How to Choose Wine for Your Wedding. Selecting your wedding wines can seem overwhelming if you struggle to tell the difference between Syrah from Shiraz. However, this process can be made much easier if you stick to a few basic guidelines. Read this guide to discover more about how to choose wine for your wedding.
Where to Start?
The majority of couples choose to serve one type of red wine and one type of white wine as well as a sparkling wine. When selecting wedding wines, your main considerations will be:
- How much of our reception budget will we reserve for wine?
- How many bottles of wine will we need for our guests?
- Should we have an even split of red to white wines, or should we alter the ratio?
- Will we use the venue’s wine, or shall we bring our own?
- Will this wine pair well with items on the menu?
- Will our guests enjoy this wine?
- Will this wine fit my wedding budget?
Use the Venue’s Wine or Bring Your Own?
Option 1: Using the Venue’s Wine
Your wedding venue will only charge you for what is consumed, so this may prove to be quite a cost-effective option. You can further minimise costs by setting a cap on the number of bottles to be used. Many venues will have an expert sommelier on staff who can help you choose the best wine for your big day. Don’t forget to enquire if the venue also offers a complimentary wine tasting.
Option 2: Bring Your Own Wine
More and more couples are now choosing to bring their own wine as this grants them greater control over the budget. Remember, if you choose to BYOB then the venue will charge you a corkage fee so be sure to ask about this before settling on a venue. Corkage fees encompass a diverse range of things such as:
- Tax
- Chilling/storing bottles in advance
- Staff serving the wine
- Use of the venue’s glassware
- Potential breakages
- Disposal of glass bottles
How Much Wine Should You Provide?
Your wine budget will entirely depend on how many adult guests will be attending your reception. When calculating your budget, don’t forget to account for non-drinkers. If you intend to supply the wine yourself, then you will need to work out how many bottles to bring in advance. You should get about six glasses of wine per bottle, so it’s best to allocate one bottle per guest. Generally, people will drink three glasses over the course of the meal.
Learn More about Wine for Weddings
If you are in the middle of planning your wedding reception and you need some extra guidance on wine selection, then be sure to take a look at the infographic from Lakeshore Convention Centre. Click here to view the infographic guide to find out more about menu pairing, serving options, cost-saving tips plus much more!
Article Credits:
Write-up: Lakeshore Convention Centre
Images: Pexels
