Wedding Alcohol Calculator: How Much to Buy for Your Guests
Updated
How much to buy is the question every couple asks twice: once for the budget, once in panic the week before. The calculator below works from rules of thumb that you can see and change, and turns your guest count into liters, bottles and a printable shopping list.
Calculate your drinks
Drink mix (share of all drinks, %)
Price per bottle (optional)
Shopping list
| Liters | Bottles | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparkling wine | 15 | 20 | · |
| Wine | 20 | 26 | · |
| Beer | 43 | 85 | · |
| Long drinks | 3 | 3 | · |
| Non-alcoholic | 70 | 70 | · |
Plus still and sparkling water: about 40 liters, and plenty of ice.
How the estimate works
The base rule is one drink per guest per hour of celebration; lively dancing crowds drink more, seated dinner parties less, which is why the rate is adjustable under "Adjust assumptions". The reception toast comes on top (1 to 2 glasses of sparkling per guest), and guests who skip alcohol shift their share to soft drinks. None of these numbers are facts about your wedding; they are starting points to adjust.
Buying tips
- Buy on sale-or-return where possible; unopened bottles go back.
- Round bottle counts up, never down; running dry at 10 pm is the one mistake guests remember.
- Plan water and ice separately from the drinks budget; both run out faster than expected.
Done with the drinks? The seating chart is the other big list: plan who sits where free, in your browser.