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Industry standard: 1.5 drinks per guest in the first hour, 1 drink per guest each additional hour. Light-drinking crowds: 1 and 0.75. Heavy-drinking crowds: 2 and 1.5.
Total drinks = Guests × (1.5 + (Hours − 1) × 1.0)Typical wedding split: 40% wine, 35% beer, 25% spirits/cocktails. Adjust for crowd demographics and season — summer outdoor weddings skew beer-heavy.
Wine bottles = (Total drinks × 0.40) / 5 glasses per bottleAdd 15–20% buffer for popular events and unexpected consumption. Unopened bottles are returnable at most liquor stores within return policy windows.
Order quantity = Calculated quantity × 1.15–1.20Updated: July 2026
100 × (1.5 + 3 × 1.0) = 450 drinks. Wine: 180 drinks = 36 bottles. Beer: 158 drinks = 13 cases (24-pack). Spirits: 112 drinks ≈ 8–10 750ml bottles plus mixers.
75 × (1.5 + 2 × 1.0) = 262 drinks. Wine: 105 drinks = 21 bottles. Beer: 157 drinks = 13 cases. No spirits needed — saves 25% on alcohol budget.
150 × (1.5 + 4 × 1.0) = 825 drinks plus cocktail hour adds ~150 = 975 total. Significant order — coordinate with venue bar package or hire professional bar service.
Cocktail hour consumption is often higher per hour than dinner (1.5–2 drinks/person/hour with hors d'oeuvres). Add cocktail hour drinks separately to the reception total.
Most wedding guests cannot distinguish well spirits in mixed drinks. Use mid-shelf for cocktails, premium for neat pours. Allocate budget to quantity over top-shelf for 100+ guest events.
Running out of drinks creates a memorable reception for the wrong reasons. This calculator estimates beer, wine, and spirit quantities from guest count, reception duration, drinking rate assumptions, and bar style (open bar, beer-and-wine only, or cash bar).