A typical guest drinks about two drinks in the first hour and one per hour after that. Many venues let you return unopened bottles – ask before you buy. Offer good non-alcoholic choices for the toast too.
How to use the Wedding Alcohol Calculator
- Guests (for the toast)
- Wine drinkers
- Beer drinkers
- Spirits drinkers
- Reception length
- Red wine share
- Champagne toast pour
Results update as you type, and every field accepts the units shown in its menu.
How it works
Enter the number of guests, how many drink wine, beer and spirits, the reception length, the red wine share and the champagne pour.
Inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Guests (for the toast) | A number |
| Wine drinkers | A number |
| Beer drinkers | A number |
| Spirits drinkers | A number |
| Reception length | Units: h, min |
| Red wine share | In % |
| Champagne toast pour | Choose one: Standard (8 glasses per bottle), Generous (6 per bottle), No champagne toast |
What each result means
- Bottles of wine = ceil([Wine drinkers]×[Drinks per drinker]÷5)
- Red wine bottles = ceil([Bottles of wine]×[Red wine share]÷100)
- White and rosé bottles = [Bottles of wine] – [Red wine bottles]
- Beers = ceil([Beer drinkers]×[Drinks per drinker])
- Cases of beer (24) = ceil([Beers]÷24)
- Bottles of spirits (750 ml) = ceil([Spirits drinkers]×[Drinks per drinker]÷17)
Example values
How the main result changes when Guests changes and everything else stays at the example values above:
| Guests (for the toast) | Bottles of wine |
|---|---|
| 60 | 72 |
| 90 | 72 |
| 120 | 72 |
| 150 | 72 |
| 180 | 72 |
| 240 | 72 |
Formula
Wine bottles = wine drinkers × (2 + reception hours − 1) ÷ 5 glasses per bottle
Red = total × red share; white = the rest
Champagne for the toast: 1 bottle per 8 guests (standard pour) or 6 (generous)
Beer = beer drinkers × (1 + reception hours); spirits: 17 shots per 750 ml bottle
Worked example
Inputs — Guests (for the toast): 120; Wine drinkers: 60; Beer drinkers: 30; Spirits drinkers: 20; Reception length: 5 h; Red wine share: 50 %; Champagne toast pour: Standard (8 glasses per bottle).
Results — Bottles of wine = 72; Red wine bottles = 36; White and rosé bottles = 36; Champagne / sparkling wine bottles = 15; Beers = 180; Cases of beer (24) = 8; Bottles of spirits (750 ml) = 8.
Frequently asked questions
How much wine for 100 wedding guests?
About 40–60 bottles for a 5-hour reception if half the guests drink wine.
How many bottles of champagne for a toast?
One bottle per 8 guests (standard flutes).
What is the best red-to-white ratio?
50/50 is typical; choose more white for summer weddings.