Figure out exactly how much alcohol to buy for a wedding — beer, wine, spirits and champagne — based on your guest count, reception length, bar style and crowd. Get a full shopping list with bottle counts and a budget estimate in seconds.
The standard bartending rule is 1 drink per guest per hour. For a 5-hour reception with 100 guests and 15% non-drinkers (85 drinking guests), that's 85 × 5 = 425 total drinks. However, the first hour is typically higher — guests drink ~1.5 drinks in hour one, then ~0.75–1 per hour after. This calculator applies the standard adjustment automatically based on your drinking level selection.
The traditional wedding bar split is 50% wine, 30% beer, 20% spirits. But this varies significantly: younger crowds lean 40% beer and more spirits; afternoon weddings favour white wine and prosecco; formal dinners skew 60–70% wine. The calculator lets you adjust the mix sliders to match your specific crowd. One 750ml wine bottle = 5 glasses; one standard spirit bottle = ~17 shots (about 8 cocktails).
Running out of alcohol at a wedding is a disaster. Buying too much wastes money. The solution: always purchase from a retailer with a return policy on unopened cases. Add a 10–15% buffer, and return what you don't open. Total Wine, Costco, and many independent retailers allow unopened case returns. Ask before you buy. Also consider buying wines that serve double duty — prosecco works for both the champagne toast and during dinner.