Use this calculator to estimate the amount of beer, wine, and spirits you'll need for your wedding reception. Planning ahead ensures your guests have a great time without overspending or running out!
Light (1 drink/hour)
Moderate (1.5 drinks/hour)
Heavy (2 drinks/hour)
Alcohol Preference Distribution (Percentages of Total Drinks)
These percentages should ideally sum to 100%. Adjust based on your guests' preferences.
Understanding Your Wedding Alcohol Needs
Planning the bar for your wedding can be one of the trickiest parts of the reception budget. Too little, and your guests might be disappointed; too much, and you're left with excess inventory. This Wedding Alcohol Estimator helps you strike the perfect balance by considering key factors like guest count, event duration, and drinking preferences.
How the Calculator Works
Our calculator uses a common industry guideline: an average guest consumes 1 to 2 drinks per hour. We allow you to adjust this based on your guests' typical drinking habits (light, moderate, or heavy). It then distributes the total estimated drinks across beer, wine, and spirits based on your specified percentages. Finally, it converts these standard drinks into practical quantities like cans of beer, bottles of wine, and bottles of spirits.
Number of Adult Guests: Only include guests who are of legal drinking age and are likely to consume alcohol.
Event Duration: This is the time the bar will be open, not necessarily the entire length of the wedding.
Guest Drinking Habits:
Light: Approximately 1 standard drink per hour. Suitable for daytime events, or if many guests are light drinkers.
Moderate: Approximately 1.5 standard drinks per hour. A good general estimate for most evening receptions.
Heavy: Approximately 2 standard drinks per hour. Consider this for groups known for enthusiastic celebration or longer events.
Alcohol Preference Distribution: This is crucial! Think about your guest list. Are they mostly beer drinkers, wine connoisseurs, or do they prefer cocktails? These percentages should reflect the proportion of total drinks consumed for each category.
Standard Drink Conversions Used:
Beer: 1 standard drink = one 12 oz can or bottle.
Wine: 1 standard 750ml bottle = approximately 5 glasses (5 oz per glass).
Spirits: 1 standard 750ml bottle = approximately 17 shots (1.5 oz per shot).
Tips for Stocking Your Wedding Bar:
Consider Non-Alcoholic Options: Always provide plenty of water, soft drinks, and perhaps a signature mocktail.
Signature Cocktails: Offering one or two signature cocktails can simplify your spirits selection and add a personal touch.
Variety in Beer: Include a light lager, a craft option, and perhaps a non-alcoholic beer.
Wine Selection: Typically, one red (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir) and one white (e.g., Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay) are sufficient. A sparkling wine for toasts is also common.
Buy in Bulk: Many liquor stores offer discounts for bulk purchases or allow returns of unopened bottles.
Bartender Advice: If you're hiring a bartender, they often have excellent insights into quantities and popular choices.
Example Scenario:
Let's say you have 120 adult guests for a 6-hour reception. You estimate your guests are moderate drinkers. You know your crowd enjoys beer, but also a good amount of wine, with some spirits for cocktails.
Number of Adult Guests: 120
Event Duration: 6 hours
Drinking Habits: Moderate (1.5 drinks/hour)
Beer Preference: 45%
Wine Preference: 35%
Spirits Preference: 20%
Using the calculator, you might find you need:
Total Estimated Drinks: 120 guests * 1.5 drinks/hour * 6 hours = 1080 standard drinks
Beer: 45% of 1080 = 486 standard drinks → 486 cans/bottles (approx. 21 cases of 24)
Wine: 35% of 1080 = 378 standard drinks → 76 bottles (approx. 5 glasses/bottle)
Spirits: 20% of 1080 = 216 standard drinks → 13 bottles (approx. 17 shots/bottle)
This gives you a solid starting point for your purchasing list!
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function calculateAlcohol() {
var numGuests = parseFloat(document.getElementById('numGuests').value);
var eventDuration = parseFloat(document.getElementById('eventDuration').value);
var drinkingHabit = document.getElementById('drinkingHabit').value;
var beerShare = parseFloat(document.getElementById('beerShare').value);
var wineShare = parseFloat(document.getElementById('wineShare').value);
var spiritsShare = parseFloat(document.getElementById('spiritsShare').value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById('alcoholResult');
resultDiv.innerHTML = "; // Clear previous results
// Input validation
if (isNaN(numGuests) || numGuests <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid number of adult guests.';
return;
}
if (isNaN(eventDuration) || eventDuration <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid event duration in hours.';
return;
}
if (isNaN(beerShare) || isNaN(wineShare) || isNaN(spiritsShare) || beerShare < 0 || wineShare < 0 || spiritsShare < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter valid percentages for alcohol preferences (0-100).';
return;
}
var totalShare = beerShare + wineShare + spiritsShare;
if (totalShare === 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please specify at least one alcohol preference percentage.';
return;
}
// Normalize percentages if they don't sum to 100, but warn if far off
if (totalShare 100.5) {
resultDiv.innerHTML += 'Warning: Your preference percentages sum to ' + totalShare.toFixed(1) + '%. Results will be scaled proportionally.';
}
// Determine drinks per hour per guest based on habit
var drinksPerHourPerGuest;
if (drinkingHabit === 'light') {
drinksPerHourPerGuest = 1;
} else if (drinkingHabit === 'moderate') {
drinksPerHourPerGuest = 1.5;
} else { // heavy
drinksPerHourPerGuest = 2;
}
// Calculate total standard drinks
var totalStandardDrinks = numGuests * eventDuration * drinksPerHourPerGuest;
// Distribute standard drinks based on preferences
var beerStandardDrinks = (totalStandardDrinks * (beerShare / totalShare));
var wineStandardDrinks = (totalStandardDrinks * (wineShare / totalShare));
var spiritsStandardDrinks = (totalStandardDrinks * (spiritsShare / totalShare));
// Convert standard drinks to practical units
// Beer: 1 standard drink = 12 oz can/bottle
// Wine: 1 standard 750ml bottle = ~5 standard drinks (5 oz per glass)
// Spirits: 1 standard 750ml bottle = ~17 standard drinks (1.5 oz per shot)
var beerCans = Math.ceil(beerStandardDrinks); // 1 can = 1 standard drink
var wineBottles = Math.ceil(wineStandardDrinks / 5);
var spiritsBottles = Math.ceil(spiritsStandardDrinks / 17);
// Display results
var htmlOutput = '
Estimated Alcohol Needs:
';
htmlOutput += 'Total Estimated Standard Drinks: ' + totalStandardDrinks.toFixed(0) + ";
htmlOutput += 'Beer: ' + beerCans + ' cans/bottles (approx. ' + Math.ceil(beerCans / 24) + ' cases of 24)';
htmlOutput += 'Wine: ' + wineBottles + ' standard 750ml bottles';
htmlOutput += 'Spirits: ' + spiritsBottles + ' standard 750ml bottles';
htmlOutput += 'These are estimates. Consider adding a 10-15% buffer for unexpected consumption or preferences.';
resultDiv.innerHTML = htmlOutput;
}