You are organizing your wedding, and you want the party to be perfect? I completely understand!
You have selected your caterer, and now it is time to think about the drinks.
Your caterer will handle the soft drinks (water, juice, and possibly sodas). But what about the alcohol? White wine, red wine, and champagne are the favorites for couples in France, served during the reception, the meal, and the dessert.
How can you accurately estimate quantities to satisfy everyone without unnecessary surplus? Here is my guide to help you plan the ideal quantities of drinks for your wedding.
How Much Champagne for Your Wedding?
Champagne is often reserved for the reception and dessert. If you choose this option, it is recommended to plan for half a bottle per person.
If you are not big Champagne lovers, you can offer a cocktail made with sparkling wine for the reception—not necessarily Champagne—such as a Kir Royal with crème de cassis, a soupe champenoise, or a local version like a soupe gaillacoise. Or, go with your favorite cocktail: Mojito, Spritz, Moscow Mule—the possibilities are endless!
En dessert, en revanche, privilégiez un vin pétillant pur.
If you are looking for local products, Occitanie is full of vineyards. For a wedding in the region, I recommend two sparkling wines:
How Much Red and White Wine?
Most often, after the reception, guests sit down at the table for the meal. They then have the choice between white wine and red wine. Rosé wine is offered less frequently, but it can be lovely for a summer wedding.
To accompany the meal, here are the recommended quantities:
- 1 bottle of red wine for every 3 people
- 1 bottle of white wine for every 4 people
- 1 bottle of rosé wine for every 4 people if you choose to serve it
Pour un mariage dans la région, je vous recommande :
– un vin rouge du Minervois (ce sera l’occasion de découvrir la Montagne Noire ou les Corbières),
– un vin blanc doux comme le Tariquet, premières grives de préférence (les toulousains savent!) ou le Pellehaut.
What About Serving Beer?
At the weddings I plan, more and more couples are opting for beer, which adds a touch of conviviality and freshness. A lager (bière blonde) is preferred if you only choose one; select a light one that will appeal to the majority of your guests. In the region, there are many local craft beers. Here are a few examples of local breweries:
- Brasserie des Vignes (Tarn)
- Caporal (Toulouse)
- La Biérataise (Haute-Garonne)
For a wedding, the simplest option is to use a kegerator with kegs. With this solution, you will be less stressed about quantities: generally, you can return any kegs that have not been tapped.
Be careful, a beer dispenser and kegs take up space! Do not overlook this in your preparations; your car will be very full!!!
Soft Drinks
When we think of wedding drinks, we usually think of alcohol. However, non-alcoholic drinks are essential. In the summer, temperatures can be high—we regularly have heatwaves—and your guests will need to drink a lot. (You will too, for that matter!)
For the reception and meal, I recommend planning for at least 1.5 L of water per person, both still and sparkling. Keep some stock for the night; people who dance get thirsty!
I love the idea of welcoming your guests with a refreshment: lemonade, iced tea, fruit juice, and infused waters. You can set up a simple bar where everyone helps themselves and discovers your wedding venue with a glass in hand while waiting for the ceremony.
L’accueil se fait généralement en milieu d’après-midi, avant la cérémonie, alors je vous conseille d’éviter l’alcool!
Logistics and Inventory Management
The Corkage Fee
A corkage fee is an amount due at certain venues if you bring your own drinks. The owner, caterer, or restaurateur then imposes a payment for each opened bottle that does not come from the venue. Imagine what that can add up to for a wedding!
In Toulouse and Occitanie, most caterers and venues do not apply a corkage fee, which means you can provide your own selection of drinks at no extra cost. I advise you to check the fine print of your quote!
Attention, si vous vous mariez dans un domaine viticole, les vins du domaine auront la priorité, et il est très probable que vous ayez un droit de bouchon si vous insistez pour apporter des vins extérieurs.
Storing Drinks Before, During, and After Your Wedding
When you choose your drinks, you will have 4 priorities:
– your tastes,
– food and wine pairings (bring your menu to get recommendations from your wine merchant),
– quantities,
– budget.
Vous n’y pensez pas toujours, mais le stockage de vos bouteilles est un point clé, avec la logistique associée!
Before your wedding, where will your drinks be stored? Who will take them to the reception venue? Who will transfer them to the fridges? When?
Le jour de votre mariage, le traiteur se chargera de les servir.
For the brunch, which is most often chosen without service, who will serve the drinks?
And after the wedding, what happens to the unconsumed drinks? Where will they be stored? Some wine merchants take back unopened bottles, some take back unopened cases, and some take nothing back because they do not know the conditions in which the bottles were stored.
Depending on the type of wine you choose, I like the idea of keeping a few bottles for wedding anniversaries. But cases of wedding wine taking over the whole house? That’s a no!
Anticipating Glassware
For each drink, its glass…
Flute for Champagne,
Two types of wine glasses for red and white,
Soft drink glass,
Cocktail glass,
Spirit glass,
Beer glass…
The list can get very long!
If your caterer is handling the tableware, they will need to know all the drinks you are planning so they can adapt the glassware accordingly.
Be careful: if you haven't hired service for the late-night bar, the caterer will pack away all the glassware at the end of their shift! Ask them for extra glasses to stay hydrated if you plan to dance the night away! And a flute for your best man's toast at 3 AM!
Summary Table of Beverage Quantities for Your Wedding
To help you, here is a table estimating the number of bottles based on the number of guests for your wedding. You will find the quantity of drinks for a wedding of 50 people, as well as for 150 people.
Note: alcohol quantities are in bottles and not in liters!
| Number of Guests | Champagne (bottles) | Red Wine (bottles) | White Wine (bottles) | Water (liters) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 25 | 17 | 13 | 75 |
| 80 | 40 | 27 | 20 | 120 |
| 100 | 50 | 34 | 25 | 150 |
| 150 | 75 | 50 | 38 | 225 |
By anticipating these quantities well and discussing them with your caterer, you will ensure a successful wedding with drinks suited to your guests and no waste!
Le sujet vous paraît trop complexe, et vous avez besoin d’un accompagnement pour l’organisation de votre mariage ?
I help you orchestrate every detail of your big day, including beverage management and coordination with your caterer.
Contact me today for an unforgettable, serene, and perfectly organized wedding!
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Photo Credits:
– The Luuxx Photographe (cover photo)
– Alex Schmautz
– Vanessa Madec
Wedding planner and/or secular ceremony officiant:
– Delphine Goudy
