Wedding Alcohol Calculator: DIY Wedding Drink Calculator
Trying to figure out how much alcohol to buy for your wedding? Use this Wedding Alcohol Calculator to find out exactly how many drinks you should plan for your wedding guests. Simply enter your number of guests and see the total number of drinks, plus a breakdown of drink types and a shopping list.
For Every Type of Reception
If you’re still undecided about your reception, you can see the numbers for a few different types of weddings, and compare the different bar options. Once you know what you need to buy for each one, you can add up the prices and decide which is the best fit for your budget.
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Wedding Alcohol Calculator For a 4 Hour Dinner Reception:
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Drink Calculator For a 4 Hour Dinner + Cocktail Hour:
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Limited Bar For a 4 Hour Dinner Reception:
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Limited Bar For a 4 Hour Dinner + Cocktail Hour:
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Drinks For a 3 Hour Wedding Brunch, Lunch or Cocktail Party:
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Add a Champagne Toast to Your Wedding Reception:
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How Many Bottles Do You Need for a Champagne Toast?
Typically, a bottle of champagne will fill 4 or 5 glasses. But for a wedding day toast, the glasses should only be filled halfway. The calculator is based on one 750mL bottle for 8 glasses of champagne. If you're not hiring professionals, make sure your champagne servers know how much to pour in each glass.
Bride and groom making a champagne toast on their wedding day.
Calculate How Much Alcohol to Buy For Your Wedding
The calculator is based on average numbers - one drink per person, per hour. If some of your guests are heavy drinkers, you might want to add an extra 10 to 20% to your shopping list. In fact, most caterers automatically bring an extra 20% just in case.
To adjust the results in the calculator, you can simply raise your guest number:
For example, if you’re hosting 75 guests and you want to add an extra 20% to your bar supplies multiply 75 x 1.2 = 90
Instead of entering 75 guests, enter 90 guests. The calculator will automatically adjust your lists to provide an extra 20%
Choosing Wine For Your Wedding Reception
If your wedding is in the spring or summer, you might want to offer a few bottles of rosé wine. If you’d rather keep it simple, stick with red and white wine. In general, you can split your shopping list to half red wine and half white wine.
When you’re deciding on your ratio of red to white wine, you might want to consider your meal. For example, if you’re offering roast beef or steak, more people will choose to drink red wine. If you’re offering pasta and chicken more guests will prefer to drink white wine.
Choosing Which Types of Beer to Serve
Different brands of beer are more popular in different areas of the country. If you or your partner have a favorite, start with that. Try to offer at least one type of light beer and one of dark beer. If you’ve got some wiggle room in your budget, you could include some local craft beer, as well.
Choosing Liquor For Your Reception
Before you choose your wedding alcohol, decide if you’ll be offering a full bar, or beer and wine, plus one or two signature drinks. Enter your number of wedding guests into the calculator and check how many bottles you’ll need. (Remember to include yourselves! Add 2 to the number of guests coming to your wedding.)
If you’d like to offer a full bar, include the most popular types of spirits first: gin, vodka and whisky. If the calculator shows more than 3 bottles of liquor, you can buy 2 bottles of each. Or you can add some variety to your bar and include tequila, bourbon, rum, or your own favorites.
If you’ve got a smaller budget or guest list, you can offer a signature drink instead of individual cocktails. With a signature drink, you’ll only need to buy one or two types of liquor, mixers and garnishes. It’ll be easier and less expensive to serve at your wedding.
For more about choosing, mixing and serving a signature drink, read this next Best Wedding Cocktails: Signature Drinks For Your Reception
Choosing Mixers For Your Wedding Bar
To calculate how many mixers to buy, the rule of thumb is three bottles of mixers for each bottle of alcohol. If you’re planning signature drinks, you’ll only need to buy one or two types of mixers. If you’re offering a full bar, you’ll need to choose a variety of mixers. The most popular types are orange or cranberry juice, soft drinks, like cola or 7 up, plus some soda water or tonic water.
For Non-Drinkers or Kids at Your Reception
While you’re choosing your mixers, consider your guest list. If you’re inviting a lot of non-drinkers or kids, you’ll want to include some non alcoholic beverages. Add extra water, juice or soft drinks to your shopping list.
Choosing Garnishes for a Finishing Touch
If you choose a signature drink, you’ll only need to buy one type of garnish. Remember that you only need single garnishes - if the calculator says 400 garnishes, you don’t need 400 lemons! One lemon will typically equal 8 wedges or slices.
If you’re planning a full bar, include popular garnishes like lemons, limes, oranges, olives, pickled onions and maraschino cherries.
Tips For a DIY Wedding Bar
Before you plan your DIY wedding drinks, check with your venue to make sure they allow it.
If your wedding is all DIY, check your local rules and regulations around serving alcohol.
Talk to your insurance agent to see if you need any extra policies.
Once you’re sure about your local serving laws, decide how you’ll offer your drinks.
Some caterers will provide bartending staff and allow you to provide the alcohol.
Ask your caterer about corkage fees. They might charge a corkage fee for each bottle of wine or liquor that they open and serve.
For easy serving options, choose premixed signature drinks. Or you can purchase wine or cocktail drinks in single serving bottles or cans.
When you buy your alcohol, look for a store that accepts returns. That way you can order extra, just in case.
If you’re planning to return some, don’t put the bottles in ice. It’ll ruin the labels and the store won’t be able to accept them.
How Much Should You Spend on Alcohol For Your Wedding?
Common advice says to use averages, or percentages, when you’re figuring out your bar costs. But if you’re on a smaller budget, percentages don’t always work. A better way to work out your costs is by deciding what you’ll serve. Then check your local prices and do the math. Once you’ve got a realistic number, you’ll know what you have to work with.
It’s easy to figure out your costs if you use your results from the alcohol calculator. If you type in 100 guests for a 4 hour dinner reception, you’ll see that you need to provide 400 drinks. Which seems like a lot at first. But if we break it down, we can see how the math works out:
750mL Bottles of Wine : 40 x $15 each = $600
Bottles or Cans of Beer : 80 cans = 4 cases x $20 = $80
750mL Bottles of Liquor : 8 x $25 = $200
1L Bottles of Mixers : 23 x $2 = $46
Garnishes : 400 (25 lemons, 12 limes, 2 jars of olives, 2 jars of cocktail onions, 2 jars of maraschino cherries) = $39
Grand Total = $965
Check Your Budget
Once you’ve worked out your numbers, take a look at your budget. If you’ve got some wiggle room, you could add a champagne toast. You could upgrade your wine, add some specialty liquor, or offer some craft beer or ale to your guests.
If your first try goes over your budget, don’t worry - there’s lots of ways to cut costs. You could offer signature drinks instead of a full bar. Or you could set up your bar with beer and wine only. Look for less expensive bottles of wine and liquor and try your numbers again.
You’ll probably redo your budget a few times, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out right away. Just consider all the different types of receptions and bar services, then try again.
After a few tries, you’ll find the option that suits you, your style, and your budget!
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