7 Tips for Popping Champagne at Your Wedding

As a Temecula wedding photographer, one of my favorite shots to take at a wedding is champagne popping with the happy couple! These shots are so much fun to take, but as the actual moment lasts less than 30 seconds or so, there’s a few tips to making them look great!

Buy the cheap stuff

No need to spring for Dom Perignon – you’re just going to spray it into the air! If you want some close-up shots of the bottle before you start the sparkling wine spray, you may want to pay attention to the label.

Get close

I recommend you stand right next to each other, and the person not popping the bottle should touch the champagne popper in some way!

Shake vigorously

Grab onto the bottle with both hands and shake, shake, shake…shake, shake, shake…shake your bottle!

Point the bottle just to the right or left of your photographer

It’s okay to point the bottle towards your photographer, or videographer! Just point it slightly to the left or right. (Photographer’s note – I typically pick a very long lens, to try to avoid getting soaked!)

Once popped place thumb partially over top and keep shaking

You definitely want to keep shaking the bottle after you pop the top, and partially cover the top so the spray lasts longer.

Keep smiling!

This shot goes so fast, so you want to remember to keep smiling (which comes pretty naturally!) as long as the bottle is spraying. I recommend looking at the spray, not the photographer.

Bring a couple of bottles for more variety!

I like to have a couple of bottles because the moment passes so quickly! It’s fun to get a few different angles and reactions. Overall this shot won’t take more than 5 minutes, but it’s well worth it having it in your timeline as a fun memory on your wedding day!

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Pros and Cons to a Wedding Day First Look