Wedding Drinks

A Toast to the Bride and Groom

Drinks such as champagne are associated with weddings. Most guests will enjoy at least one glass of champagne, if just only to toast the bride and groom after each speech.

Generally speaking champagne comes from a region in France and anything else labeled champagne and not from that region is just sparkling wine.

What you serve your guests is really your choice and what your budget will allow. It is worth asking the advice of an expert, this could be someone from your venue, or a wine merchant.

Before making your final choice on wine try a few samples of the recommendations that they make.

Listed below are some terms that you will come across if you are considering offering alcohol at your reception.

Limited bar means there is a limit to what is served to your guests. It is your choice. If you only choose to offer wine and something non-alcoholic this is fine.

Open bar means a bar containing hard liquor for mixed beverages, plus beer and wine and maybe an after dinner drink.

Cash bar if you offer a cash bar your guests will have to pay for their own liquid refreshments. You may choose to offer wine and soft drink, and then if the guest would like some liquor, they pay for it themselves. Many people feel that a cash bar may offend their guest, so it is really up to how you feel about doing this.

Tips on Wedding Beverages

Image by thomas milne

• Buy your wines well in advance if you can.

• Try to buy when the sales are on.

• If your budget doesn’t allow for champagne, buy the best sparkling wine that you can afford.

• Serve cocktails or an alcoholic punch, named after the bride and groom this will help stretch the budget.

• Serve wines that your guests won’t recognize. If you serve well know brands they may be able to work out how much you have spent on them.

• Don’t feel ashamed or be afraid to buy discounted wines.

• Don’t serve a better wine at the bridal table. The guests will notice and be offended.

• Have the waiters refill the wine glasses only when requested.

• Don’t be afraid to organize a pay bar once the formal part of the reception is over.

• Have a limit on the amount of alcohol severed. The more the guests consume, the more you will pay.