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Writer's pictureAja Weddings

Wedding champagne tower - everything you need to know

Every big life celebration needs a drop of champagne. Plus, let's be honest, champagne adds a bit of luxury to every party. There really is nothing like hearing that 'pop' and the whoops of joy that follow to get a party started. If you want to add a glamourus event to your wedding timeline, we recommend to think about a wedding Champagne tower. It gives your wedding celebrations that decadent moment, with some couples even choosing a Champagne tower pour instead of cutting a cake.

wedding champagne towet 3 level

Photo by YnaundMarius

So if you're considering having a Champagne tower at your wedding, here's how to guarantee thrills, no spills and maximum fizz!


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. The world record was broken in Madrid with a 7m 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!



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!

4 levels: This would mean your tower is made of 30 glasses total (bottom level will have 16 glasses, next level will have 9 glasses, next level will have 4 glasses, top level will have 1 glass).


5 levels: This would mean 55 glasses total (bottom level will have 25 glasses, next level 16, next level 9, next level 4 glasses, top level will have 1 glass).


6 levels: This would mean 91 glasses total (bottom level 36 glasses, next level 25 glasses, next level 16, next level 9, next level 4 glasses, top level will have 1 glass).


7 levels: This would mean 140 glasses total (bottom level 49 glasses, next level 46 glasses, next level 25 glasses, next level 16, next level 9, next level 4 glasses, top level will have 1 glass).


8 levels: This would mean 204 glasses total (bottom level, 64 glasses, next level 49 glasses, next level 46 glasses, next level 25 glasses, next level 16, next level 9, next level 4 glasses, top level will have 1 glass).



How to do it properly


We recommend to ask your catering for organization of the champagne tower, or there are even specialized bar companies who can take over this part. Ask your wedding planner in Frankfurt AjaWeddings to recommend you some companies. If you are doing it yourself, this is how to do it properly. Arrange the glasses in a square on the bottom layer. As you build decrease the width and length 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.


wedding champagne tower

Photo by YnaundMarius

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! If you are ordering them online, we recommend to order these ones from IKEA for a great price, which is obviously important since you need a big number of glasses.


ikea champagne glass

ikea champagne glass

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 Udo 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.



How To Pour The Champagne Into The Wedding Champagne 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.

  • Allow 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 for your wedding champagne tower... 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 - Champagne goes flat in coupes much faster than a flute, as it has a wider surface. So get drinking that delicious bubbly asap!


wedding champagne drinking

Photo by YnaundMarius

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