After the ceremony part of a wedding, the whole event can and will often turn into a party. This is supposed to be a special occasion to celebrate, after all. This can also mean the hosts after a tiring day need to potentially babysit a large, raucous, and drunk group who are ostensibly there to celebrate.

So one internet user shared a potential solution proposed by one bride. It involved creating ID badges for all the guests, complete with photos, that would, in theory, help limit how much alcohol they consumed. As one can imagine, the comments were divisive, as some mocked the idea while others thought it was clever.

Managing a horde of drunk guests is probably the last thing newlyweds want to do on their first evening together

Image credits: Jonathan Borba (not the actual photo)

So a bride posted what she thought was an innovative solution

Image credits: IndividualCoyote8427

Guests could even keep the ID cards as wedding favors, or so she thought

Image credits: Ono Kosuki (not the actual photo)

Adults prefer to be treated like adults, even if that means they get to make bad choices

Image credits: Engin Akyurt (not the actual photo)

Alcohol can be a touchy subject since it tends to go hand in hand with drunkenness, cultural expectations, and even personal identity. And this is before we get into alcoholism, the cost of purchasing it, and the health risks. So it’s no wonder that the bride wanted some, frankly, healthy limits on how much people were drinking. Some can’t help themselves at an open bar and will just keep drinking beyond what is healthy. As adults, they are completely free to do that, but the bride is at least keeping in mind that many will have to drive after the event. But the issue here is not her intentions, rather, her plan to limit drinking through ID badges and, presumably, some sort of checking system at the bar.

Most commenters noted that adults don’t like to be treated like non-adults. Once you are used to freedom, you aren’t going to willingly give it up unless there is a good reason. Alcohol is one of those hard-earned rights that most adults will not part with lightly. Because it’s often not just a drink, but a sort of social glue. A study of Scottish women found that drinking was more than just the consumption of a beverage, it was seen as a method to construct one’s identity. People used alcohol as a gateway to feeling younger again or to, briefly, leave behind certain norms and expectations. While it’s possible that people should perhaps seek therapy instead, it at least explains why someone might get defensive over alcohol.

Drinking at social events is so ingrained in our culture that even the idea of limits can be too far for some

Image credits: Miriam Salgado (not the actual photo)

Drinking already has a lot of symbols attached to it, based on cultural norms. In Austria, traditionally, certain drinks are only consumed in general gatherings, while beverages like schnapps (what a fun word) are reserved for gatherings with people closer to you, like friends and family. Access to one drink over another then literally signifies your status in the group. So the bride in the story is perhaps making a mistake by limiting the drinks, as it makes her guests, some of which are, no doubt, close friends and family, feel like they are being put into a more general category. Even though the reasoning is legitimate, they may feel that it’s like being given food stamps to eat at a family gathering.

Limiting alcohol might also send a signal to the guests that the host sees it as a moral issue. After all, in certain parts of the United States and the UK, drinking is frowned upon. So the guests might feel like the host sees drinking as a somewhat necessary evil and thereby would feel judged. It’s not exactly easy to party and let loose if you think there is someone watching and judging you. ID badges are also aggressively bureaucratic, and most people would associate them with paperwork, horrible photos, and other unpleasantries. To cap it all off, the bride mentioned using the badge as a wedding favor and I struggle to imagine a worse gift than a piece of plastic that happens to have a low-resolution image of my face on it.

Many commenters wanted to know more, and the OP gave some additional details

In general, the whole concept was divisive and raised more questions than it answered

Image credits: Charlotte Harrison (not the actual photo)

Many commenters speculated on how it would actually work

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There were some who understood the bride’s reasoning behind the idea

Some commenters even shared their experiences with similar systems

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