Wedding Alcohol Calculator

Total drinks needed is roughly guest count × drinks per guest per hour × number of hours the bar is open. One drink per guest per hour is a commonly used industry planning average for a mixed reception (accounting for non-drinkers and varied paces), though it can run higher for cocktail-hour-heavy events.

To convert total drinks into bottles, this calculator uses a standard 5 oz pour and a 25.4 oz (750 ml) bottle by default — adjust either if your bar service uses different pour sizes or bottle formats (magnums, etc.).

Example: 100 guests over a 5-hour reception at 1 drink/guest/hour comes to 500 total drinks, which works out to about 99 standard 750 ml bottles at a 5 oz pour — always round up and keep a little extra buffer, since running out mid-reception isn't recoverable.

Split your order across wine, beer, and spirits using your crowd's preferences — this tool totals drinks then converts to bottles at your pour and bottle size.

Signature cocktails consume more liquor per drink than wine pours; bump drinks-per-hour if you run a heavy cocktail hour before dinner.

Worked example with defaults: 100 guests × 1 drink/guest/hour × 5 hours = 500 drinks. At 5 oz pours from 25.4 oz bottles → about 99 bottles — round up to 100+.

Beer-and-wine-only bars cut liquor costs but may increase wine bottle count — tune pour sizes (5 oz wine default) when guests prefer prosecco toasts plus open bar wine all night. Beer-and-wine-only bars shift bottle mix — tune five-ounce wine default when prosecco toasts plus open bar wine run the same evening.

Last-call rush can spike consumption above 1 drink/guest/hour for the final hour — caterers sometimes staff extra bartenders without changing your drink math; add 10% bottles for safety. Last-call surge may exceed one drink/guest/hour — add ten-percent bottles for safety without changing the five-hour reception default. Set RSVP deadlines in invitations that leave time to chase stragglers before vendor headcount cutoffs.

One hundred guests × 1 drink/guest/hour × 5 hours = 500 drinks. At 5 oz pours from 25.4 oz (750 ml) bottles, wine bottle count ≈ 99 — round to 105 bottles mixed red/white based on season and menu. 100 × 1 × 5 h = 500 drinks — 5 oz pours from 25.4 oz bottles ≈ 99 wine bottles; round mixed red/white to ~105 before ice and glassware.