Wedding Alcohol Calculator
Enter your guests and reception hours to get a shopping list of wine, beer, spirits and champagne, in US, UK or Canadian sizes. Copy it or print it.
How much alcohol to buy for a wedding
The calculator works in four steps. It takes the guests who drink, multiplies them by the hours of your reception and by the drinks each guest has per hour, then splits that total between wine, beer and spirits. Each share is turned into bottles and rounded up, so you never come up one bottle short on paper.
These are common rules of thumb, not rules. One drink per guest per hour is a widely used planning figure, and the starting splits are 50% wine, 30% spirits and 20% beer for a full bar, or 75% wine and 25% beer for beer and wine only. Your crowd, the season, the time of day and the menu all change what people actually drink.
US, UK and Canada sizes
- United States: a 750 ml wine bottle poured as 5 oz glasses, 12 oz beers, and 750 ml spirits bottles stretched to about 18 mixed drinks. Wine comes 12 bottles to a case and beer 24 to a case.
- United Kingdom: 75 cl wine bottles poured as 175 ml glasses, 330 ml beer bottles and 70 cl spirits bottles poured as 25 ml measures. One unit is 10 ml of pure alcohol.
- Canada: 750 ml wine bottles poured as 142 ml glasses, 341 ml beer bottles and 750 ml spirits bottles poured as 43 ml measures, the reference pours for one standard drink.
The glass and pour sizes come from Zola's wedding alcohol guide (US), the NHS (UK) and Health Canada. The bottle and beer sizes for the UK and Canada, and the spirits bottle sizes, are typical retail sizes. They are not regulations, and shops carry others, so check what yours sells.
Sample list for 100 guests, 5 hours, US
With 90% of guests drinking one drink an hour on a full bar and a champagne toast, the list looks like this.
- Wine: 45 bottles (750 ml)
- Beer: 90 12 oz bottles or cans
- Spirits: 8 bottles (750 ml)
- Champagne or sparkling wine for the toast: 13 bottles (750 ml)
Tips before you buy
- Offer water, soda and a non-alcoholic drink or two. They also make the alcohol go further.
- Hot weather and a long cocktail hour can change how much people drink. Raise the drinks-per-hour box if you expect that.
- Ask your venue or caterer what they allow, who may serve, and whether unopened bottles can go back.
- Please drink responsibly. Check your venue's alcohol policy and your local rules about buying and serving alcohol, and arrange safe rides home for guests.
Wedding alcohol questions
How much alcohol do I need for a wedding?
A common starting point is about one drink per guest per hour. Multiply your drinking guests by the hours of the reception, then split the total between wine, beer and spirits. The calculator does that for you and turns the split into bottles. It is common guidance, not a rule, so adjust it for your crowd.
How many bottles of wine do I need?
It depends on the glass size. In the US a 750 ml bottle is usually counted as 5 glasses of 5 oz. The calculator uses a 175 ml glass in the UK and a 142 ml glass in Canada, so a bottle gives about 4.3 glasses in the UK and 5.3 in Canada.
How many bottles of champagne do I need for a toast?
Plan one glass per guest. One popular guide counts 8 glasses per bottle, and other sources use 6 to 8 or 7 to 9, so the calculator starts at 8 and lets you change it. Use a smaller number if you pour generously.
How many beers should I buy?
Count one beer per drink. The calculator multiplies your beer share of the total drinks and rounds up. In the US it also shows how many 24-bottle cases that is. Beer comes in other pack sizes elsewhere, so check what your shop sells.
What is a UK unit of alcohol?
One UK unit is 10 ml or 8 g of pure alcohol, according to the NHS. A 750 ml bottle of 13.5% wine is about 10 units, and a 175 ml glass of 12% wine is about 2.1 units.
What is a Canadian standard drink?
Health Canada defines a standard drink as 17.05 ml or 13.45 g of pure alcohol. That is 341 ml of 5% beer, 142 ml of 12% wine or 43 ml of 40% spirits. The Canada option uses those pours.
Should I buy extra, and can I return what is left over?
Many couples buy a little extra so the bar does not run dry, but how much is your call. Ask the shop or your caterer in advance whether unopened bottles can be returned. The calculator gives you the estimate without a buffer so you can choose your own.
Are there rules for serving alcohol at a wedding?
Rules on buying, serving and bringing your own alcohol differ by country, state, province and venue. Check your venue's alcohol policy and your local rules before you buy, and consider a licensed bartender. Please drink responsibly and offer non-alcoholic options.
Put your reception details on your wedding website
Add your reception timing to your wedding website so guests know when the bar opens, next to your RSVP form and venue details.