Moët & Chandon President & CEO Daniel Lalonde has recently unveiled the new ad for the champagne brand featuring actress Scarlett Johansson. Lalonde said of the coupling, “Moët & Chandon, the most loved champagne since 1743, is a universal symbol of joie de vivre and success. This new campaign highlights a return to the immutable elegance and glamour that are inherent to both Moët and Scarlett.”I’ve already reported on alternative drinks for weddings, but with this batch of buzz, I wanted to share a few tips on having alcoholic beverages at your wedding.

• First and foremost, regardless if your reception comes with a huge price tage or you’re on a modest budget, safety should be your primary concern. As a bride and groom prepare for their nuptials, they also take on a lot of liability and responsibility. Have your guests who are of age to consume alcohol be properly identified versus guests who are not of legal age. You can do this by providing bracelets that you would normally receive at night clubs and snuggly attach them to the wrists of those wanted to partake in spirits. You can also choose to stamp the hands of underage guests where your servers and/or bartender can easily ask a guest to show the back of their hands if the guest looks under the legal age to consume alcohol.
• At many weddings, the idea of having an open bar seems like an unattainable luxury. However, just because your budget doesn’t allow a buffet of choice beverages for free, you should give guests two tickets to get their alcoholic beverage for free. Not only does this give the effect of an open bar and not scream ‘cheap’, but it also adds assurance that Uncle Bob or Aunt Sally doesn’t get overly intoxicated.
• If your reception is at an informal area like your backyard or lacks catering know that champagne is more sensitive to temperature and light than most other wines. This is why, bottles are typically bottled in a light-resistant, dark green glass. Champagne should be stored between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit and may be kept upright or horizontally.
• Amateurs ‘Pop’ bottles, people who respect the integrity of champagne don’t. The trick to opening a bottle of champagne while maintaining its integrity is to avoid “popping” the cork. Start by scoring the foil around the base of the wire cage. Then, carefully untwist and loosen the bottom of the cage without removing it. In one hand, enclose the cage and cork while holding the base of the Champagne bottle with your other hand. Twist both ends in the opposite direction. As soon as you feel pressure forcing the cork out, try to push it back in while continuing to twist gently until the cork is released with a slight ‘sigh’ or hissing sound.
• Champagne is known to be more intoxicating than other alcoholic beverages. This is because of the interaction between the alcohol and the carbonated water. When these two are combined, the alcohol is absorbed faster. So just because you see Aunt Sally only drinking champagne it doesn’t make her any less harmless than any other buzzed driver.
• For the best quality wine even if you’re not looking for the most expensive look for words that specifically say on the bottle  ’Champagne’ and ‘France’. Also be aware of other words like ‘Brut’ or  ’Extra Brut’ which will categorize your selection as a dry Champagne which is better paired with food than a sweet champagne. If you want a sweeter drink, looking for words like ‘Extra Dry, Dry, Demi-Sec or Sweet’ which means the champagne will have more sugar per liter than that of Brut.