How to Choose the Perfect Wines for Your Wedding: A No-Stress Guide

Weddings are stressful enough without obsessing over whether your Pinot Noir “clashes” with the beef or if your mother-in-law thinks Prosecco is too basic. The truth? Most guests barely remember the speeches, let alone the exact wine you poured.

But wine does set the tone. It’s the first thing guests are handed when they arrive, the toast that opens the party, and the glass that keeps conversation flowing between strangers. Picking the right bottles isn’t about memorizing pairing rules, it’s about creating an experience, minimizing trouble, and maximizing impact.

So, whether you’re a couple planning your big day, a wedding planner building packages, or a caterer trying to impress your clients, here’s my insider’s guide to choosing wines for weddings that are memorable for all the right reasons.

Step 1. Set Your Budget and Do the Math

Before you even start picking bottles, decide how much wine you’ll need. A wedding reception isn’t the time to run out, but you also don’t want to overbuy and be left with a cellar of half-drunk Sauvignon Blanc.

As a general rule: plan for one bottle of wine per two guests for dinner, plus a glass of sparkling per guest for the toast. If you’re also offering an open bar with cocktails or beer, you can reduce the wine slightly, but if wine is the main beverage, always round up.

Take an example: for 100 guests, you’ll want around 50 bottles for the meal and 15–20 bottles of sparkling for the toast. Then add a small buffer, 10–20% more than you think. There’s always the uncle who “doesn’t usually drink” but suddenly does, or the photographer who sneaks a celebratory glass after capturing your first kiss.

Here’s my golden rule: leftover wine is a blessing (you’ll drink it at the brunch, or later with friends). Running out is chaos.

Step 2. Choose the Sparkling — Because There Will Be a Toast

A wedding without bubbles is like a wedding without cake. Sparkling wine marks the celebration, fills the glasses in your photos, and gives guests their first “cheers” of the day. But here’s the secret: it doesn’t always have to be Champagne.

Champagne is perfect for intimate weddings under 40 people, for couples who treat Dom Perignon like a love language, or if you want the iconic “pop” in your photos. But once your guest list creeps above 80, pouring Champagne for everyone can blow the budget.

That’s where alternatives shine. If you want a budget alternative to Champagne, Crémant de Bourgogne or Cava is made in the same method as Champagne. If you want something more playful, go for Prosecco Superiore (Valdobbiadene DOCG) , light, fun, crowd-pleasing, but avoid the €5 supermarket bottles. If budget is not a major concern, you want something high-quality and probably local to you, Franciacorta from Italy, English sparkling wine from Kent and Sussex, or some nice sparkling from Oregon are great choices. They are often made with the similar grapes as Champagne. And for couples leaning into a trendy, natural vibe, pét-nat is a sparkling wine that feels relaxed, festive, and Instagram-ready.

Pro tip: If you want Champagne without paying Veuve-Clicquot prices, look for grower Champagnes or Co-op Champagnes, smaller producers making artisanal bottles that often taste better than the big names, at a fraction of the cost.

Step 3. Pick the Wines for the Menu

Once the toast is sorted, focus on dinner. This is where couples often overcomplicate things. You don’t need a seven-wine flight. In fact, one versatile white and one versatile red will cover 90% of wedding menus beautifully.

For whites, think crisp, refreshing, and food-friendly: a Loire Valley Chenin Blanc, an Albariño from Spain, or a dry Riesling from Alsace or Finger Lakes. These wines have enough acidity to handle starters and seafood but enough texture to work with chicken or creamy sauces.

For reds, choose something medium-bodied with low tannins and juicy fruit, the wines people actually want to drink at a long dinner. My favorites: Pinot Noir from Burgundy or Oregon, or a Grenache-based Rhône blend. They’re versatile, approachable, and don’t overwhelm the food.

If you only plan to use one still wine, go with the red, and use the sparkling choice as your substitute for the white wine. It works well with food too!

Step 4. Dessert, Cake, and Cocktails

Most guests will skip dessert wine if there’s a bar or dance floor calling their name. But if you do want something intentional for the cake moment, keep it simple.

For something light and low-alcohol, go for Moscato, lightly sparkling, floral, and fun. Or keep it no-fuss with Port or Madeira: they don’t need chilling, they pour easily, and they make a great nightcap.

But remember: if you’ve invested in a cocktail bar, you can skip dessert wines altogether. Nobody misses them when the mojitos start flowing.

Step 5. Planning a Destination Wedding

Destination weddings are magical but the wine list can be a minefield. In Tuscany, Burgundy, or Santorini, you’ll see labels you don’t recognize, grapes you can’t pronounce, and suppliers who may not import your favorite Champagne.

Here’s my advice: go local when you can. Wines taste better when they haven’t traveled far, and local wines are often priced more fairly. A Tuscan wedding deserves Chianti or Vernaccia. A Santorini wedding deserves Assyrtiko.

Lean on your caterer or local sommelier they know which producers overdeliver. And if you still feel overwhelmed? Book a quick consultation.

Step 6. My Wedding Wine Cheatsheet

For the quick-reference types (or wedding planners making notes), here’s the condensed version:

• Budget-friendly bubbles = Crémant, Prosecco

• Guest-pleasing whites = Loire Chenin, Albariño, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

• Versatile reds = Grenache or Pinot Noir

• Go local if abroad

• Always order 10–20% more than you think you’ll need

The best wedding wines aren’t the fanciest bottles. They’re the ones people actually enjoy drinking, that fit the mood, and that keep glasses full without stress. Keep it simple, make smart choices for sparkling, red, and white, and focus on creating moments instead of chasing perfection.

And if you’re planning a destination wedding, or if you’re a wedding planner or caterer who wants to offer clients a polished, stress-free wine plan, I offer personalized wedding wine consulting. Because the only thing more stressful than planning the day is worrying about running out of Champagne.