Wedding Alcohol & Bar Calculator
Estimate how much beer, wine, liquor, mixers, and ice to buy for your wedding reception or event bar. Customize by guest count, duration, and bar styles.
🍷 Celebration Parameters
Bar Planner📊 Stocking Requirements
Calculated🥤 Suggested Mixers
Shopping listThe Science of Planning a Reception Bar
Standard Serving Sizes
Calculations assume standard serving portions for safety and budget accuracy. A single bottle of wine (750ml) provides exactly **5 servings** (5oz pours). A single bottle of spirits (750ml) yields **16 drinks** (1.5oz pours), and individual beers are standard 12oz cans or bottles.
The 1-Drink-Per-Hour Metric
The industry baseline is to budget **1 drink per guest per hour**. However, for festive celebrations, a higher rate of **1.5 or 2.2 drinks per hour** guarantees the bar will not run dry. Our algorithm incorporates a safety buffer of +0.5 drinks per guest to cover spills and heavy pourers.
Ice and Mixer Logistics
A common wedding oversight is ice and mixer quantities. Open bars require **1.5 lbs of ice per guest** to keep canned beverages chilled in tubs and provide ice for highballs. Mixers require soda, juices, and tonics in a 3:1 ratio to total liquor pours.
A Worked Example
For a 4-hour reception with 100 guests, plan about one drink per guest per hour plus a buffer — roughly 450 drinks. Split 50% wine, 30% beer, 20% liquor, that's 225 glasses of wine (about 45 bottles, since each 750ml bottle pours five), 135 beers, and 90 cocktails (about 6 bottles of spirits at 16 pours each).
Don't forget roughly 150 lbs of ice — 1.5 lbs per guest — which is the single most commonly underestimated item on the list. Buying your own alcohol and returning the unopened bottles is usually far cheaper than a per-head bar package, where the venue allows it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much alcohol do I need for 100 guests?
For a roughly 4-hour reception, plan about 400–500 drinks for 100 guests. A common split is 50% wine, 30% beer, and 20% liquor — the calculator converts that into bottles, cases, and ice for you.
What's a good beer, wine, and liquor ratio?
A popular default is 50% wine, 30% beer, and 20% spirits, but shift toward beer for casual events or wine for formal dinners. Always offer non-alcoholic options as well.
Is it cheaper to buy my own alcohol or use the venue?
Buying your own (where the venue allows it) and returning unopened bottles is usually far cheaper than per-drink or per-head bar packages. Confirm corkage fees and licensing rules first.
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