How much alcohol for 200 wedding guests?

By Forever Farrah Published 2026-10-19.

For 200 guests over a five-hour bar, buy about 109 bottles of wine, 330 beers and 14 bottles of spirits, plus 40 of sparkling for the toast.

For 200 wedding guests and a five-hour bar, plan about 1,100 drinks: roughly 109 bottles of wine (about 10 cases), 330 bottles or cans of beer and 14 bottles of spirits. Add 40 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 1,100 drinks are worked out

200 guests × 5 hours × 1 drink an hour × 1.1 buffer = 1,100 drinks.

Split by what people drink, that is 550 glasses of wine, 330 beers and 220 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 200 wedding guests by hours of bar service

Bar open	Drinks	Wine (bottles)	Beer	Spirits (750 ml)
4 hours	880	87	264	11
5 hours	1,100	109	330	14
6 hours	1,320	131	396	16

If your guests drink differently

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

Bottles for 200 guests over five hours by drink mix (wine / beer / spirits %)

Mix	Wine (bottles)	Beer	Spirits (750 ml)
Mostly wine (70 / 20 / 10)	152	220	7
Our default (50 / 30 / 20)	109	330	14
Beer-heavy (30 / 60 / 10)	66	660	7
Cocktail-heavy (30 / 20 / 50)	66	220	33

Serving only beer and wine? At 60% wine and 40% beer, 200 guests need about 131 bottles of wine and 440 beers. Wine only, it is about 217 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 175 guests or Alcohol for 250 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 200 wedding guests?

About 109 bottles if half of all drinks are wine over a five-hour bar, plus 40 bottles of sparkling for the toast. If wine is most of what your guests drink, plan nearer 152.

How much beer do I need for 200 wedding guests?

About 330 bottles or cans if beer is 30% of drinks, which is 14 cases of 24. A beer-heavy crowd can take 660.

How many bottles of liquor for 200 guests?

About 14 bottles of 750 ml if spirits are 20% of drinks. For a full cocktail bar at half of all drinks, plan 33.