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How Much Beer for a 10 Guest Wedding?

🍺
2
cases of beer

For a 10-guest wedding lasting 5 hours

15% buffer included
41
Total servings
4.1
Per person
+0
Buffer cases

How We Calculated This

Our bartender-tested formula, step by step

1

Estimate actual drinkers

10 guests × 80% drinking rate
= 8 drinkers

At small events, about 80% of guests typically drink alcohol.

2

Calculate base consumption

8 drinkers × 1.5 drinks/hour × 5 hours
= 60 base drinks

Industry standard is 1.5 drinks per person per hour for a 5-hour event.

3

Apply consumption decay

Adjusted for drinking slowdown over time (decay factor: 3.75)
= 45 adjusted drinks

People drink faster in the first hour and slow down as the event progresses.

4

Apply wedding modifier

× 0.9 (-10% for beer)
= 41 beer servings needed

Weddings typically consume 10% less beer than average.

5

Convert to cases

41 servings ÷ 24 servings per case
= 1.7 cases (raw)

Each case of beer provides 24 servings.

6

Add 15% buffer & round up

1.7 × 1.15 = 2.0, rounded up
= 2 cases

Always round up and add a buffer. Running out is worse than having leftovers!

* Why trust this formula?

Based on industry standards and refined by bartenders with 30+ years of experience. We factor in consumption decay (people drink less as events progress) and real-world drinking percentages.

📊 Quick Reference: Beer by Guest Count

Guests Beer Needed Total Servings
25 guests 5 cases 103 servings
50 guests 10 cases 205 servings
75 guests 15 cases 308 servings
100 guests 20 cases 410 servings
150 guests 30 cases 615 servings
200 guests 40 cases 820 servings

* All calculations include a 15% buffer. Amounts for wedding.

Your Shopping List

Everything you need, plus essentials you might forget

🍺
Beer
The main event
2
cases

Don't forget these

  • Ice (Keep those beers cold!)
    24 lbs
  • Coolers (2 cases per cooler)
    1 coolers
    Buy

Pro Tips for Your Wedding

Insider advice from experienced bartenders

💡

40% of all alcohol is consumed during cocktail hour - front-load your bar staff and ice.

⏰

Offer 1-2 signature cocktails instead of a full bar to cut spirit costs by 40% and speed up service.

🎯

Pre-pour wine at dinner tables 5 minutes before guests sit to prevent service bottlenecks.

🧊

Order 10-15% extra and ask vendors about their return policy on unopened bottles.

✨

If dancing goes past 10pm, reopen a simplified bar: beer, wine, and 2 signature drinks only.

🛒 Buying Guide

For weddings, plan a 60/40 split between red and white wine for fall/winter, or flip it for spring/summer. Budget $12-18 per bottle for a crowd-pleasing selection - guests can't tell the difference between $15 and $40 wine at a party. Consider having champagne for toasts separate from your open bar calculation.

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