Wedding Alcohol & Bar Calculator

For a 5-hour reception with 100 guests (70% drinkers), plan for about 350 total drinks: 140 beers, 140 glasses of wine, and 70 cocktails. For the full bottle-by-bottle buying list and cost breakdown, see our guide on how much alcohol to buy for a 100-guest wedding.

For a 5-hour reception with 150 guests (70% drinkers), plan for about 525 total drinks: 210 beers, 210 glasses of wine, and 105 cocktails. Get the full bottle-by-bottle buying list and a 2026 cost breakdown in our guide on how much alcohol to buy for a 150-guest wedding.

For a 5-hour reception with 50 guests (70% drinkers), you need about 16 bottles of wine on a beer-and-wine bar, or 13-14 if you're also serving a signature cocktail. A wine-forward seated dinner runs to about 21 bottles. Add 6-7 bottles of sparkling for the toast. Our guide on how much wine for a wedding of 50 guests has the full white-red split and the corkage break-even.

Open bar packages typically range from $25-$60 per person for a 4-5 hour reception, depending on your location and spirit selection.

Buying your own alcohol can save 30-50%, but check if your venue allows BYOB and factor in corkage fees.

Open bar charges a flat per-person rate. Consumption bar charges based on actual drinks served, which can be cheaper for afternoon weddings or events with lighter drinkers.

You can, but most couples use signature cocktails as a welcome-hour highlight and keep beer and wine open all night. A custom drink runs about $10–$15 when bartender-mixed, or $3–$6 per serving DIY. See our full breakdown of signature wedding cocktail costs for a 100-guest sample budget.

Start with our aisle-by-aisle wedding bar shopping list for 100 guests — it lists every bottle, case, mixer, garnish, bag of ice and bar supply to buy, which store to buy each item from, and a 4-week buying timeline. Use it together with this calculator once the numbers are locked in.