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🍷 🍺 🥂 🥃

How Much Spirits for a 200 Guest Wedding Shower?

🥃
18
bottles of spirits

For a 200-guest wedding shower lasting 3 hours

15% buffer included
258
Total servings
1.3
Per person
+2
Buffer bottles

How We Calculated This

Our bartender-tested formula, step by step

1

Estimate actual drinkers

200 guests × 65% drinking rate
= 130 drinkers

At xlarge events, about 65% of guests typically drink alcohol.

2

Calculate base consumption

130 drinkers × 1.5 drinks/hour × 3 hours
= 585 base drinks

Industry standard is 1.5 drinks per person per hour for a 3-hour event.

3

Apply consumption decay

Adjusted for drinking slowdown over time (decay factor: 2.65)
= 517 adjusted drinks

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

4

Apply wedding shower modifier

× 0.5 (-50% for spirits)
= 258 spirits servings needed

Wedding Showers typically consume 50% less spirits than average.

5

Convert to bottles

258 servings ÷ 17 servings per bottle
= 15.2 bottles (raw)

Each bottle of spirits provides 17 servings.

6

Add 15% buffer & round up

15.2 × 1.15 = 17.5, rounded up
= 18 bottles

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: Spirits by Guest Count

Guests Spirits Needed Total Servings
25 guests 3 bottles 32 servings
50 guests 5 bottles 65 servings
75 guests 7 bottles 97 servings
100 guests 9 bottles 129 servings
150 guests 14 bottles 194 servings
200 guests (you) 18 bottles 258 servings

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

Your Shopping List

Everything you need, plus essentials you might forget

🥃
Spirits
The main event
18
bottles

Don't forget these

  • Mixers (soda, tonic, juice) (Variety is key)
    86 liters
  • Ice (~2 lbs per person)
    260 lbs
  • Cocktail glasses (2 per drinker)
    260 glasses
    Buy
  • Garnishes (limes, lemons)
    33 pieces

Pro Tips for Your Wedding Shower

Insider advice from experienced bartenders

💡

Mimosa bars are the gold standard. Stock 1 bottle of sparkling per 3 guests, plus orange juice and peach nectar for variety.

⏰

Skip heavy reds. Go 70% white/rosé (Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc) and 30% light red (Pinot Noir).

🎯

Create one signature cocktail (Aperol Spritz, French 75) and batch it ahead of time - plan 2 servings per guest.

🧊

25-30% of guests won't drink alcohol. Offer elegant non-alcoholic options like mocktails or flavored sparkling water.

✨

Afternoon timing means lower consumption - most guests have 1-2 drinks max.

🛒 Buying Guide

For a 2-3 hour afternoon shower, plan for 1.3 drinks per guest. Champagne and wine dominate - stock 1 bottle of sparkling per 3 guests for mimosas, plus 1 wine bottle per 2 drinking guests. Buy 10-15% extra; unopened bottles can be returned or saved for the wedding. Prosecco is cost-effective for mimosas; save real Champagne for the toast.

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