Planning for your wedding day is in full swing, and it’s high time to think about the wines that’ll be served on this very special occasion… The question of Champagne arises – which one should you pick? And how much should you plan to serve? Let us help you with our top tips!
Which Champagne should you pick for your wedding celebrations?
First things first, there are two schools of thought: house Champagnes and grower Champagnes.
For a wedding, the upside of choosing a Champagne from a renowned house (think Roederer, Bollinger, Taittinger, Pol Roger, Philipponnat, Billecart-Salmon, Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon…) is that the vast majority of your guests will be familiar with the brand. But if your budget is more limited, you can always opt for Champagnes at more affordable prices. This is where grower Champagnes typically offer excellent opportunities, usually available for under €35. These include Virginie Bergeronneau, Brigandat, André Robert, Pierre Moncuit, Tellier and more…
All Champagnes for sale on iDealwine
And if you’re not particularly set on serving Champagne, you might even consider a Crémant from the Loire or Alsace, or a Vouvray, for example. We’ve even got a selection of wines under €20 lined up for you.
How much should you plan to serve?
Basically, the amount of Champagne you buy really depends on your guests, when you’ll be enjoying it, and the weather.
Are your guests mainly young, older, coming with children, lively party-goers…? One thing to keep in mind is about 10–15% of your guests may not drink alcohol at all during the evening.
If you’re planning a cocktail reception with exclusively Champagne (with no other drinks on offer), we recommend you plan for 1 bottle for every 2–3 people. For dinner, you’ve probably chosen either red or white wine (depending on your menu), settling for about one bottle for every 3 guests. You might also want to switch back to Champagne for dessert (make sure to follow our Champagne food pairing guide to avoid any mishaps). Here, you need to plan on 1 bottle of Champagne for every 6 guests.
If the weather forecast predicts hot or even sweltering weather, your guests are likely to drink less wine and Champagne. Unfortunately, that’s impossible to predict months in advance when you’re figuring out how much to buy…
Generally speaking, we can all agree that it’s better to have too much wine than not enough at a wedding, don’t you think? You’ll no doubt delight in sharing and sampling the wine from your wedding with family and friends in the months after your big day! To ensure you have enough wine, you should plan for about 1 whole bottle of wine (including rosé, white, red, and Champagne) per person for the entire event (cocktail reception, meal, and evening).
