Numbers How much alcohol by guest count
How much alcohol for a 250 person wedding
From the guest list to the shopping list: two hundred and fifty people, two hundred and seventeen drinkers, a five-hour bar, then bottles and cases.
The short answer
For 250 guests count 217 drinkers (13 under 21, 20 who do not drink). Over a five-hour reception that is 1432 drinks: two in the first hour, one each hour after, plus 10 percent. A full bar is about 12 cases of wine, 18 cases of beer and 18 bottles of spirits. Beer and wine only is 15 cases of wine and 24 of beer.
A bar for two hundred and fifty guests is a staffing question as much as a shopping list. The bottles below are for 217 drinkers. Ask the venue whether you may bring alcohol in, and what corkage costs, before you buy. Everyone still needs water and soft drinks, so 250 matters for those even when they do not drink.
The arithmetic for 250 guests
The pace is from Caterboss: two drinks per drinker in the first hour, then one an hour after. A 750 ml bottle pours 5 glasses of wine or 16 shots of spirits, from the NIAAA standard drink (5 ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of spirits). A case of beer is 24.
- Drinkers: 250 − 13 − 20 = 217
- Hours the bar is open: 5 (cocktail hour through last call)
- Drinks each: 2 + 4 × 1 = 6
- Subtotal: 217 × 6 = 1302
- Plus 10 percent: 1432 drinks
Change the drinker count or the hours if your crowd is a daytime lunch, an older family side, or a late party. The table below does the hours for you.
| Hours | Drinks each | Total with buffer | Full bar to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5 | 1194 | 10 cases wine, 15 cases beer, 15 bottles spirits |
| 5 | 6 | 1432 | 12 cases wine, 18 cases beer, 18 bottles spirits |
| 6 | 7 | 1671 | 14 cases wine, 21 cases beer, 21 bottles spirits |
Shopping lists
Full bar, with 50 percent wine, 30 percent beer and 20 percent spirits:
| What | Drinks | To buy |
|---|---|---|
| Wine | 716 | 144 bottles, 12 cases |
| Beer | 430 | 18 cases |
| Spirits, 750 ml | 286 | 18 bottles |
Beer and wine only, 60 percent wine and 40 percent beer:
| What | Drinks | To buy |
|---|---|---|
| Wine | 859 | 172 bottles, 15 cases |
| Beer | 573 | 24 cases |
Rounding up to whole cases is deliberate. Running out at 9 pm costs more than a few spare bottles. Ask whether the shop takes back unopened bottles; rules differ by state.
The toast is extra
At a 3-ounce toast pour, a bottle fills 8 glasses. For 217 drinkers that is 28 bottles of sparkling wine, on top of the 1432. Or skip it and let guests raise whatever is in their glass.
A venue bar package at Zola's average of about $47 a guest would be $11,750 for 250 people. Buying the bottles yourselves is cheaper per bottle only after bartenders, glasses, ice, mixers, corkage and insurance are added. Check first that the venue allows outside alcohol.
The method, with sources, is in how much alcohol you need. Drinks sit next to food in the budget for this guest count.
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Questions
How much alcohol for 250 wedding guests?
About 1432 drinks for 217 drinkers over five hours. A full bar is 12 cases of wine, 18 of beer and 18 bottles of spirits.
How many bottles of wine for 250 guests?
144 bottles (12 cases) if wine is half of a full bar. 172 bottles (15 cases) if you serve only beer and wine and wine is 60 percent.
How many drinks per person?
Two in the first hour and one each hour after, for each guest who drinks. Over five hours that is 6, then 10 percent on the total.
How much champagne for a toast at a 250 person wedding?
28 bottles, at 8 glasses of 3 ounces each, counted on the drinkers. It is not part of the 1432.
Is it cheaper to buy your own alcohol?
Per bottle, usually. In total, only when staff, glassware, ice, mixers, corkage and insurance still come in under the venue's package of about $11,750 for 250 guests.
Sources
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: what is a standard drink?, for 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer and 1.5 ounces of spirits.
- Caterboss: how much to cater per person, for two drinks in the first hour, one each hour after, and the 10 percent buffer.
- Zola: average cost of a wedding, for bar service at $5,542, about $47 a guest.
- Drinker counts assume 13 guests under 21 and 20 who do not drink, a working split by wedding size, not a survey. Swap in your own numbers.