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How to work out wedding alcohol from guest count and hours, bottle counts for 50 to 200 guests, and why online answers for the same wedding differ so much.
Plan on one drink per guest for every hour the bar is open, then add about 10% as a buffer. For 100 guests over five hours that is about 550 drinks. Split that by what your guests drink, then convert: about five glasses of wine per bottle, one drink per beer, and about 16 measures per 750 ml bottle of spirits.
Look up how much alcohol 150 guests need and you'll see answers from about 600 drinks to 1,500. Each one assumes a drinking rate, a length of evening and a buffer, usually without saying so. Change any one of those and the answer moves a lot. So do the sum with your own numbers instead:
The US standard drink sizes, as defined by the CDC, are 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. A 750 ml bottle holds 25.4 ounces.
Wedding alcohol for a 5-hour bar, one drink per guest per hour, 10% buffer, split 50% wine, 30% beer, 20% spirits: 50, 275, 28, 83, 4, 10; 100, 550, 55, 165, 7, 20; 120, 660, 66, 198, 8, 24; 150, 825, 82, 248, 10, 30; 200, 1,100, 109, 330, 14, 40.
Guests who don't drink. If you know a good share of your guests don't drink (children, religious or health reasons), lower the percentage who do. A long or hot day. Raise the rate for a summer afternoon wedding or a party that runs late. A wine-heavy or beer-heavy crowd. Change the split. The total stays the same; only the bottle types change. Beer and wine only. Set spirits to zero, or offer one or two signature cocktails, which are easier to budget than a full bar. A toast. One glass of sparkling per guest is about one bottle for every five guests. Many guests leave a toast glass half full, so this is generous.
Ask the venue whether you may bring your own alcohol, whether they charge corkage, and whether a licensed bartender is required. Ask about returns. Some shops take back unopened bottles, which makes a generous buffer free. Count the ice and mixers, which are easy to forget and run out first.
About 825 drinks for a five-hour bar at one drink per guest per hour with a 10% buffer. With half wine, that's about 82 bottles of wine, 248 beers and 10 bottles of spirits.
For a guest who drinks only wine, about one bottle over a five-hour evening at one glass an hour, since a bottle holds about five glasses. Across a whole guest list where some guests drink beer or spirits, it works out to less per person.
For most weddings, yes, with a 10% buffer on top. Raise it for a long party, a hot day or a crowd you know drinks more than average.
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