How much alcohol for 50 wedding guests?

By Forever Farrah Published 2026-10-19.

For 50 guests over a five-hour bar, buy about 28 bottles of wine, 83 beers and 4 bottles of spirits, plus 10 of sparkling for the toast.

For 50 wedding guests and a five-hour bar, plan about 275 drinks: roughly 28 bottles of wine (about 3 cases), 83 bottles or cans of beer and 4 bottles of spirits. Add 10 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 275 drinks are worked out

50 guests × 5 hours × 1 drink an hour × 1.1 buffer = 275 drinks.

Split by what people drink, that is 138 glasses of wine, 83 beers and 54 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 50 wedding guests by hours of bar service

Bar open	Drinks	Wine (bottles)	Beer	Spirits (750 ml)
4 hours	220	22	66	3
5 hours	275	28	83	4
6 hours	330	33	99	4

If your guests drink differently

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

Bottles for 50 guests over five hours by drink mix (wine / beer / spirits %)

Mix	Wine (bottles)	Beer	Spirits (750 ml)
Mostly wine (70 / 20 / 10)	39	55	2
Our default (50 / 30 / 20)	28	83	4
Beer-heavy (30 / 60 / 10)	17	165	2
Cocktail-heavy (30 / 20 / 50)	17	55	9

Serving only beer and wine? At 60% wine and 40% beer, 50 guests need about 33 bottles of wine and 110 beers. Wine only, it is about 55 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 75 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 50 wedding guests?

About 28 bottles if half of all drinks are wine over a five-hour bar, plus 10 bottles of sparkling for the toast. If wine is most of what your guests drink, plan nearer 39.

How much beer do I need for 50 wedding guests?

About 83 bottles or cans if beer is 30% of drinks, which is 4 cases of 24. A beer-heavy crowd can take 165.

How many bottles of liquor for 50 guests?

About 4 bottles of 750 ml if spirits are 20% of drinks. For a full cocktail bar at half of all drinks, plan 9.