How Much Alcohol to Buy for Your Wedding or Party

Buy too little and the bar runs dry before the first dance. Buy too much and you're hauling cases home. If you're hosting at a venue that lets you bring your own alcohol, or throwing a party at home, getting the amount right is one of the biggest parts of your bar budget.

We don't sell alcohol ourselves, but we help clients plan their shopping all the time. Here's the step-by-step approach we recommend for weddings and parties around the Twin Cities, Stillwater and Western Wisconsin.

Step 1: Start With Our Free Alcohol Calculator

Our free Alcohol Calculator is the easiest way to do this. Enter your event details and it estimates:

• Beer, wine and liquor servings, bottles and cases, with an estimated cost
• A breakdown by spirit (vodka, bourbon/whiskey, tequila, gin, rum and other)
• Mixers, garnishes, ice, straws, napkins and cups

You can even email the estimate to yourself so it's saved for shopping day. Here's what goes into those numbers, so you can adjust them for your crowd.

Step 2: Know Your Guests and Your Timeline

The calculator asks for a few key details:

• Hours of drink service. Count only the time the bar is actually open.
• Total guests and how many drink. The calculator starts at 85% of guests drinking, and you can adjust it up or down.
• What kind of drinkers they are. Choose from light (under 1 drink per hour), average (1 per hour), heavy (1.5 per hour) or very heavy (2+ per hour).
• Weather. A hot, humid July afternoon calls for different planning than a cool fall evening indoors.
• Number of bar setups. More bars can mean more supplies.

Step 3: Split It Between Beer, Wine and Cocktails

Next, decide what share of your guests will reach for each type of drink. The calculator offers starting points. For example, at events with cocktails it suggests about 30% of guests prefer beer and about 20% prefer wine.

Then adjust for your crowd. Craft beer fans need more beer; a wine-loving family needs more wine.

Step 4: Plan Your Beer

For bigger crowds, a keg can be easier than cans or bottles. Per our FAQ, a standard U.S. half-barrel keg (15.5 gallons) holds about 165 twelve-ounce servings, which works out to 6.8 cases, or about 124 sixteen-ounce pints.

If you're going the keg route, chill it for at least 24 hours before your event. Our 4-tap mobile bar trailer can serve up to four different drinks on tap, so you can offer variety without a table full of coolers.

Step 5: Plan Your Wine and Bubbly

A standard 750 ml bottle holds about 25 ounces, which is roughly five 5-ounce glasses.

Planning a champagne toast? Count it separately from regular bar service, since it's poured for the whole room at once. Ask your bartending team how they handle the pour. For us, it requires a minimum of two bartenders and the bar closes while we pour. Our champagne cart and champagne wall rentals make that moment look great, too.

Step 6: Plan Your Liquor

The calculator assumes a 1.5-ounce pour. At that size, a 750 ml bottle gives you about 16 drinks and a 1.75-liter bottle about 39.

By default, the spirit breakdown is 25% vodka, 25% bourbon/whiskey, 15% tequila, 15% gin, 10% rum and 10% special/other. Adjust it to match your menu. If you're serving two signature cocktails, you can focus your shopping on the spirits those drinks use.

Step 7: Don't Forget Mixers, Garnishes and Ice

Mixers. The calculator's mixer estimates cover cocktails only, not general drinking, so buy extra soda and juice for non-drinkers and kids. Signature-cocktail events usually use fewer sparkling mixers.

Garnishes. The calculator figures about 6 wedges per lime, 8 per lemon and 10 slices per orange.

Ice. Plan on an average of 1–2 pounds per guest. Plan for more if it's hot or you need ice to chill bottles and cans, and always have a little extra. We also offer 18 lb bags of ice and large coolers as rental add-ons.

Cups and glassware. If you're renting glassware, a good rule is about 1.5 glasses per guest, with plastic cups as backup.

If you'd rather skip a lot of this shopping, our Bartender with Supplies package includes cups, napkins, straws, garnishes, water, sodas, club soda, tonic, grenadine and juice boxes for the kiddos. See our Packages page for details.

Step 8: A Few Smart Shopping Tips

• Check your venue's rules first. Confirm whether you can bring your own alcohol and what the venue requires. A venue that allows it can save you a bunch on your budget. See a few favorites on our Vendors page.
• Ask your liquor store about its policies on unopened bottles before you buy.
• Plan the pickup. We can arrange pickup of your order for a delivery fee.
• Take care of non-drinkers. Mocktails and a water station keep everyone happy.

Ready to Plan Your Bar?

Run your numbers in the Alcohol Calculator, then let us help you fine-tune them. We serve weddings, corporate events and private parties across the Twin Cities, the St. Croix Valley and Western Wisconsin.

Get a quote online. We're happy to help you shop smart and pour right.

Call us: 651-354-2373