Let’s be honest, Champagne and celebrating go hand in hand. There really is nothing like hearing that ‘pop’ and the whoops of joy that follow to get a party started. But we have to say, there’s something extra glamorous about a Champagne tower. It gives your wedding celebrations that decadent Gatsby moment, with some couples even choosing a Champagne tower pour in lieu of cutting a cake. So if you’re considering having a Champagne tower at your wedding, here’s how to guarantee thrills, no spills and maximum fizz!
Photo by Michelle Prunty Photography via One Fab Day
How Does a Champagne Tower Work?
A Champagne tower is a pyramid of glasses, stacked so that when the bubbles are poured into the top glass, the overflow fills the glasses in the tiers below one after the other. In 2017, Dutchman Luuk Broos broke the world record in Madrid with a seven-metre (23 feet) high Champagne tower of 50,116 glasses. Can you imagine the pressure! But don’t worry, your Champagne tower doesn’t need to be that extravagant in order to bring the wow factor!
Photo by Michelle Prunty Photography via One Fab Day
How Many Glasses do you Need?
First things first, decide whether you need a glass for every guest in the tower, or whether you’re happy for some to be served from trays afterwards. Needless to say it all depends on the size of your wedding. Six to eight tiers is the usual number, but anything from four or five tiers can still look amazing, especially if the table is styled beautifully or you use special glassware or garnishes. The obvious benefit of a smaller Champagne tower is that it’s easier to build!
The Formula: Arrange the glasses in a square on the bottom layer. As you build decrease the width and legnth by one line for each tier as you go up. For example: If the bottom layer is a square with six by six (36) glasses, the next layer will have five by five (25) glasses, above this four by four (16) glasses, and so on. To work out how many bottles of Champagne you need, there are usually six glasses per bottle, but to account for overflow, calculate the total using five glasses per bottle.
Photo by Rachel May Photography via Brides
What Type of Glasses are Best?
As much as everyone loves drinking from a beautiful Champagne flute, they aren’t suitable for a tower. Wide, flat coupe glasses are best for obvious reasons, and it’s important that all the glasses are the same. Ask your venue if they have couple glasses, as if they don’t have them you might have to hire glassware. The good news is that coupes come in beautiful shades, and can be quite ornate – in fact the more ornate the more they will catch the light, so the effect will be dazzling!
Photo by Sarah Block Photography
How to Build a Champagne Tower
Building the tower itself is pretty straightforward, however some of the biggest Champagne Tower fails at weddings have involved one minor detail being overlooked.
- Firstly, think about where your tower is positioned, preferably in an area with plenty of space around it. The last thing you want is Uncle Pat knocking it over after a few too many wines, or rumbunctious kids after a few too many sweets. Keep in mind that once the tower is built it cannot be moved.
- Like most things in life, a strong foundation is essential – the table must be sturdy, as one slight wobble could mean game over!
- The placement of the glasses themselves is just as important. Make sure the edges of each glass touch. This will leave you with a little diamond-shaped space between each glass. Use these diamond spaces as a guide, and place the next layer of glasses on top of these for an even formation. Repeat the process until you reach the top.
- Add any garnishes to the glasses such as bright edible flowers or strawberries.
Photo by Katie Harmsworth via Ceremonies by Camille
How to Pour the Champagne into the Tower
Now that you’ve done hard work, it’s time for the fun part! Slowly pour chilled Champagne into the glass at the top of the tower so that it doesn’t bubble up. Allowing the Champagne to overflow into the glasses on the level below, filling until they overflow and fill the glasses below that, and so on. Continue pouring into the top glass until all the other glasses are filled!
One final bit of advice… gather everyone around the table before the pouring commences. A champagne tower is a visual spectacle, and is a great opportunity to capture some epic photos. But there is another reason too – Champange goes flat in coupes much faster than a flute, as it has a wider surface. So get drinking that delicious bubbly asap!
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