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.

Lemonade Bar

One of my upcoming weddings is featuring a Lemonade Bar during their cocktail hour. It's something that your guests will love to drink and it looks beautiful too! Here are some lemonade variations that you could include in a lemonade bar or as your signature drink:

Purple Basil Lemonade

In this recipe, basil is crushed with sugar to release the oils. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, process the basil, sugar, and about 1/4 cup of the water in a food processor or blender.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups water - 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice - 1/2 cup loosely packed purple basil leaves (about 1/4 ounce) - 6 tablespoons sugar - 4 cups ice - 4 purple basil sprigs

Preparation:

Combine 4 cups water and juice in a large bowl. Place 1/2 cup basil and sugar in a mortar; pound with pestle until a paste forms. Add sugar mixture to juice mixture; stir until sugar dissolves. Strain mixture through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Place 1 cup ice in each of 4 glasses. Pour about 1 cup lemonade into each glass; garnish each serving with 1 basil sprig.

(recipe courtesy of Cooking Light)

Vodka Thyme Lemonade

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar - 12 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish -4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 24 lemons -2 cups vodka

Preparation:

1. In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups water with the sugar and thyme; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.
2. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a large glass measuring cup; discard thyme. You should have 2 cups syrup. Cover with plastic; chill.
3. In a large serving pitcher, stir together lemon juice, vodka, and chilled syrup; garnish with thyme. Divide evenly among eight tumblers filled with ice; serve immediately.

(recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart)

This is a simple and relatively inexpensive way to make your event look elegant. Slice lemons, limes, and oranges into your lemonade and be sure to include large sprigs of the herbs you are incorporating to give it a punch of color.

Whichever recipe you choose, always make sure that the alcoholic versions are clearly marked and that there are non-alcoholic versions available.