Wedding & reception bar

How Much Alcohol Do You Need for a Wedding?

Plan the bar once. Get the right amount, in the right mix, without guessing.

The short answer

Plan on one drink per guest per hour. Add one extra drink per guest for the first hour, because people drink faster early. For a four hour reception with 100 guests, that is about 500 drinks total.

What to buy, by guest count

Based on a four hour reception. Mix used: 40% beer, 40% wine, 20% spirits.

Guests	Total drinks	Beer	Wine	Spirits
25	125	3 cases	10 bottles	2 bottles
50	250	5 cases	20 bottles	4 bottles
75	375	7 cases	30 bottles	5 bottles
100	500	9 cases	40 bottles	7 bottles
150	750	13 cases	60 bottles	10 bottles

Beer counted in cases of 24. Wine at five glasses per bottle. Spirits in 750ml bottles at about 16 drinks each.

Want to change the guest count or the hours? Use the party drink calculator and it will do the math for any number.

Why this mix

Weddings drink more wine than any other party. Toasts, dinner and older guests all move wine. Beer keeps the dance floor happy. Spirits are the smallest share, but they are the most expensive part of the bar, so this is where the plan saves you money.

Wine moves fastest at a wedding. Most receptions pour more wine than beer and liquor combined, so this is the number to get right first.

Four mistakes that cost the most

Buying for the whole guest list. Roughly 20% of a wedding crowd does not drink alcohol. Plan for the drinkers, not the headcount.
Forgetting the toast. One champagne pour per guest is about one bottle for every six people.
Skipping ice and mixers. Plan about one pound of ice per guest for a four hour reception.
Buying six kinds of liquor. Guests order what they know. Depth beats variety at a wedding.

A small, well chosen spirits shelf beats a big one. Two or three good bottles per category is usually enough for a wedding bar.

How we build your wedding bar

You send the guest count, the date and the hours.
We build the drink plan and tell you what it takes to cover it.
You adjust the mix to fit what your crowd actually drinks.
We pull the order together for pickup at the store on Austin Bluffs.

We are a liquor store in Colorado Springs, not a caterer. What we do well is get the amount right and have it ready when you come get it.

Questions people ask

How much wine do I need for 100 wedding guests?

For a four hour reception, plan on about 40 bottles of wine if wine is 40% of your bar. That covers roughly 200 glasses at five glasses per bottle.

Should I do beer and wine only?

Many couples do, and it works. Beer and wine covers most guests and keeps the plan simple. If you want spirits, a limited bar with two signature drinks is easier to manage than a full bar.

What if I buy too much?

Talk to us before you order. We will walk through your guest count and hours and build the plan around what your crowd actually drinks.

How far ahead should I order?

Sooner is better, especially for larger weddings or specific bottles. Send us your date and guest count and we will tell you what the lead time looks like.

Get a wedding bar plan

Tell us the date and the headcount. We will come back with a plan.

Your name Type of event Event date How many guests Phone Email

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