Wedding Alcohol Calculator
From a Guest Count to an Actual Shopping List
Ordering alcohol for a reception means converting an abstract "how much will people drink" question into a concrete number of bottles and cases to purchase or have a caterer supply. The industry rule of thumb of roughly one drink per guest per hour gives a reasonable starting estimate, which this calculator then splits across wine, beer, and liquor and converts into standard bottle and case counts.
The Formula
Wine Bottles = ceil(Wine Drinks ÷ 5) (5 glasses per 750ml bottle)
Beer Cases = ceil(Beer Drinks ÷ 24) (24 beers per case)
Liquor Bottles = ceil(Liquor Drinks ÷ 17) (≈17 shots per 750ml bottle)
Worked Example
| Category | Drinks | Units to buy |
|---|---|---|
| Wine (40%) | 200 glasses | 40 bottles |
| Beer (40%) | 200 beers | 9 cases |
| Liquor (20%) | 100 shots | 6 bottles |
Total drinks in this example is 500 (100 guests × 5 hours), then split across the three categories before converting each into purchasable units, rounding up so you never come up short mid-reception.
Where This Matters
- Ordering from a wine and spirits shop — most retailers accept returns on unopened bottles, so ordering slightly over this estimate and returning what's unused is a common, low-risk strategy.
- Working with a caterer's bar package — comparing this estimate against a caterer's proposed alcohol package quantities helps confirm you're not being oversold or underserved.
- Adjusting for your crowd — a wine-forward guest list or a shorter cocktail-hour-only event calls for adjusting the wine/beer/liquor split percentages away from the 40/40/20 default.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the Guest Count.
- Enter the Reception Length in hours.
- Enter Wine %, Beer %, and Liquor % (must total 100; defaults to 40/40/20).
- Select Calculate to see the recommended bottle and case counts.
Related Calculations
Add the full catering cost on top of the bar with the Wedding Catering Calculator, or check overall budget allocation with the Wedding Budget Calculator.