Figuring Out How Much Champagne and Wine for your Wedding

This is one of the most commonly asked questions among brides- and grooms-to-be.  They all want to ensure that guests have a wonderful time and that a lack of alcohol doesn’t cause the celebration to be cut short.  Yet, booze can be a big part of the overall budget, so they can’t afford to overspend.

How much wine?

Fortunately, the caterers and party planners who have done this sort of thing for a living for years have created some very useful calculations.  As a general rule, a bottle of wine, during the length of the reception, will be enough on average, to serve two guests.  Therefore, if you count up the guests who are of drinking age and divide the number by two, you can quite easily determine how many bottles of wine will be necessary.

Here are a couples of tips, though:

#1. Do Not Overspend on Wine.While it is nice to serve a great glass of wine to each guest, most people are not wine connoisseurs and will be just as happy with a $15 bottle as they would be with a $65 bottle.  Furthermore, be sure to inquire about prices per case.  Very often, if you buy by the case you can save a dollar or two per bottle.

#2. Consider the Other Alcohol Being Served. These calculations do assume that most people will be drinking wine.  If you will be serving cocktails as well, then you can reduce the number of bottles of wine you buy.  Cut the number down by 30 percent and you should still have plenty to keep the wine drinkers happy for the night.

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How much Champagne?

Again, there is a general rule that can be followed to determine how many bottles will be needed.  For a full glass of Champagne for each guest, divide the number of drinkers by four.  If you intend only to give half a glass to each person (enough for a toast), then divide the number of guests by eight.

Consider these additional tips as well:
#1. Don’t be Fooled by the Name.The only difference between Champagne and sparkling wine is the region in which it is crafted.  So, don’t shy away from sparkling wine for fear of poor quality.

#2. There are two major reasons why people will often opt out of a champagne toast:

1. Budget.A bottle of sparkling wine, on average, will cost $15-$25 dollars. If there are 100 guests and you intend to serve a half-glass toast, you can plan to tack on another $250 to your wedding expenses. If you are concerned with that number, then just ask people to toast with whatever drink they prefer.  It is the sentiment that counts.

Many People Don’t Like It.: While there is certainly a large demand for Champagne, not everyone enjoys a glass of bubbly.  It’s more than a little disappointing to see so much of a good thing go to waste at your wedding.  If this is your concern, we suggest that you ask before you pour.  Unopened bottles can be saved for another special occasion in the future.