Figure out exactly how much alcohol to buy for your wedding. Most couples overbuy and waste hundreds of dollars, or spend the whole reception quietly panicking the bar will run dry.
The calculator starts with one drink per guest per hour, which is what most US bartenders and venues use as the planning baseline. You give it your guest count, how long the reception runs, whether you have a cocktail hour, what your crowd is like, and what type of bar you are running. It outputs a complete shopping list by category with bottle counts.
A few things it accounts for that basic formulas do not. Cocktail hours front-load consumption, so drinks flow faster in that first hour than during dinner. Season shifts what people reach for: summer weddings go through more chilled white wine, rosé, and light beer; fall and winter weddings lean toward red wine and spirits. The crowd setting adjusts the total volume up or down based on whether your guests actually drink or just toast and switch to water.
The 10% buffer is already built in. Most stores let you return unopened bottles, so buying a bit more than the estimate is always the right call.
A retirement party crowd drinks differently than a group of college friends. The calculator adjusts based on who is actually coming, not a generic average that works for nobody in particular.
Buying your own wedding alcohol typically costs $15 to $25 per guest at 2026 retail prices. Going through a caterer usually runs $45 to $85 per person. The calculator shows you both numbers side by side so you can decide.
You get exact bottle counts by category, red wine, white wine, beer, and each spirit, with retail costs attached. Print it, copy it, or screenshot it and hand it to someone at Costco or Total Wine.
Every number you see has the buffer baked in. Most stores let you return unopened bottles after the event. Buying a little extra costs nothing if you know you can return it, and running out of wine at hour four is not a story you want to tell.
If you want the number before touching the calculator, here it is. These figures assume a 5-hour reception, a full open bar, an average crowd, and spring or summer. The 10% buffer is included.
| Guests | Red Wine | White Wine | Beer (units) | Vodka | Whiskey | Tequila | Rum | Est. Cost |
|---|
Costs based on 2026 US retail averages: red wine $15/bottle, white wine $13/bottle, beer $1.30/unit, spirits $30/bottle. Beer and wine only? Drop the spirit columns and shift beer to about 40% of the total drink count, wine to 60%.
The majority of wedding guests drink beer and wine regardless of what else is available. According to Total Wine and BevMo, somewhere between 70 and 80% of guests at a typical US wedding stick to beer and wine. That means a beer and wine bar covers almost everyone.
If you go beer and wine only, plan on about 60% of consumption being wine and 40% beer. If you do a full open bar, the standard working split is 50% wine, 30% spirits, and 20% beer. The calculator handles both.
Beer and wine is accepted without comment at most US weddings. On the West Coast it is the norm. If you want to offer something beyond beer and wine without stocking a full bar, one or two signature batch cocktails gives guests a third option and keeps your shopping list manageable.
If you are running a full open bar, liquor typically accounts for about 30% of total consumption. The standard split across bottles is roughly: 35% vodka, 30% whiskey, 20% tequila, and 15% rum. That covers most guests and most cocktails without overloading any single spirit.
One 750ml bottle of liquor yields about 17 standard 1.5oz shots or mixed drinks. At a 5-hour open bar for 100 guests, you are looking at roughly 10 to 12 bottles of liquor in total across all four spirits. The calculator breaks this down by bottle count for each spirit based on your guest count and duration.
If you want to simplify, vodka is the workhorse. You can get away with vodka and one other spirit — whiskey or tequila depending on your crowd — and cover 90% of what guests will actually order. Skip gin and brandy unless you know your crowd specifically drinks them.
Buying liquor retail at Costco or Total Wine typically runs $20 to $25 per bottle less than the same brands through a venue or caterer. At 10 to 15 bottles, that is a couple hundred dollars back in your pocket.
This is the section most wedding planning tools skip entirely. Plan roughly the same number of non-alcoholic drink servings as alcoholic ones. Your guest list includes people who are pregnant, driving, not drinking for any number of reasons, or just pacing themselves.
Starting point per 50 guests: 1 case sparkling water (24 × 500ml bottles), 1 gallon lemonade or juice, 1 case of 24 mixed soft drink cans.
