Champagne Toast? Will we miss it?

lilphillips14 · March 2013

Hi ladies! I need your advice again!

I'm trying to figure out the final budget for our reception food/drink, etc, and I'm having trouble with the champagne. Our reception venue provides complimentary champagne to the BP and certain reserved table guests (parents for the most part). We are hosting beer and wine throughout the entire night for our guests.

The original plan was to host champagne for all of our guests on top of the BP, but that adds more to our budget than I had been planning and we are on a super tiny budget.

I'm contemplating three options:

1. Have the complimentary champagne and then let guests have beer and wine for the toast.

2. Ask for no one to have the champagne at all and let the FI and I and the BP all have wine or beer or soda, etc for the toast.

3. Host the champagne for everyone even if it breaks the budget.

I'm thinking I know 1 I probably won't do, since I know hosting something for a special group and not for everyone is rude.

Number 2 is most likely even though I really want champagne, I just don't know if I can do it budget wise.

Question is, if I go with number 2, do you think people will miss it? Will it be weird if we don't have the champagne?

Just curious about what you guys think.

nda8414 · March 2013

If it's not in your budget, don't do it. You and your guests can still toast without the champagne, and I doubt anyone will really miss it. Option 2 or 3 are your only options. You two can always toast after the wedding by yourselves or w/your families the next day.

NYCMercedes · March 2013

You're right, only options 2 or 3 are acceptable. If you can't afford champagne for all, then people frequently toast with wine. IMHO, it seems rather snarky of the venue just to offer you an option that nobody is ever likely to go with. Could all your guests be reserved table guests?

Sara G to be · March 2013

We are not doing champagne... We are having an outdoor wedding and I can't see buying ghampagne glasses on top of all the other glasses we are buying so we just aren't. No biggie! I will have champagne with my girls before while getting ready maybe and possibly after everything with my HUSBAND!! (so weird saying it)

MobKaz · March 2013

I agree that hosting champagne for specified guests would be rude.

Although both my son and daughter had open bars at their weddings, champagne was not served. Guests toasted the bride and groom with whatever beverage they had at their seat during dinner. It ranged from water, soft drinks, to mixed drinks, depending on the choice of the diner.

I think you are probably over thinking this, and I certainly would not burden my budget with this. Number 2 is your answer.

lyndausvi · March 2013

Will someone miss the champagne? Yes. But it will be in a "bummer" sort of way not in a "OMG, CAN YOU BELIEVE THERE IS NOT CHAMPAGNE? How tacky" kind-of way.

I say do option 2.

I do agree the venues policy is just weird.

FWIW - We didn't have a champagne toast. Money was not even an issue, we just worked enough weddings and seen how much of a waste they can be.

happyfor25 · March 2013

I agree with the PPs, just forego the champagne. I don't know that I would even notice that there wasn't any and would raise my beer bottle!

lilphillips14 · March 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_champagne-toast-will-we-miss-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:71261e61-48d1-428f-9b8d-58c0c770ebc6Post:0392cfed-05ae-45e5-b438-138dba23055c">Re: Champagne Toast? Will we miss it?</a>:
[QUOTE]I agree that hosting champagne for specified guests would be rude. Although both my son and daughter had open bars at their weddings, champagne was not served. Guests toasted the bride and groom with whatever beverage they had at their seat during dinner. It ranged from water, soft drinks, to mixed drinks, depending on the choice of the diner. <strong>I think you are probably over thinking this, </strong>and I certainly would not burden my budget with this. Number 2 is your answer.
Posted by mobkaz[/QUOTE]

<div>I probably am, you're right. I overthink everything, unfortunately.</div><div>
</div><div>Thank you ladies, I'm going with option number 2. I can always have champagne at another time, maybe on the honeymoon! FI isn't a big drinker anyway, and his family prefers wine, so I think I'll just nix it. I just wasn't sure if it was a 'must-have' thing. I haven't been to too many weddings, so I don't know anything about anything.</div><div>
</div><div>Again, thank you so much!</div>

libby2483 · March 2013

I think you are making the right decision by skipping it. We decided to do a champagne toast at the rehearsal dinner rather than the reception, because the venue actually offered it complimentary. I don't think anyone at the reception missed it.

[Deleted User] · March 2013

I think it's definitely not something to break your budget on. I, personally, would miss it but because champagne is generally what I'll drink the whole night at an event. That being said, if it was going to break our budget, I'd skip it in a heartbeat. People will be fine with just beer/wine/soda.

Actually, now that I'm thinking of it, I've been to two weddings where it was beer and wine only, no champagne. I obviously didn't even bat an eye as I didn't even remember until I started writing.

MoonlightSilver · March 2013

We did not have a champagne toast. Everyone toasted with their drinks from the bar. It was not a problem at all.

ETA: My mom told our hotel that we were getting married that night and they left a bottle of champagne in the room (there was supposed to be chocolate covered fruit too, but they switched the room and forgot to bring over the fruit). Our honeymoon resort also had complimentary champagne. I think there are plenty of opportunities for you to drink it without having it at the wedding.

hoffse · March 2013

Yeah, we're just toasting ourselves with champagne after the wedding is over lol. I bought fancy glasses for it and everything - total splurge on my part, but it's cheaper than hosting a champagne toast, and most people don't notice. I'm one of those people who notices a lot of liitle etiquette things others ignore (don't get me started on addressing invitations), but I never ever notice the lack of a champagne toast. I can't tell whether the last two weddings I've been to had them or not.... I know one of the weddings I went to in September had it because it was the only hosted drink - the rest was a cash bar - and I remember thinking it was such a waste because FI and I were the only two at the table of 10 who drank it. So we got free drinks at the very end of the reception because nobody else at our table wanted it. Total waste of money if you ask me, and you can always arrange a bottle for you and your FI to have a nice private moment together after the reception is over..

banana468 · March 2013

I'd miss it but as long as I had wine I'd be happy. Ditto that people may miss it but they'd get over it.

Knottie_22382102 · March 2013

I love champagne, but I hate cheap champagne and 99% of weddings I've been to toast with cheap champagne. I can't drink it....goes to waste.

lilphillips14 · March 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_champagne-toast-will-we-miss-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:71261e61-48d1-428f-9b8d-58c0c770ebc6Post:87c73b16-681c-4c6d-b8e0-15515a6fd279">Re: Champagne Toast? Will we miss it?</a>:
[QUOTE]I love champagne, but I hate cheap champagne and 99% of weddings I've been to toast with cheap champagne. I can't drink it....goes to waste.
Posted by MuppetFan[/QUOTE]

<div>See I didn't even know there was such a thing as cheap champagne. I'm sophistication-challenged.</div>

Loopyseven · March 2013

If you can't offer it to everyone, don't offer it at all. I'd go with option #2. Most people won't miss it, and those that like champagne will be fine with wine or beer as an alternative.

B2Z728 · March 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_champagne-toast-will-we-miss-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:71261e61-48d1-428f-9b8d-58c0c770ebc6Post:87c73b16-681c-4c6d-b8e0-15515a6fd279">Re: Champagne Toast? Will we miss it?</a>:
[QUOTE]I love champagne, but I hate cheap champagne and 99% of weddings I've been to toast with cheap champagne. I can't drink it....goes to waste.
Posted by MuppetFan[/QUOTE]

I agree most champagne at weddings tastes like white grape juice with bubbles and mostly goes to waste. If it's not in your budget, definitely skip. If I have wine I'd be happy enough.

Champagne Toast? Will we miss it?

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