Save On Champagne!

Having champagne at your wedding can get very costly very quickly. Check your bar package to see if champagne is included. Oftentimes, there is only a champagne toast included with the option to upgrade your open bar to include champagne all night. If pricey champagne all night long is not in your budget, serve it just for the cocktail hour. Most people will not drink champagne all night anyway, they just have a glass or two to get the party started. By the end of the night, no one is even aware that champagne is no longer an option. If you are being charged on a consumption basis for the champagne, serve it as a champagne cocktail rather than a full glass of champagne. It'll last twice as long that way. Try a bellini, kir royale, or mimosa. You'll still get that elegant champagne feel for a smaller price tag.

If you need champagne suggestions, I have three. My top pick for a more inexpensive, sweet champagne, try the Martini & Rossi Asti. For a local champagne, try the Carpe Diem from Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, NY. If you want to go all out, my favorite champagne is the Veuve Clicquot Rose.