Food & drink
Wedding drinks calculator.
Work out how much wine, beer, spirits and toast champagne to buy from your guest count and reception length — then download a shopping list. Free, with no signup.
The rule of thumb
One drink, per guest, per hour.
Stocking a wedding bar comes down to a simple rule — about one drink per guest for every hour the bar is open — adjusted for how much your crowd actually drinks. The calculator turns that into real quantities: bottles of wine, beers and cans, bottles of spirits, and champagne for the toast.
Guests tend to drink a little more early on and during dinner, then taper off, so the hourly average holds up well across the night. Always round up, keep the receipt for unopened bottles, and don't forget the unsung essentials: soft drinks, mixers, water and far more ice than you think.
Questions
Drinks questions.
How much alcohol do I need for a wedding?
A good rule of thumb is about one drink per guest per hour of the reception. So 100 guests over a five-hour reception works out at roughly 500 drinks. The calculator above splits that across wine, beer and spirits based on your crowd, and converts it into bottles and cans to buy.
How many bottles of wine per guest?
One standard 750ml bottle of wine pours about five glasses. Once you decide how much of your bar is wine, the calculator divides the wine drinks by five and rounds up to whole bottles, so you can buy with confidence.
How much champagne do I need for a toast?
A bottle of champagne or sparkling wine pours about six small toast flutes, so you need roughly one bottle for every six guests. Tick the toast option and the calculator adds it to your list.
Should I buy extra alcohol?
It is wise to round up — running out is worse than having a little spare, and many stores let you return unopened bottles. Remember to add soft drinks, mixers, water and plenty of ice, which the calculator reminds you about.
Is the drinks calculator free?
Yes — free, with no signup and no watermark. It is one of a set of free wedding planning tools.
Plan the whole wedding
One free tool here. The whole celebration inside.
Budget, guest list, RSVPs, seating, timeline and your wedding website — every feature free, kept in one calm place.
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