Fresh, fruity and elegant, these champagnes are blends of the three main Champagne grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier). They are ideal from the cocktail reception through to dessert. Choosing the right champagne for your wedding is a key step in planning this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. A symbol of elegance, joy and togetherness, champagne accompanies the most meaningful moments of the day, from the cocktail reception to the final dessert. With so many cuvées available, it can be difficult to know which champagne to choose for your wedding. Brut, Rosé, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs or Vintage Champagne: each style meets different expectations in terms of taste, budget and atmosphere, helping you find the perfect match for your event.
In this guide, discover our expert advice on choosing wedding champagne that will impress your guests and turn every toast into an unforgettable moment.
Why Choosing the Right Champagne Matters for a Wedding
Champagne is more than just a celebratory drink—it conveys emotion, shared pleasure and lasting memories. Making the right choice allows you to:
- Cater to a wide range of tastes, from casual drinkers to true champagne lovers
- Match the champagne to key moments of the day (cocktail hour, dinner, dessert)
- Enhance your menu with successful food and champagne pairings
A well-chosen champagne becomes the common thread throughout your wedding reception.
Understanding the Different Champagne Styles
Before selecting a champagne for your wedding, it is essential to understand the main styles available:
- Non-vintage Brut Champagne: Balanced, fresh and versatile—ideal for cocktail receptions and throughout the meal
- Rosé Champagne: Fruit-forward and expressive, perfect for toasts or red fruit desserts
- Vintage Champagne: Produced from a single exceptional year, offering depth and complexity—ideal for refined dishes and gourmet menus
- Demi-Sec Champagne: Slightly sweeter, an excellent choice for desserts
Each style shapes the tasting experience and influences food pairings. The goal is to harmonize the bubbles with each stage of the meal without overwhelming the palate.
Champagne for the Cocktail Reception (Vin d’Honneur)
Let's start with the "vin d'honneur". To avoid breakages and wastage, allow an average of 2 flutes (or glasses) per person, bearing in mind that a standard 75cl bottle of champagne will serve around 6 flutes (see the article ‘How many bottles of champagne for 20 people ?’). Depending on your tastes, the cocktails you are planning and your budget, you can consider almost any option at this stage.
To please the widest audience and pair effortlessly with a variety of canapés, a Brut Champagne, blended from different grape varieties, remains the safest and most popular choice. A Blanc de Blancs Champagne is also an excellent option, bringing freshness, elegance and lightness to the tasting experience.
Champagne During the Wedding Dinner
Serving champagne throughout the wedding meal is becoming increasingly popular and allows for refined food pairings. As a guideline, plan one bottle for every three to four guests, adjusting based on meal length and courses served. Blanc de Blancs Champagne pairs beautifully with white meats or fish in sauce, Vintage Champagne enhances exceptional dishes such as oysters, truffles or foie gras, and a Blanc de Noirs, more powerful and aromatic, complements red meats and slow-cooked dishes.
Champagne also pairs surprisingly well with cheese. Soft cheeses with bloomy rinds work particularly well with Brut Champagne, while blue cheeses such as Roquefort are more challenging due to their intense flavors.
The dessert is one of the most anticipated moments of the celebration. Whether you serve a croquembouche, wedding cake or assorted mini pastries, champagne can pair wonderfully with sweet flavors—provided the aromas are well balanced.
For example, a Rosé Champagne is ideal with fruit-based desserts, especially red fruits. Un Demi-sec Champagne, with its higher dosage, pairs easily with most desserts, while an aged Vintage Champagne works well with low-sugar chocolate desserts and bittersweet notes. Finally, a Blanc de Blancs Champagne is perfect with almond-based desserts or the traditional wedding cake.
Canard-Duchêne Champagnes for Your Wedding
Since 1868, Champagne Canard-Duchêne has been creating wines that bring people together and accompany both everyday moments and major celebrations. Here are a few cuvées perfectly suited to your wedding day:
Bruts Champagnes: Léonie Iconic and Brut Essentiel
Fresh, fruity and elegant, these champagnes are blends of the three main Champagne grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier). They are ideal from the cocktail reception through to dessert. Léonie Iconic stands out thanks to its perpetual reserve wines and extended cellar aging, offering greater aromatic depth.
Single-Varietal Champagnes: Blanc de Blancs Iconic and Blanc de Noirs Iconique
Produced from a single grape variety—Chardonnay for Blanc de Blancs and Pinot Noir for Blanc de Noirs—these champagnes each express a strong personality while remaining true to the house style. Blanc de Blancs Iconic charms with its finesse and table-friendly elegance, while Blanc de Noirs Iconic offers a generous, gastronomic profile with remarkable aromatic precision..
Rosé Champagnes: Rosé Iconic and Rosé Essentiel
Generous and fruit-driven, Canard-Duchêne Rosé Champagnes shine from aperitif to dessert. Rosé Iconic delights with its crisp notes of cherry and sour cherry, while Rosé Essentiel offers nostalgic pleasure with hints of tangy sweets.
Special Cuvées: P181 Organic and Vintages Champagnes
For couples seeking something distinctive, Champagne P181 is an Organic Extra-Brut cuvée of great purity, freshness and vibrancy.
For lovers of complex, structured wines, Canard-Duchêne also offers the 2018 Vintage (Brut) and V2012 (Blanc de Noirs – Brut Nature), each expressing the exceptional character of its harvest year.
Selecting the right champagne for your wedding requires thoughtful consideration of styles, pairings and key moments of the day. With its heritage, diverse range of cuvées and balanced house style, Champagne Canard-Duchêne offers solutions suited to every stage of your celebration—from the cocktail reception to the wedding cake.
Whether you opt for a timeless classic like Léonie Iconic or a more distinctive choice such as P181, you are ensuring a memorable sparkling experience for your guests.
There is no single “best” champagne—only champagnes with different personalities. The key is to choose the ones you love and create pairings that reflect your taste, making your wedding day even more unforgettable.
