Everything You Need to Know About Corkage Fees and How They Impact the Cost of Your Wedding

Planning a wedding and keeping your budget in check is stressful enough without a barrage of unexpected fees cropping up at every turn, but many engaged couples would agree that, more often than not, this is the reality of the experience. One often unforeseen line item to keep an eye out for? Corkage fees. If you are purchasing your own reception alcohol or bringing a few special bottles of wine or Champagne to your big day, you might find this fee tacked onto your food and beverage bill.

Wondering what corkage fees actually are and how they impact the final cost of your wedding? We asked a variety of different experts—from wedding planners to wine professionals—to break down the line item and share their best tips for handling the semi-confusing world of corkage fees on your big day. 

What is a corkage fee and how does it relate to your wedding?

Simply put, corkage is a fee that’s charged for opening and serving any wine that’s brought into a venue from the outside, particularly when said venue has wine available for purchase. If you’re a vino-loving couple who wants to serve a special vintage that your caterer or reception space doesn’t offer, chances are, you’re thinking about going the BYOB route. Luckily, that’s not a dealbreaker for most vendors or venues. In fact, it can be a cost-effective alternative to ordering their wine, according to celebrity event planner Sharon Sacks. "Planning your wedding is so exciting and when you look at all the costs, there are always ways to save without compromising,” she explains. Corkage is one. "Many hotels or wedding venues allow clients to bring in wines for a fee of $25 to $35 per bottle; this is a wonderful opportunity to sip your favorite wine and the cost can fit within your budget.”

So, how does corkage work? "Each venue is different, but more likely a corkage fee will be tallied per bottle,” says Sean Koski and Brian Kelly, co-founders of Ticket2Events Luxury Event Planning. “This is to offset the cost of in-house options being overlooked.” 

Whether it’s a rare Champagne you and your partner shared on the night you got engaged or a case of rosé you scored a great deal on, prepare to be charged if you’re bringing outside bottles into a venue that offers alcohol for purchase. In the event that your venue does not provide alcohol, there's a good chance corkage fees will not apply to you.

How much should you budget per guest for corkage fees? 

Your final corkage fee generally depends on the price of the wine and the amount consumed. Koski and Kelly like to factor in $25 to $75 per bottle for corkage, but they add that they’ve even seen corkage fees as high as $125 at vineyards that typically exclusively serve their own wine. As hard as these additional costs may be to swallow, understanding your guests’ drinking habits could potentially help with budgeting for corkage. “Typically, the average guest will have about two to three glasses of wine for a longer event like a wedding,” shares Amy Thurmond, Sommbassador for the sparkling wine region of Conegliano Valdobbiadene in Italy and beverage director at the Seagram Building in New York City. “If the wedding is 100 guests, I usually see that about 24 to 36 bottles of each color of wine will be consumed. Hopefully, the venue is charging a flat corkage fee rather than per bottle—of around $1,000-$2,000—but in the case of a per bottle corkage fee, I would budget around $30 per person for corkage.”

If that number seems a little high to you, allow us to shed a bit more light on the subject. As Brooklyn-based event producer Bianca Francois points out, corkage fees not only cover the opening of each bottle, but the operational costs that have already been factored into the venue’s bar pricing, such as staffing, glassware, product storage, and liquor liability. If venues aren’t able to charge for these services, they are going to seek ways to recoup that lost revenue.

The best tips to negotiate corkage fees for your wedding.

First thing first: You want to make sure you are charged for what was consumed. “One tip is, I always ask the catering manager to assist in having all empty bottles saved to confirm the cost to be applied to the bill,” advises Sacks. Koski and Kelly also suggest negotiating the rate of a corkage fee prior to your wedding by contacting the purveyor of the wine and asking them if they can help properly facilitate the product being served at the establishment in mind. “The best thing to do is get a general sense of the venue's willingness to import off-menu items before asking more about corkage fees,” they share. “Most of the time we've been surprised by managers of facilities who are actually excited to try the import themselves and add it to the menu full-time.” If this doesn't work, they recommend asking the venue to reduce the flat rate of a corkage fee by 25% as a courtesy.

Like many other wedding costs you’ll encounter, it never hurts to ask if a price is flexible, which is why Francois likes to offer a few more ways to do just that:

Ask for a volume discount.

“Some venues may lower their corkage fee based on volume and overall spend,” she says. “Check in to see if the venue is willing to show some wiggle room here!”

Offer additional revenue.

While you may be shocked at the initial corkage fee, Francois urges mindfulness. “Please be aware that these fees are covering potential loss of revenue for the venue but you may be able to have them lowered, by making up revenue elsewhere, such as food or décor cost.”

Book off-peak dates.

Lastly, by hosting your wedding on a weekday, or during the wedding off-season, Francois says you may leave even more room for negotiations. If you know you may encounter larger corkage costs, determine what these dates may be with your venue upfront. 

Does the corkage fee cover chilling and storing? 

As you navigate and troubleshoot the varying costs associated with corkage, there is one more sneaky detail to take into account: chilling and storing. According to Koski and Kelly, most corkage fees cover chilling and storing but not always. “There are a few venues we've come across that add an additional surcharge for items that need to be stored or chilled for more than 48 hours before the big day.” To avoid an uncomfortable conversation later—or worse, warm wine at your wedding!—be direct and get clarification early on. 

What does a “no-corkage wedding venue” mean?

Trying to avoid paying corkage altogether? A no-corkage venue may be the solution. “Venues that typically allow couples to bring in their own beverages or do not have in-house bar service, will of course have zero corkage fees,” says Francois. Another route is to speak with the food and beverage director to see if they’re able to order your preferred wines. “Should they be able to assist through their distributors, this can also save on—or eliminate—corkage fees altogether,” she adds.