Pour Decisions | How Much to Serve via Our Helpful Wedding Alcohol Calculator

Don’t make a pour decision! So you’ve started planning and are wondering just how much alcohol you should be serving? Avoid the faux pas and keep the drinks flowing by making sure to order the appropriate amount of beer, wine and liquor for your celebration with the help of our wedding alcohol calculator. Eco-friendly brides and sustainable wedding enthusiasts alike know that food and drink are at the top of the list in terms of what gets wasted at the end of the night with Harper’s Bazaar quoting an approximate 10% of all wedding imbibements going into the trash. 

Some Austin catering and bartending services are paired together, while other local vendors offer their services on an a la carte basis. Despite whatever method you choose, it’s important to know your numbers in order to avoid over serving or under serving your guests, reduce waste, and make the most of your wedding budget. Feel free to use our detailed wedding alcohol calculator below as a guide. Cheers!

Don’t Stop the Party

Your guest count plays the biggest factor in how much alcohol you should be serving, but that isn’t all! You should also take into consideration how long your party will go on, so that your supply doesn’t run dry when your guests are at the very peak of cutting a rug out on the dance floor.

The Golden Ratio

Know your crowd! If your people are wine and beer only, ensure that you stock up on plenty of reds and whites as well as a few lager options. If your wedding involves serving a full bar, these are the ratios we suggest to hit all your bases. Personalize your choices of liquor or beer to truly cater to every crowd!

Serving Sizes

Certain brands may vary by small amounts. However, this graphic essentially displays just how many servings you can get out of each particular type of bottle. This may sway you one way or another if you were on the fence about specific types of spirits, because some choices are simply more economical than others.

Nuptial Sips by the Numbers

For a typical four-hour reception, you can expect a smaller crowd of 50 or so guests to enjoy around 200 drinks. We divvied this up according to the alcohol ratios above, but you can add to or take away from any category you’d like. The reception time also affects how much alcohol to serve. If you’re having a brunch wedding or tying the knot in the early afternoon, guests will be less inclined to drink than at a nighttime celebration.

Nuptial Sips by the Numbers

Like clockwork, doubling your guest count will also double the amount of alcohol you should be prepared to serve. But remember that any additional time beyond four hours will need to be recalculated and accounted for! Pro tip: Just like the wedding time affects your guests’ intake, so does the day of the week. Expect guests to indulge more on the weekends than during the week!

Nuptial Sips by the Numbers

For a big wedding, we say to pump up the volume a bit. Following the amounts laid out in our wedding alcohol calculator will take the guessing out of planning your wedding alcohol numbers. This will put your mind at ease and you can relax knowing that the math was done for you by professionals who have seen a million weddings and know all the ins and outs!

Most Likely to be Forgotten…

Mixers are the magic that brings your cocktails to life! Don’t forget to include these nonalcoholic pours into your bar and budget, but feel free to customize given your crowd, how much alcohol, and of what kinds that you’ll be going with. Gin needs tonic just like rum needs coke, so don’t let mixers slip your mind.

Not sure how much catering to serve? Read our guide on how much catering to serve by guest count, too!