The drink at your wedding is an important part of the celebrations. Just like the food, a splendid drink can heighten the bliss and enjoyment of the occasion. It might feel simple enough to know what to pick, after all, you know what you like. But when you factor in the kind of food to be served, the number of people, and your budget, then picking drinks will start to feel a little bit more complicated. But don’t worry, we got you covered with our little guide to picking the right beverages for your wedding.
Pair it with Your Menu
When choosing the beverage(s) for your wedding, follow the lead of the food. You can’t go wrong with a great wine and food pairing. The general rule is quite simple: red wine goes with red meat, and white wine goes with white meat. It might get tricky to pick with certain dishes but the idea is the heavier the dish or the stronger the flavours, the bolder the wine. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pair chicken with reds. For example, any chicken recipe should be paired with a medium to light red wine. Meanwhile, Greek wines will complement fish dishes nicely. Serve some pinot noir or a strong grenache if you have beef on the menu. And for pork dishes, you’ll do well to pour bold white wines for the guests.
Prepare a Good Variety
Another brilliant way to pick the right beverage for your wedding is to prepare many. A nice variety of wines can cater to a party who has different tastes. Instead of just buying packages of red wine, why not throw in several bottles of white wine and your choice of a bubbly. Do a bit of research and lean towards wines with pleasant flavours that’ll appeal to most people. With a good variety of wedding beverages at the ready, everyone can enjoy the celebrations with their preferred beverage.
Choose a Quality but Affordable Drinks Package
Your drinks menu must also fit your budget. In which case, buying your beverages bundled up in packages will allow you to get a cheaper deal. But don’t equate cheap with poor quality. There are good wines that don’t break the bank. Whether you’re going for the wines that the wedding venue offers or a third-party vendor’s selection, don’t forget to do a tasting to ensure that the beverage tastes good and will complement your food menu.
Don’t forget what you like
While choosing drinks that you believe your guests will fancy is a reasonable thing to do, but don’t forget about you and your partner’s preferences, too. It’s your wedding, after all. Having a drink that you know you will enjoy will give you something to look forward to (or pleasantly surprise you!) when you feel bogged down or a bit tired later on in the night after a long day of preparation and getting married.
How much you need
Once you know what you’d like to serve for the night, the next thing to find out is how much you need for the celebrations. The general rule of thumb is to prepare one bottle per guest and add a little cushion. You don’t want to run out of wines while everyone is having a good time.
So, if you are expecting around 100 guests, then get 115 to 120 bottles of wine to be sure. Don’t worry about leftovers. They can either be sold back to the supplier or you can take it home for the honeymoon.
How to Serve the Beverage
Don’t let all the hard work that went into picking out a beverage go to waste by serving your drinks wrong. For this, we have only two tips for you:
1. Serve at the right temperature
Whatever season you may be holding your wedding, remember to never serve the wines lukewarm. Your wedding beverage should always be served chilled (with exception to some expensive wines that should be served at room temp) and in the cases of white and sparkling wines, on ice.
2. Limit the heavy pours
Instruct the waitstaff not to do a heavy pour unless guests requested for it. This will ensure that the drinks retain the flavour and are consumed with the right temperature. It’s also best not to open the bottles unless its serving time.
A standard pour of wine is five ounces. However, keep a pour to three ounces for your wedding. It’s better to serve over and over than letting the guests keep warm drinks in their glasses.
Wedding Wines at Cedar Creek Estate
If you’re still looking for a wedding venue near the Gold Coast, why not choose a place that also offers a great selection of wines for the wedding, just like Cedar Creek Estate.
Together with a beautiful wedding venue overlooking a Vineyard and tree-lined lake, we also have a winery that’s open seven days a week and has a full range of wines for your wedding needs.
Call Creek Cedar Estate today on (07) 5545 1666 or send us an online enquiry to get more information on our vineyard and hinterland wedding packages, our wine selections, and the Cedar Creek Wine
