How much alcohol for a wedding
A practical guide · Updated July 2026
Weddings do not drink like other parties. They run longer, the guest list spans three generations, and the pace is front-loaded — cocktail hour is the busiest sixty minutes of the night by a wide margin. Plan with generic party numbers and you will over-buy spirits and run short of wine.
How wedding drinking actually behaves
- Cocktail hour: about 2 drinks per drinking guest. Everyone arrives at once, nobody is seated, and a glass in hand is what people do while they wait.
- Dinner: roughly 1 drink per guest per hour, and it skews heavily to wine.
- Dancing: back up to 1–1.5 per hour, skewing back to beer and spirits.
- Drinking share: at a typical wedding only 50–60% of guests drink meaningfully. Grandparents, children, designated drivers, pregnant guests and people who simply do not drink are all on the list.
That drinking share is where most over-buying comes from. Planning for 100 guests as if all 100 are drinking will leave you with roughly 70–100% more alcohol than the night needs.
Bottles by guest count
The table below assumes a five-hour reception, about 50% of guests drinking, and a classic 40% beer / 35% wine / 25% spirits split. Champagne is for a single toast pour.
| Guests | Beer (12 oz) | Wine (750 ml) | Spirits (750 ml) | Champagne (750 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 60 cans (3 cases) | 11 bottles | 3 bottles | 7 bottles |
| 100 | 120 cans (5 cases) | 21 bottles | 5 bottles | 13 bottles |
| 150 | 180 cans (8 cases) | 32 bottles | 7 bottles | 19 bottles |
| 200 | 240 cans (10 cases) | 42 bottles | 9 bottles | 25 bottles |
Split wine roughly half white and half red. If the reception is outdoors in summer, shift that to two-thirds white and rosé — nobody reaches for a heavy red at 86°F.
The champagne toast
One 750 ml bottle pours about 8 toast-sized glasses, so the rule is simply one bottle per 8 guests, counted across everyone rather than just drinkers — most people accept a toast pour even if they are not otherwise drinking. For 100 guests that is 13 bottles. Prosecco or cava pours identically and costs a fraction of champagne; almost nobody can tell the difference in a toast glass.
Open bar versus beer and wine
The choice is usually financial, and the gap is significant. Rough per-guest ranges for a five-hour reception:
| Bar type | Per guest | 100 guests | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beer and wine only | $12–20 | $1,200–2,000 | Covers most guests happily; simplest to run |
| Beer, wine + one signature cocktail | $18–28 | $1,800–2,800 | Feels generous at modest extra cost |
| Full open bar | $25–45 | $2,500–4,500 | Widest choice; slowest service, most waste |
The middle option is where most couples land. A single signature cocktail gives the impression of a full bar, takes a couple of bottles of one spirit, and keeps the queue moving because the bartender is not mixing eight different drinks.
Signature cocktail math
A 750 ml bottle yields about 17 standard 1.5 oz pours. If you expect roughly a third of drinking guests to have one or two signature cocktails, then for 100 guests that is around 50 drinkers, a third of whom take about 1.5 each — roughly 25 drinks, or 2 bottles of the base spirit plus mixers. Buy 3 and keep the receipt.
Practical things that cost or save money
- Buy on sale or return. Many retailers will take back unopened cases. Ask before you order, and keep boxes intact.
- Chill deliberately. Only cool what you expect to serve in the next two hours; warm stock is easier to return.
- Ice is not optional. A wedding bar needs roughly 1.5–2 lb per guest once you count chilling and glasses. It is the single most commonly forgotten item.
- Glassware disappears. Guests abandon half-full glasses constantly. Expect 2.5–3 glasses per guest over a reception.
- Close the bar early. Stopping service 30–60 minutes before the end, and bringing out coffee and dessert instead, is standard practice and helps everyone get home safely.
A worked example: 100 guests, 5 hours
Assume 50 drinkers. Cocktail hour is 2 drinks each (100), then four hours at roughly 1 per hour (200) — about 300 drinks. Split 40/35/25 that is 120 beers, 105 glasses of wine and 75 spirit pours.
- Beer: 120 cans → 5 cases of 24, call it 5–6 depending on how beer-heavy your crowd is.
- Wine: 105 glasses ÷ 5 per bottle = 21 bottles. Say 10 white, 9 red, 2 rosé.
- Spirits: 75 pours ÷ 17 = 5 bottles, plus about 5 liters of mixers.
- Champagne toast: 100 ÷ 8 = 13 bottles.
- Non-alcoholic: the 50 non-drinkers still drink — plan 3–4 soft drinks each plus a bottle of water per guest.
- Ice: about 175 lb.
The non-alcoholic line is the one people forget, and it is the one that runs out first. Guests who are not drinking alcohol get through soft drinks and water faster than drinkers get through wine.
Frequently asked questions
How much alcohol do I need for a wedding of 100 guests?
For a five-hour reception with roughly 50% of guests drinking, plan on about 120 cans of beer (5 cases), 21 bottles of wine, 5 bottles of spirits with mixers, and 13 bottles of champagne for the toast. Add plenty of soft drinks and water — the non-drinking guests get through those faster than drinkers get through wine.
What percentage of wedding guests actually drink?
Usually 50–60%, which is lower than most couples expect. A wedding guest list spans generations and includes children, grandparents, designated drivers, pregnant guests and people who do not drink at all. Planning as though every guest is a drinker is the most common reason couples end up with far too much alcohol.
How much champagne do I need for a wedding toast?
One 750 ml bottle pours about eight toast-sized glasses, so buy one bottle for every 8 guests — 13 bottles for 100 guests. Count everyone rather than just drinkers, since most people accept a small toast pour. Prosecco or cava pours the same and costs considerably less without anyone noticing in a toast glass.
Run your own numbers — free, no sign-up
- Wedding Alcohol Calculator — your guest count and reception length, itemized.
- How much wine for a party — bottle counts in detail.
- Ice Calculator — the item everyone underestimates.
- Party Budget Calculator — what the bar should cost.