Wedding Wines

So you have pledged yourselves to each other and are now in the midst of wedding fever. Anyone who is getting married in the next months will be up to their ears in wedding preparation and trying to cut corners to save money wherever possible. Whatever your wedding budget you always find that there is something extra that you haven’t budgeted for.

One of the things that you will have to decide over the next few months is the reception and as part of that, what you are going to serve your guests to drink.

Traditionally a wedding reception starts with the guests being given a drink on arrival and then they move on to tables and the meal. So what is the best thing to give your guest on arrival and what is best to serve at the table. This article tries to give an overview of the various things that can be served at a wedding and gives you a few options to make you wedding stand out from the crowd.

On arrival at a wedding reception many people like to serve a glass of sparkling wine or champagne. This can be red, white or rose depending on the time of year and the theme of the wedding. If you are on a budget it is good to know that cava (Spanish sparkling wine) is a good champagne substitute and can be just as good as champagne. Alternatively if it is a winter wedding you could serve mulled wine on arrival or a wine cooler (wine, fizzy water and fruit) if it is a summer wedding.

Then when it is time to move on to the main reception it is good to serve a mixture of red and white wine. It is good to have a selection so that people can choose which colour they want. Some people don’t like one or the other and it is also great to serve a jug of water – this will stop people from drinking too much and also allows those non drinkers to have a beverage too.

Whatever your style of wedding it is a good idea to source your wine through an independent online wine retailer. They will have a wide range of wines for you to choose from and will also be able to advise you on the style of the wines that you are choosing. There are many different independent online wine retailers but for a good range of wines why not check out Laithwaites.

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Fiona Muller has been writing for over 20 years. She is a qualified journalist and has worked in food and drink writing for the last few years, especially about wedding wine.