I don't know what religion you are, but I would think as long as YOU don't consume any alcohol, you'd be fine, even if you served it. Just serve what people bring, then pour out the open bottles and re-gift the un-opened bottles. (I always put a post-it with the name of the person who gave it to me and wrap it around the bottle with a rubber band so I don't give back to the person who gave it to me)

Depends on what faith she is and how orthodox she is. I'm Muslim and do not drink -- I was raised that way, though I have Muslim friends of my age group who do drink. I don't like to serve, but I also wouldn't have a problem if someone brought wine -- I'd just open it and serve it so I didn't have to worry about what to do with it. In my parents home OTOH -- there is no chance in hell they're serving, doesn't matter if the Pope or the President is coming to dinner.

But this thread illustrates why I hate throwing parties. I'd love to have people over, but I worry there are people who are like those on this thread who will think -- WTH, is she too cheap to serve or who cares what her religion is, I'm out of here in 30 min if there's no alcohol. I feel like most adults aren't like that -- they may not be thrilled with the lack of alcohol or they may not even care if they don't drink one night -- but there are some who still have that 22 yr old mindset of -- it's Saturday night, I MUST drink. And there's no easy way to tell people up front -- btw -- I'm not serving.