Stocking the bar and wondering how much wine to buy for wedding reception? We have the best calculator to figure out exactly how many bottles of wine you should buy for your wedding. Read on for the alcohol calculator, all the details + subscribe now for FREE to get updates to your inbox. It’s fun, k?
How many bottles of wine do you need to buy for your wedding?
You don’t want to overbuy and spend too much, but you also don’t want to run out of wine mid-reception. Yikes!
Today we’re sharing EXACTLY how much wine to buy for your wedding and where to get it on the cheap.
When bride-to-be, Peri, wrote us with this question, we were surprised we haven’t tackled it yet on the blog. We chatted about where to buy wine in bulk, but we haven’t specified exactly how much wine to buy for a wedding and why it matters.
She writes,
“Hi Emmaline! Love the blog. I’m planning my wedding for the late fall and we’re buying our own wine for it. I’m wondering how many bottles of wine should I buy for my wedding? We’re expecting 150 guests and we will also be serving beer. Any suggestions on how much wine to have? Most of our guests drink wine vs. beer or mixed drinks. Thank you!”
Great question! Thanks for writing.
As a rule of thumb, how much wine to have for a wedding depends on three factors:
How Much Wine You Need for a Wedding
1. Number of Guests
This is the obvious one: how many guests are you having at your wedding?
2. Length of the Wedding
How many hours is the reception?
3. Other Drinks Being Served
Are there other drinks being served than wine? Ideally, you’ll serve non-alcohol drinks like soda/pop or water. In addition, many couples like to serve wine, beer, and cocktails. If you’re serving wine exclusively (which we do not recommend, since variety is the spice of life) then you’ll need to order more.
Now that you know the factors that play a large role in how much wine you need to buy, let’s talk about real numbers. Here is your wine wedding calculator based on 10, 150, and 200 guests. If you’re buying by the case, you’ll need to know this info first: how many bottles of wine are in a case?
How Many Bottles of Wine in a Case
1 Case of Wine = 12 bottles
One case of wine holds 12 bottles of wine.
How Many Bottles of Wine for 100 Guests, 150 Guests, or 200 Guests
100 Guests
3 to 4 Hours
For a wedding of 3 to 4 hours in duration, you’ll want to have:
• 50 Bottles of Wine
• 6 Bottles of Liquor
• 150 Bottles of Beer
4 to 6 Hours
• 60 Bottles of Wine
• 8 Bottles of Liquor
• 180 Bottles of Beer
150 Guests
3 to 4 Hours
• 75 Bottles of Wine
• 8 Bottles of Liquor
• 225 Bottles of Beer
4 to 6 Hours
• 90 Bottles of Wine
• 10 Bottles of Liquor
• 270 Bottles of Beer
How Much Wine for 200 Guests
3 to 4 Hours
• 100 Bottles of Wine
• 10 Bottles of Liquor
• 300 Bottles of Beer
4 to 6 Hours
• 120 Bottles of Wine
• 12 Bottles of Liquor
• 360 Bottles of Beer
How to Keep Wine Chilled
The best wine served at a wedding is chilled, of course! If your venue is outdoors and you need to keep it on ice, use a stainless steel beverage tub like this one by Chilled Designs.
And there you have it: exactly how much wine to buy for your wedding. Don’t forget to offer plenty of water (you don’t want guests to get dehydrated!) and other beverages, too. Not everyone drinks wine, so it’s nice to have another option.
PRO TIP: I highly recommend buying cases of water if you’re planning an outdoor wedding and adding these labels to them to dress them up a bit. You can get custom labels made from here.
Where to Buy Bottles of Wine for Wedding
If you’d like to buy wine by the case for a wedding, in bulk, or by the bottle, I recommend Total Wine which has everything you need. They specialize in weddings, so you can even meet with them or contact them via the website to find out how much wine, alcohol, and non-alcoholic drinks you’ll need for your wedding. They also give suggestions on what types to pair with your menu that will be extremely helpful in getting the perfect taste.
You can visit a storefront or shop online and buy here. They have the best selection and cheapest prices, IMO.
• Browse deals here which are always amazing for party planning.
If you need more suggestions on how much alcohol to calculate for weddings or parties, check out their website here. If you have one in town, check it out! You can find yours using their map.
Hope it helps! Thanks so much for writing!
Cheers! :)
xo
Emma
