Wedding of the Weddings
Wedding of the Weddings is an annual gathering in Poland for couples who have had alcohol-free wedding receptions. Since 1995, the events have taken place in different towns across the country. Couples attend with their children to enjoy an all-night, alcohol-free dancing party, share ideas on planning alcohol-free celebrations for all ages, and spend several days exploring local culture.
The event is multi-layered. There are conferences at a local university with talks by researchers on family life, as well as discussions with local government representatives about family support and alcohol-related issues. A social program offers sports, sightseeing, field trips, and picnics, and performances by folk singers and dancers—sometimes joined by pop stars—accompany the meetings.
The main moment of each Wedding of the Weddings follows a traditional wedding rite. In the evening, a Holy Mass is held at the local cathedral where a bishop blesses the couples after the wedding vows. A wedding parade then moves through the town to the restaurant, where a reception begins. The reception features a polonaise, an old Polish dance, and lasts until about 4 a.m., with dancing and games guided by professional entertainers.
The idea began with Reverend Władysław Zązel, who promoted alcohol-free weddings in his parish in Kamesznica, where most weddings were alcohol-free. He spoke about it on Radio Maryja in 1995, and listeners nationwide started contacting him about organizing alcohol-free weddings. He suggested gathering those couples for a meeting—the Wedding of the Weddings. The first two meetings were held in Kamesznica, then in many other cities including Zamość, Częstochowa, Kraków, Białystok, Warsaw, and beyond; in 2017 the event took place in Trąbki Wielkie and Gdańsk, and in 2018 in Ludźmierz. In 1999, Zązel and the couples visited Rome to be blessed by Pope John Paul II.
Attendees include folk groups from various regions of Poland, and occasionally pop stars perform as well. A key aim is to counter the feeling of being outsiders at weddings without alcohol by bringing together people who share this lifestyle. In non-alcoholic weddings, toasts may be replaced with table speeches or non-alcoholic celebrations, and the entertainment continues with group dances and games. Many non-alcoholic weddings are organized by teetotalers, and participants often join temperance societies, promoting a non-alcohol lifestyle for their families and communities.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:46 (CET).