Need help with our Bar!

I think the easiest way to do it is go down your list and figure out exactly who will be drinking (and if any are heavier/lighter drinkers than others that you know of). Then decide if you will have beer, wine, liquor or just a combination and go from there. I would guesstimate at least a beer (or glass) per guest per hour. And make sure you buy things you and your FH like to drink in case there are leftovers!

We wayyyy over estimated for my sisters wedding of 120 people. I got 4 cases of beer and a like 10 bottles of wine... almost no one drank anything. It's definitely a know-your-crowd situation!

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We're definitely planning on a mix of beer, wine, and liquor. I will definitely go down our guest list! We definitely have some heavy drinkers, and then some that won't drink at all. THANK YOU!

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No problem and good luck!!

I would see if the place you purchase the liquor will allow you to return unopened bottles. One venue we looked at required we bring in the liquor and they said that some distributors will allow that. This way, even if you overestimate, you can still return it for a full refund.

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Yeah, we're going through Total Wine because they allow it! I'm honestly just worried about running out, but I don't want to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on too much alcohol instead of putting it towards flowers and decorations.

You said you had 150 guests. I would subtract kids from that total first. Then, I would think about if most of your close friends and family prefer beer or wine or liquor, and if liquor, what kind. To make it easier, I would limit the variety (maybe 2 types of beer, 1 red and 1 white wine, and maybe just 2-4 types of liquor, like vodka, whiskey, and rum or something). Then, maybe go for the average of all those beverage estimates or choose one on the higher end, maybe not the largest quantity but like the 2nd or 3rd highest recommended.

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This is good advice! Don't forget mixers for your liquor drinks and sodas or other options for underage folks and those who don't drink.

View Quoted Comment This is kind of crazy, and probably why calculators are so varied, for our 125 person wedding we got like 12 cases of beer and 5 CASES of wine ...and some liquor , and , people did some serious damage! We *dont* feel like we overbought at all haha.

But your advice is perfect. We formulated our list and choices based entirely on knowing our crowd— that’s the MOST important factor, I think. We bought stuff we knew they (and we!!) would like. And we found a store where we could return unopened bottles, so we weren’t worried about overbuying

But for what it’s worth out of our 125 we had maybe 5 people who weren’t big drinkers ....the ressstttt?? Irish family, polish family, andddd all our partying friends 🤣

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LOL! That's so funny. We have a lot of beer drinkers, so I definitely think a keg or two will be where we go on that. We have Irish/Polish family too so this will be INTERESTING lol

We are planning to provide our own alcohol as well. I asked my cousin when they got married, and they said they planned for 1 drink per person per hour. I hadn't considered thinking about the people that won't drink on the guest list. There will be quite a few, since my FH's family is southern baptist, and many don't drink. But to offset that, my whole family is from Wisconsin, and will probably drink their fare share of alcohol. We are opting for wine and beer only, since it is less we have to buy, and NC has strict liquor laws.