Question 1

How much alcohol do I need for a wedding?

Accepted Answer

Plan for roughly one drink per guest per hour. A 100-guest, five-hour reception needs about 500 drinks. With a wine-led bar that is around 60 bottles of wine, six cases of beer, five 750ml bottles of spirits, and 17 bottles of champagne for the toast. Round up — most stores let you return unopened bottles.

Question 2

How many bottles of wine per guest?

Accepted Answer

One 750ml bottle pours about five glasses. For a five-hour reception, budget a little over half a bottle per guest if wine is the main pour — so roughly three bottles for every five guests. Reds and whites usually split evenly; lean white in summer and at warm-weather destinations.

Question 3

How much does the crowd setting change?

Accepted Answer

A lot. "Light" assumes 0.75 drinks per guest per hour (older crowd, daytime, lots of non-drinkers); "average" is one per hour; "spirited" is 1.4 (a younger, late-night, dance-floor crowd). The same 100-guest, five-hour wedding ranges from about 375 to 700 drinks across those three.

Question 4

What about ice, mixers, and glassware?

Accepted Answer

Budget 1 to 1.5 pounds of ice per guest — half for drinks, half for chilling bottles. For spirits, allow two to three mixers per cocktail (tonic, soda, juice). If you are renting glassware, order 1.5 glasses per guest per drink type, since people set them down and lose track.

Question 5

Is the calculator accurate for a destination wedding?

Accepted Answer

The servings math is universal, but buying abroad differs: local bottle sizes, corkage policy, and return rules vary. Always ask your venue or caterer about corkage (often €15–25 per bottle) and whether unopened cases can be returned before you buy to the high end.

Guests	Wine	Beer	Spirits	Champagne (toast)
50 guests	30 bottles	3 cases	3 bottles	9 bottles
75 guests	45 bottles	4 cases	4 bottles	13 bottles
100 guests	60 bottles	6 cases	5 bottles	17 bottles
150 guests	90 bottles	8 cases	7 bottles	25 bottles
200 guests	120 bottles	11 cases	10 bottles	34 bottles

Wedding alcohol
calculator.

The shopping list.

How much alcohol
for a wedding.

Modeled from 5,962 venues.

Four tools, quietly kept.

The shopping list.

How much alcoholfor a wedding.

Modeled from 5,962 venues.

Four tools, quietly kept.

How much alcohol
for a wedding.