‘Budtender’ serves guests weed at Oregon wedding reception

An Oregon couple opted to go with an open bar at their wedding, but instead of serving up free drinks, a “budtender” doled out legal weed to guests. 

Newlyweds Whitney Alexander and John Elledge set up an open weed bar, or “cannabar” as the bride called it, at their wedding reception in a tent on a Christmas tree farm in Oregon, the local NBC affiliate KGW reported Tuesday. 

“We were shocked by how much people loved it,” Mr. Elledge said. “I’m still getting a couple of texts a day from guests who enjoyed the weed tent.” 

The couple didn’t serve alcohol at the wedding as Oregon state law prohibits caterers with a liquor license from serving both alcohol and pot to guests. 

“On private property where no liquor license is involved, it is legal,” said Mark Pettinger with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

But a caterer with a liquor license cannot legally serve both beer and bud to guests. 

“We made sure we were legal,” Mr. Elledge told KGW. “We know the limit is 8 ounces so we had small amounts of 13 varieties with a budtender controlling consumption.” 

The couple arranged for transportation for their guests as well to ensure everyone was safe. 

“Even an 81-year-old woman who hadn’t smoked weed since the sixties came into the tent at our wedding,” Mr. Elledge said. “Though skeptical at first, she ended up loving it.”