Getting home safely from a wedding needs to be planned in advance, just like the venue or the menu. The best options are: a taxi for those who came without a car, a sober driver for those who came by car, and one or two people who don’t drink at all.
At a Georgian wedding, everyone knows how the evening goes. At the start, everyone says “I’m driving”. In the middle, the tamada follows one toast with another. And at 2 am there are ten cars outside the venue and hardly a sober owner among them.
Why is this the host’s business too?
Because your guests came to you and are leaving from your celebration. If something happens on the way home, it will overshadow the memory of the wedding forever.
The law is strict too: knowingly handing your car keys to someone who is drunk is a 1,500 GEL fine (Article 115¹ of the Code, in Georgian). At a wedding that’s not an unusual scene: one brother hands the keys to another, “you drank less than me”.
What can the hosts do?
What works best is what you do before the wedding, not on the night itself.
- In the invitation or the wedding group chat, mention that the way home is taken care of: give a number guests can call for a sober driver.
- Book drivers in advance for the guests you know are coming by car and will drink. Date, venue, rough time and number of cars. That’s what our wedding driver service is for.
- Agree with the tamada to remind guests at the end of the night: “Those of you who came by car, don’t drive, the drivers are waiting.” At a Georgian table, the tamada’s word carries weight.
- Name one person from the family or friends to keep an eye on who is going home how at the end of the night.
What can guests do?
If you know you’ll be drinking, the simplest thing is to leave the car at home and take a taxi. That’s always the best option.
If you need the car, for example because the venue is out of town or you have to go somewhere else that night, then:
- agree with your partner or a friend who won’t drink and will drive;
- or call ahead and book a sober driver;
- or just save the number, +995 597 333 200, and call when it’s time to leave.
What should I tell the operator?
Four things: the date, the venue address, the rough time and the number of cars. Plus the destination addresses, so the price can be worked out. The price depends on distance.
If you don’t know exactly when the wedding will end, that’s fine: give a rough time and call to confirm if needed. A 15-20 minute wait is no problem.
What if the wedding is in the regions?
A wedding in Kakheti, Mtskheta or Imereti is a double problem for guests from Tbilisi: a long road and the night. Finding a taxi is hard, and so is leaving the car.
Out-of-town trips are arranged in advance; the operator confirms the details and the price. More on our out-of-town page.
And the morning after the wedding?
Weddings often end late at night, and in the morning many people think they’re already sober. The law assumes alcohol leaves the blood at an average of about 0.15 per mille per hour, so the morning may still be too early.
How many hours it really takes is explained in this article. And what you face if you get it wrong is in our article on drink-driving penalties.