Champagne is a festive part of any celebration. However, not every wedding budget includes an allotment for cases of Dom Perignon or Cristal. Don’t give up on the idea of a champagne toast for your wedding! Check out these great ways to save money on your wedding bubbly.

When you shop for your bridal jewelry, you know that is is smart to shop around for the best deal on fine quality bridal jewelry sets. The same is true for your wedding champagne. Don’t just buy it from your local liquor store without going online and making a few phone calls to search out the best value. You may well find a better price at an online retailer, large warehouse, or even at a store in a neighboring state (for instance, brides from all over New England head to New Hampshire for tax free champagne and liquor for their receptions). Ordering champagne by the case will yield you a better price than purchasing single bottles.

There are a couple of things to check out when bringing in your own reception bubbly. First of all, make sure that your venue permits you to bring in your own champagne, as not all do. Also find out if there is a corkage fee charged by your venue or caterer; if it is very high, it might end up offsetting your savings. Be aware that not all states permit online sales of alcohol, so ordering your wedding champagne over the Internet might not be feasible for all couples. For many couples, though, the savings can be substantial.

When the budget for drinks is limited, you can also limit how much champagne is offered at your wedding reception. It is very common for champagne to be offered only at the time of the first toast. A simple tip to save on how much bubbly is poured is to have the waiters come around with glasses of champagne at the time of the toast, rather than having glasses of champagne set out for guests to pick up when they enter the reception. The reason is that by the time guests are seated at their tables, they may well already have another drink, and many people are just as happy to raise a toast with the drink they have and will decline the champagne.

Money can also be saved by choosing your bubbly wisely. If French champagne is a budget-buster, serve an alternative bubbly drink. Sparkling wine from California is a popular alternative to imported champagne. The Italian sparkling wine called prosecco is a very chic champagne substitute which many people really enjoy. It is a good idea to have a little taste test to select a sparkling wine which will taste appealing and not cheap. The key to picking a decent inexpensive bubbly is to select one which is not sweet tasting.

While it is not appropriate for the bride and groom to obviously enjoy a luxury they deny their guests, this is not to say that the newlyweds could not splurge on a vintage bottle of champagne while serving a tasty but affordable alternative form of bubbly to everyone else. Discretion is the name of the game. Do not ostentatiously display a bottle of Veuve Cliqot on the head table while serving a California sparkling wine to your guests (some of them are sure to realize that the bubbly in their glasses is not the same as the brand on display!). However, the waiter for the head table could certainly bring flutes of the newlyweds’ favorite champagne to their places while serving a more affordable brand to the other tables.

Toasting with champagne is an important part of a wedding celebration. With one of these ideas, you can enjoy that time-honored ritual while still staying on budget. Cheers!

Author Bio: Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, style, and society. Treat yourself to beautiful bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/. All jewelry orders over $99 receive free shipping.

Category: Marriage
Keywords: bridal jewelry, wedding champagne, wedding toasts, wedding receptions