Champagne etiquette

Maggie0829

KatieinBkln said:

Maggie0829 said:

lolo883 said:

I'm honestly not sure if and when waiters will be taking drink orders tableside, but they'll be serving salads while the toasts are happening because we will have just sat down to eat. The bar will be open during dinner. We won't get some magical whiteglove service at our table that other people are deprived of, we'll just have our drinks dropped off during our entrance/before we sit down. 

What you are planning is totally fine. At this point I think people are over thinking it and looking too much into it. At our wedding H and I had our toasting flutes filled with our preferred beverage and placed at our place setting before we entered. Like you said, it wasn't like we had fancy dressed waiter come only over to us and feed us our food, cut our meat and dote solely over us.

You didn't have that?! But how else were people supposed to tell that it was Your Special Day?

No, but we did have two people fanning us all night so that was nice

sarahufl

wow, this has sparked a lot of discussion! I am one of those people who leaves full glasses of champagne behind on the table.

We just had an open bar that people could go to as they pleased. We had beer, red, white, sparkling, and moscow mules. Never occurred to me to announce to go get stuff before the toasts. I think I go to so many weddings that I can just anticipate the toast and go to the bar.

That said, our wedding was on the more casual end. At a fancier wedding, I would expect different.

Maggie0829

sarahufl said:

wow, this has sparked a lot of discussion! I am one of those people who leaves full glasses of champagne behind on the table.

We just had an open bar that people could go to as they pleased. We had beer, red, white, sparkling, and moscow mules. Never occurred to me to announce to go get stuff before the toasts. I think I go to so many weddings that I can just anticipate the toast and go to the bar.

That said, our wedding was on the more casual end. At a fancier wedding, I would expect different.

I think most people can because the toasts are generally done during dinner service.  Unless you plan on having toasts at an obscure time, nine times out of ten people will be aware that if toasts occur (if they occur at all) they will be done during dinner and will be appropriately prepared with their drinks. And if for some reason they have an empty glass they are more then capable of getting up and getting a refresh at the bar.

In general this really isn't rocket science.

photokitty

I don't need an announcement to prepare for the toast...I always have a drink in my hand at a wedding. I like to be prepared at all times, I was a girl scout yo!

[Deleted User]

So, this is what I"m picturing... Waiter walks to your sweetheart table with two champagne flutes and a bottle of bubbly.  He pops the cork at your table and fills up your glasses, then he walks away with the bottle and offers to top off the glasses of others with champagne flutes.  He then either empties the bottle on his way back to the bar, or he puts the bottle on ice behind the bar for others to request.  Then, if people didn't know beforehand that champagne was available, they do now, and can request the proper glass for their preferred toasting beverage.

jenijoyk

lc07 said:

Can I just say my friends and I love you that champagne is offered at the bar all night? 

I irks me a little that you would be served drinks at your table and no one else would be. Kind of like when the staff makes plates for the B+G at buffet weddings but everyone else had to go through the buffet, but it's not something I would even roll my eyes at. 

I like a heads up on toasts for lots of reasons, so that I don't head off to the bathroom, so that I make sure I have a full drink (some toasts go on foreeevverrr)

At my wedding, we did something very similar to what you are doing. We hosted champagne as a part of the regular bar all night but we wanted people to toast with whatever they wanted to drink and not feel obligated to drink champagne. There was an announcement that toasts were coming up in a few minutes, and someone discreetly brought champagne to my H and I. We had a cocktail style reception and he and I were sitting on lounge furniture at the time. However, we had servers bringing drinks to all guests all night if they didn't want to get up to go to the bar so it was a little different.

Query! Is it bad to have the caterer bring us a plate? I don't want to be snotty bride at my reception but I was assuming this would happen. If I have to go through a buffet line in my dress I will spill that food aallll over myself. I can't make it through a buffet line without spilling on myself even if I'm not in a mermaid gown and heels.

I guess I could send my brand new husband to make me a plate instead if that is less obnoxious than the caterer doing it... thoughts?

sarahufl

jenijoyk said:

lc07 said:

Can I just say my friends and I love you that champagne is offered at the bar all night? 

I irks me a little that you would be served drinks at your table and no one else would be. Kind of like when the staff makes plates for the B+G at buffet weddings but everyone else had to go through the buffet, but it's not something I would even roll my eyes at. 

I like a heads up on toasts for lots of reasons, so that I don't head off to the bathroom, so that I make sure I have a full drink (some toasts go on foreeevverrr)

At my wedding, we did something very similar to what you are doing. We hosted champagne as a part of the regular bar all night but we wanted people to toast with whatever they wanted to drink and not feel obligated to drink champagne. There was an announcement that toasts were coming up in a few minutes, and someone discreetly brought champagne to my H and I. We had a cocktail style reception and he and I were sitting on lounge furniture at the time. However, we had servers bringing drinks to all guests all night if they didn't want to get up to go to the bar so it was a little different.

Query! Is it bad to have the caterer bring us a plate? I don't want to be snotty bride at my reception but I was assuming this would happen. If I have to go through a buffet line in my dress I will spill that food aallll over myself. I can't make it through a buffet line without spilling on myself even if I'm not in a mermaid gown and heels.

I guess I could send my brand new husband to make me a plate instead if that is less obnoxious than the caterer doing it... thoughts?

I don't think this is rude at all. In fact, our DJ got ours for us. In our meeting with him the week of our wedding he explained that the bride and groom getting to the buffet is always a huge challenge, so he grabs plates for the bride and groom before announcing other tables.

The plate he brought me was the only food I was able to eat all night, so I was pretty grateful.

jenijoyk

Right? Probably better to spend my time hugging grandmas and kissing babies than standing in a buffet line I would think. I've never held it against a couple for having a plate brought to them. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't being a princess.

beethery

B&G getting anything served to them (as long as it's available to all of the guests) is a non-issue.

Jen4948

lolo883 said:

Jen4948 said:

lolo883 said:

The toasts are going to happen during the salad course; do people really need so much advance warning that this is about to happen? They will have already sat down to eat and should already have whatever they wanted to drink with their dinner. It's not like we're sneak attacking people with toasts and catching them off guard. I have never been notified in advance that toasts were about to happen... I just always expect them to be right before/at the beginning of dinner. Although I also don't tend to find myself drink-less at a wedding very often...

People probably do need advance warning that champagne will be available at the bar but not served at the tables by the wait staff.  Otherwise, they might well be confused when it's time to toast, especially if they've completely consumed whatever drinks they've already gotten.

It will be available the entire time. They don't need to make a special trip at a special time. It will have been there (and noted on the sign that lists every brand available) for the entire cocktail hour.

Is someone really going to sit down for dinner with no beverage and their biggest concern be not having champagne to toast with?

Stuck in box

I'm sure they won't, but it would help them to clarify that waitstaff will not be serving it so they don't ask a waiter for it if it turns out that they don't have it when it comes time to toast.