Total baseline drinks
600.0
Wedding Alcohol Calculator
Use this reception planner to estimate how much beer, wine, and spirits to buy for a wedding. It converts your assumptions into practical purchasing numbers: cases, kegs, 750 mL bottles, and 1.75 L handles.
Responsible-use note: this tool is for logistics and inventory planning. It is not a legal/BAC predictor and does not replace venue policy or staff judgment.
Wedding and reception planner
Split totals 100%.
Adjusted drinks
600.0
Beer (24-pack cases)
11.25 cases
Beer (half-barrel kegs)
1.63 half-barrel kegs
Wine (750 mL bottles)
42.0 bottles
Spirits (750 mL bottles)
7.1 x 750 mL
3.0 handles
Rounded shopping list
Rounded package counts
- Cases: 12
- Half-barrel kegs: 2
- Wine bottles: 42
- Spirits bottles (750 mL): 8
Rough shopping checklist
- 12 x 24-pack beer cases (or 2 half-barrel kegs)
- 42 x 750 mL wine bottles
- 8 x 750 mL liquor bottles
- 4 x 1.75 L handles (bulk option)
Example table (single-page reference)
Assumptions for this table: 5-hour reception, 1 drink/guest/hour, 45/35/20 split, baseline service mode.
| Guests | Total drinks | Beer cases (24) | Half-barrel kegs | Wine bottles | Spirits bottles (750 mL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 250 | 4.69 | 0.68 | 17.5 | 3.0 |
| 100 | 500 | 9.38 | 1.36 | 35.0 | 5.9 |
| 150 | 750 | 14.06 | 2.04 | 52.5 | 8.9 |
| 200 | 1000 | 18.75 | 2.72 | 70.0 | 11.8 |
Formula and assumptions
- Total drinks =
guests × hours × drinks per hour. - Open-bar mode uses a multiplier to model higher ordering volume compared with a baseline hosted reception.
- Beer is converted from 12 oz servings into 24-count cases and half-barrel kegs.
- Wine uses 5 pours per 750 mL bottle as a planning baseline.
- Spirits use a 1.5 oz pour equivalent for bottle and handle estimates.