Adding A Bit Of 'spirit' To Your Wedding

Adding A Bit Of 'spirit' To Your Wedding by Chris Morton

For many people a wedding just isn't a wedding without a champagne toast. However, many couples are offering alternatives to champagne with wine and sparkling cider. Yet, how do you know which champagnes are best and what wineto serve with what food? Here are some tips and tidbits to help you in choosing the spirits for your wedding reception.

The Wine Many people choose to serve wine with their wedding meal. While your caterer will probably have some suggestions for a specific wine, there choice is ultimately yours. Approximately 30 to 50 percent of couples serve white wine, while 30 to 50 percent drink red wine. Only about 10 to 20 percent of couples serve a white zinfandel.

So how do you choose which wine to serve? First think about your guests. More women than men drink white wine, and more men than women drink red wine. So if you have more women you will want to serve more white wine. Yet, your entrée also dictates the wine choice. For instance, Sauvignon Blanc is a good seafood wine, while Chardonnay is best with chicken, pork, and seafood. Red wines like Merlot and Cabernet are a good choice if you are serving beef or red sauce pastas at your wedding reception.

The Champagne Champagne will be an expensive part of your wedding food and drink budget, because it is much more costly than wine. Champagne is a sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region of France. You can purchase sparkling wines from other regions, but they cannot carry the label of "Champagne" unless they come from that region.

Still, champagne is a great way to toast the new couple. Since most couples have a variety of people offering formal toasts during the wedding reception, it is a good idea to order enough for everyone to have two glasses of champagne.

Personalize It Some other couples find that adding a personalized label adds a nice touch to the wedding reception. There are many companies that offer personalized labels in order to offer wine as gifts at the reception or to just add a special touch to the champagne being poured.

No matter how much wine or champagne you plan on serving at your wedding, you should also understand that not every person will want or can have alcohol. Therefore, a fun alternative is to offer a sparkling cider. There is sparkling grape, apple, and even apple-cranberry that provide a similar look and feel as champagne. It is a nice way to make children and non-drinkers feel included.
About the Author

Chris Morton ran hotels and restaurants for 17 years - catering for 100's of weddings. His wife Sue is a wedding planner with 10 year's experience. Together they have established http://www.TheWeddingWizards.com to provide unbiased help for brides and grooms.