How much alcohol to buy for a wedding: 50, 100 and 150 guests
Too little, and the bar runs dry before midnight. Too much, and half of it comes home in the trunk after the after-party. The numbers below are rough ratios, not a fixed rule — a starting point for a conversation with your venue or caterer, not the final answer.
Calculate for your guest list
Wedding alcohol calculator
Enter the number of adults and adjust the assumptions. The result starts a conversation with your venue; it does not promise actual consumption.
80 people included
How much per guest
- Spirits — about 0.5–0.7 litres per 10 adult guests who drink spirits, for an evening running into the early morning.
- Wine — one bottle (750 ml) per 4–5 guests, counting the toast and wine with dinner.
- Beer — 2–3 bottles or cans per beer-drinking guest, more for a summer wedding.
- Sparkling wine or champagne for the toast — one glass per guest, roughly one bottle per 6 guests.
These ratios assume around 80% of adult guests drink — the rest are drivers, guests who are pregnant, or simply don't drink. If your guest list looks different, scale the numbers accordingly.
Ready-made tables
| Guests | Spirits | Wine | Beer | Sparkling wine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 2–2.8 L | 8–10 bottles | 80–120 | 7 bottles |
| 100 | 4–5.6 L | 16–20 bottles | 160–240 | 14 bottles |
| 150 | 6–8.4 L | 24–30 bottles | 240–360 | 20 bottles |
Numbers assume roughly 80% of guests drink. For a younger crowd, shift some spirits toward beer and sparkling wine; for an older one, the other way round.
What changes the numbers
- An after-party. If the celebration continues the next day, add roughly 25–30% to every line — it's a separate evening, not an extension of the first.
- Season. Summer pushes up beer and sparkling wine; winter pushes up spirits and wine.
- Open bar vs. table service. An open bar tends to run higher, since there's no natural cap on how many rounds guests pour themselves.
What to do with what's left over
Many venues take back unopened bottles — worth asking before you buy, not after the wedding. If your venue doesn't accept returns, aim for the lower end of the ratio and buy more if needed, rather than being stuck with a surplus nobody will take back.
The calculator gives you a rough range, while calm.wedding gives guests what they need at the venue: their seat, the running order and late-night transport, all behind one QR code. Build your guest app free and check it before publication.
Common questions
Should we buy the alcohol ourselves or leave it to the venue?
Depends on the contract — some venues charge a corkage fee for alcohol brought in from outside, others don't allow it at all. Check the specific venue's terms before you buy anything.
Should we count alcohol for children and drivers?
Not in the same ratios — plan non-alcoholic drinks for them separately, at roughly 1–1.5 litres per person for the whole evening.
What if we don't know the exact guest count yet?
Count from the top of your invited list, not from expected turnout — it's easier to subtract for a decline than to buy more alcohol at the last minute.
Next: guest dietary needs and allergies — sorting it out without asking at the table →