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Couple explains why they’re not serving alcohol at their wedding on Election Day
Engaged couples are banning alcohol at their weddings to prevent political arguments leading up to Election Day
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A soon-to-be-married couple confessed they’re not offering alcohol at their wedding this fall due to potential stress over the 2024 US presidential election.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Illinois-based couple Katei Newell and Elijah Gallinger revealed their wedding is taking place on Election Day, which is November 5, because the date worked best for their family.
Although Newell acknowledged that the date of the wedding could lead to political conversations between guests, she’s not necessarily worried about arguments. “I think there will be people on both sides, but I don’t think anybody will cause any crazy trouble,” she said.
However, she explained that alcohol won’t be served at the wedding, considering it takes place on voting day. “We thought maybe not having liquid truth running through people’s veins on Election Day is a good idea,” Newell said.
Meanwhile, engaged couple Shannon Hendrickson and Drew Fitzmaurice, who are getting married in Massachusetts on November 2, expressed they don’t want the election to impact their special day. As a result, they plan on having signs at the venue that read: “No politics zone.”
Since they’re expecting guests with different political views, they wanted to avoid conversations about the topic at the wedding altogether. “We are going to put it out there that this day is not the day to talk about the election,” Hendrickson said. “You can do that tomorrow.”
Boston-based couple Dena Skeadas and George Panagopoulos noted that while they’re having a 200-guest wedding weeks after the election, they’re still concerned. “We have a pretty politically diverse guest list, so my biggest concern is no matter how the election turns out, there are going to be some folks at our wedding who aren’t celebrating,” Skeadas said.
The bride-to-be admitted she’s worried that the winner of the presidential election could seriously impact the political state of the country. “It’s scary to think about the effects of certain outcomes, and how people are going to react, and how the countries in the world are going to react,” she said.
Still, she acknowledged that her friends and family are still focused on celebrating the major milestone at her wedding. “We are going to be surrounded by so much love,” Skeadas added.
There are less than two weeks until Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, faces off against former US President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. The 2024 presidential race has only become tighter, with some new polls showing a thin Trump lead.
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