Bride Tips: Wine

I am a huge wine fan, though my experience is still quite limited. I am much more of a red wine drinker, so picking a red wine was a bit more difficult than picking a white.

Where to start? Keith and I decided to have some fun with picking our wine, and made a family event out of it. Keith, his parents, and I went out and picked a selection of various wines, and had an at-home wine tasting. We picked up a nice cheese, some dark chocolate, and made an evening out of it. The red we wound up choosing was Cabernet Sauvignon by Valley of the Moon. This was a huge hit, and is currently my favorite red wine of all time.

For white wine, we went with a Pinot Grigio by Coppola. We came to an indecision between this white wine and another, and ultimately decided on Coppola's because of Keith's involvement with the film industry, and felt that some theming would be fun. 

Something else to keep in mind is; not everyone at your wedding likes wine (or alcohol for that matter). We felt it important that these people should not just be left with water or nothing, so we chose to serve Minted Iced Tea and Lemonade, as well as Sparkling Apple Cider for toasts. 

Some Helpful Tips for the Big Day:

1. As a Bride, I would very strongly suggest you stay away from the red wine. This was a little difficult for me as such a red wine lover, but it eliminated a lot of stress. Red wine will stain your dress dramatically if it spills, and also leaves stains on your lips. I stuck with Champagne.

2. Know your limit, and don't even get close to it! No one wants to see a drunk bride, including your future self. I am a lightweight, so I stopped after two flutes of champagne. 

3. This tip may be a little unnecessary, but if you are as paranoid as I was it might be something to consider. If you are sitting at a party table, instead of a sweetheart table, ask your new husband and Maid of Honor (or whomever may be sitting on the other side of you) if they wouldn't mind refraining from red wine during dinner as well. This may just be me, but I was paranoid about spills, and people get rowdy and excited at weddings.

4. If you are supplying your own wine like we did, you will need to know how many bottles you'll need so that your guests can have a decent amount, but won't end up costing you the whole aisle at BevMo. I used this Wedding Wine and Liquor Calculator. 

Photography by Nerinna Studios