If
your place of wedding reception is a catering
hall, you should ask at the location if they allow people to bring
in their own wine before you purchase your wine
for your wedding. Some locations require you
to purchase your wine from them. If you are allowed
to bring in your own wine you should also ask if they have a corkage
fee and how much it is. The corkage fee can be as high as $12.00/
bottle which will really bring up the cost of your wine.
Don’t
be intimated by all the wine choices available
to you for your wedding reception. Generally,
people's preference in wine will require you
to order 40% of your wine in white and the remaining
60% in red wine. Find a winery
or a wine supplier that is knowledgeable so they
can help you choose the appropriate wines for
you and your wedding reception.
It's
always best if you can taste test the wines for
your wedding before making a purchase. We have
some wonderful wineries in our region that produce
great wines. Trust your taste buds when taste
testing the wines. If a wine
taste good to you and to whomever is doing the tasting with you,
chances are your wedding guests will enjoy it
to.
The
amount of wine you will need to purchase will
depend on the number of wedding guests you are
expecting and if you will be supplying wine for the wedding
reception dinner, for the cocktail hour while the guests wait
for you to arrive, at the bar during the dance and/or for toasting.
The usual rule for calculating the amount of wine
you will need is about 2-3 glasses per guest. Depending on the
amount of wine you pour into each glass, on average
a 750 ml bottle of wine will serve 4-5 glasses
and a 1.5 liter will serve 8-10 glasses of wine.
The cost of wine varies greatly. Usually wines
start at about $8.00 a bottle and go up to about $60.00 per bottle.
So the total cost of your wedding wine can really
fluctuate depending on the cost per bottle and the number of bottles
you will need. You can also buy wine in boxes.
They come in sizes from 3 liters to 16 liters depending on where
you buy your wine from. Usually the larger the
box of wine, the better the savings will be. Keep in mind that
you can usually return unopened bottles and boxes, so if you have
a large box opened at your wedding reception
you will not be able to get any money back for the unused portion.
Another advantage boxes have is the plastic liner holding the
wine collapses as the wine is
used, keeping out any air and preventing the wine
from oxidizing. Unused wine will keep for 2 to
3 weeks in a box, compared to unused bottle wine
will only keep for 2 to 3 days when refrigerated. If there are
parties or holidays shortly after your wedding,
you may be able to use the left over wine if
it is in a box. Because the boxes have spouts on them, you can
pour the wine into carafes for the tables and
let your wedding guests serve themselves or have
the wine poured in the kitchen into wine
glasses on trays and then serve them to your wedding
guests.
You
may wish to have a sparkling wine or champagne
for the toasts at your wedding. This will make
the toasting a little more special. When calculating the amount
you will need, you should allow for one glass per guest of sparkling
wine or champagne.
Wedding
banquet halls sometimes require you to purchase your wine
from them. If this is the case, ask to taste their house wine.
This is quite often a nice wine that is reasonably
priced. Ask them if they have a liquor licence or if you are required
to obtain one for your wedding yourself.
Some
couples decide to give bottles of wine to their
wedding guests as favours. You can give the standard
size bottle of wine or special small bottles
are also available. On the labels you can include a thank you
note to your wedding guests with your names and
wedding date.
If
you are buying your wine from a retailer or wine
supplier don't forget to tell them the wine is
for a wedding. Ask what their return policy is
on unopened bottles or boxes and see if they have any other discounts
available to you. Some wine suppliers are now
offering to pay for a percentage of your wine
glass rentals to encourage you to buy from them.
Making
Your Own Wine
You can also make your own wine for your wedding.
There are many places in Ontario where you can
purchase kits to make your own wine for your
wedding. If you do this, find a location that
is both knowledgeable and helpful. If you plan
to make your own wine, keep in mind that the
taste is not guaranteed and it may be a little different from
bottle to bottle. A nice touch is to have customized labels made
for your wedding placed on the bottles.