If you have a mocktail station, treat it like a signature cocktail and plan per serving rather than per guest. A good mocktail station with 2 or 3 options typically needs about the same supply as one signature cocktail for the full guest list.
Do not let the non-alcoholic bar be an afterthought. Guests who are not drinking notice when the only option is tap water, and so do pregnant guests, designated drivers, and anyone pacing themselves.
Most people buy slightly more than they need, which is the right call. Here is what to do with what is left.
Total Wine and BevMo both accept returns on unopened product in most states. Keep your receipt and do not refrigerate bottles you might return, since most stores will not take back chilled product.
Costco return policies on alcohol vary by state and location. Ask before buying.
In many US states it is legal to let guests take unopened bottles home. Check your state's laws since this varies. A simple way to handle it: set bottles out near the exit as guests leave and let people grab what they want.
Canada: LCBO (Ontario) and BC Liquor both have formal return windows for bulk event purchases. The process is more structured than US stores so it is worth confirming the details when you buy.
Start with one drink per guest per hour. That gives you your total drink count. Then split it by bar type: full bar is roughly 50% wine, 30% spirits, and 20% beer. Beer and wine only is about 60% wine and 40% beer. Add 10% on top as a buffer. That is the formula most US bartenders and venues work from.
For 100 guests, a 5-hour reception, full open bar, and an average crowd, you are looking at about 27 bottles of wine, 8 cases of beer, and 10 bottles of spirits across vodka, whiskey, tequila, and rum. Add a champagne toast and that is roughly 17 more bottles. Total retail cost at 2026 prices runs $750 to $950.
Buying retail yourself, plan for $15 to $25 per guest for a full open bar at 2026 prices. Beer and wine only comes out closer to $10 to $18 per guest. Going through a caterer or venue open bar package typically runs $45 to $85 per person depending on location and what is included. Buying retail yourself is almost always cheaper.
For a full bar: 50% wine, 30% spirits, 20% beer. That shifts slightly by season. Summer leans more beer and white wine. Winter drinks more red wine and spirits. Beer and wine only: 60% wine, 40% beer. These are starting points. Adjust based on what you know about your crowd.
Yes. The majority of guests drink beer and wine whether or not spirits are available. A well-stocked beer and wine bar covers most guest lists without any drama. If you want to offer more, one signature batch cocktail is a cleaner upgrade than stocking a full bar with five spirits you may or may not go through.
For 150 guests, 5 hours, full open bar, average crowd: approximately 40 bottles of wine, 12 cases of beer, 15 bottles of spirits, and 25 bottles of champagne for a toast. At 2026 retail prices that works out to roughly $1,200 to $1,500.
At most Total Wine and BevMo locations, yes, on unopened product. Call ahead and confirm before buying, and do not refrigerate bottles you may return. Costco policies vary by state and location. In Canada, LCBO (Ontario) and BC Liquor both have formal event return policies. Many US states also allow you to legally let guests take bottles home.
For 200 guests at 5 hours with a full bar and an average crowd, plan for roughly 54 bottles of wine, 16 cases of beer, 20 bottles of spirits, and 33 bottles of champagne for a toast. Build in your 10% buffer and you end up in the $1,600 to $2,100 range at retail. At this size, buying in bulk at Costco or Total Wine makes the most difference to your wedding alcohol cost.
The national average spend on wedding alcohol in the US is around $2,800 to $3,200 based on data from The Knot's 2024 Real Weddings Study, the most recent year available. That number ranges from about $2,400 in the Southwest to over $4,000 in the Northeast. Buying retail rather than going through a caterer typically saves several hundred dollars on a 100 to 150 guest wedding.
Plan for roughly the same total number of non-alcoholic servings as alcoholic ones. Per 50 guests: 1 case of sparkling water, 1 gallon of juice or lemonade, and 1 case of soft drinks. If you have a mocktail station, plan it per serving the same way you would a signature cocktail. Do not understock the non-alcoholic side. Pregnant guests, designated drivers, and non-drinkers notice.