How much alcohol for 175 wedding guests?

By Forever Farrah Published 2026-10-19.

For 175 guests over a five-hour bar, buy about 96 bottles of wine, 289 beers and 12 bottles of spirits, plus 35 of sparkling for the toast.

For 175 wedding guests and a five-hour bar, plan about 963 drinks: roughly 96 bottles of wine (about 8 cases), 289 bottles or cans of beer and 12 bottles of spirits. Add 35 bottles of sparkling wine if everyone gets a glass for the toast. That assumes one drink per guest per hour, a 10% buffer, and a split of half wine, 30% beer and 20% spirits.

How the 963 drinks are worked out

175 guests × 5 hours × 1 drink an hour × 1.1 buffer = 963 drinks.

Split by what people drink, that is 482 glasses of wine, 289 beers and 192 spirit measures. A 750 ml bottle pours about 5 glasses of wine or about 16 measures of spirits, and every bottle count is rounded up.

If your bar is open longer or shorter

Alcohol for 175 wedding guests by hours of bar service

Bar open	Drinks	Wine (bottles)	Beer	Spirits (750 ml)
4 hours	770	76	231	10
5 hours	963	96	289	12
6 hours	1,155	114	347	14

If your guests drink differently

The split matters as much as the total. Shift it toward what your guests actually order.

Bottles for 175 guests over five hours by drink mix (wine / beer / spirits %)

Mix	Wine (bottles)	Beer	Spirits (750 ml)
Mostly wine (70 / 20 / 10)	133	193	6
Our default (50 / 30 / 20)	96	289	12
Beer-heavy (30 / 60 / 10)	57	578	6
Cocktail-heavy (30 / 20 / 50)	57	193	29

Serving only beer and wine? At 60% wine and 40% beer, 175 guests need about 114 bottles of wine and 385 beers. Wine only, it is about 190 bottles.

Ways to buy less without running out

• Not everyone drinks. If a quarter of your guests won't, take a quarter off every number above, or set it in the calculator below.
• Ask about sale or return. Many shops take back unopened bottles, so you can buy to the top of the range.
• Close the bar during dinner if wine is on the tables, and count the dinner wine once.
• Ask your venue what is included. Some packages already cover the toast or a house wine.

Change the guest count, hours or mix to see your own numbers:

How much alcohol do you need for your wedding?

Planning for a different number? Alcohol for 150 guests or Alcohol for 200 guests. For the method behind every number, read how much alcohol you need for a wedding.

Frequently asked questions

How much wine do I need for 175 wedding guests?

About 96 bottles if half of all drinks are wine over a five-hour bar, plus 35 bottles of sparkling for the toast. If wine is most of what your guests drink, plan nearer 133.

How much beer do I need for 175 wedding guests?

About 289 bottles or cans if beer is 30% of drinks, which is 13 cases of 24. A beer-heavy crowd can take 578.

How many bottles of liquor for 175 guests?

About 12 bottles of 750 ml if spirits are 20% of drinks. For a full cocktail bar at half of all drinks, plan 29.