Calculate a different drink for this event

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How Much Wine for a 100 Guest Wedding?

🍷
109
bottles of wine

For a 100-guest wedding lasting 5 hours

15% buffer included
473
Total servings
4.7
Per person
+14
Buffer bottles

How We Calculated This

Our bartender-tested formula, step by step

1

Estimate actual drinkers

100 guests × 70% drinking rate
= 70 drinkers

At large events, about 70% of guests typically drink alcohol.

2

Calculate base consumption

70 drinkers × 1.5 drinks/hour × 5 hours
= 525 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)
= 394 adjusted drinks

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

4

Apply wedding modifier

× 1.2 (+20% for wine)
= 473 wine servings needed

Weddings typically consume 20% more wine than average.

5

Convert to bottles

473 servings ÷ 5 servings per bottle
= 94.6 bottles (raw)

Each bottle of wine provides 5 servings.

6

Add 15% buffer & round up

94.6 × 1.15 = 108.8, rounded up
= 109 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.

Your Shopping List

Everything you need, plus essentials you might forget

🍷
Wine
The main event
109
bottles

Don't forget these

  • Wine opener/corkscrew (Have a backup!)
    2 pieces
    Buy
  • Wine glasses (or plastic) (2 per drinker for variety)
    140 glasses
    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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