Wedding Drink Calculator
Calculate exactly how many bottles of champagne, wine, beer, and soft drinks you need for your wedding. Adjusts for season, duration, and bar type with cost estimates.
Drink Quantities
Champagne
17
bottles (for toast)
White Wine
25
bottles
Red Wine
15
bottles
Beer
60
bottles
Soft Drinks
150
bottles
Water
200
bottles
Cost Breakdown
Adjust Unit Prices
How Much Alcohol Do You Actually Need for a Wedding?
The standard rule of thumb is one drink per guest per hour, but raw guest numbers don't tell the full story. A wedding for 100 guests over five hours is 500 drinks, which sounds enormous until you realise that includes welcome fizz on arrival, toasting fizz before speeches, wine through dinner, and bar drinks during dancing. The Wedding Drink Calculator splits these out so you order the right type of bottle in the right place rather than over-buying one category and running short on another.
A standard 750ml bottle of wine pours five glasses; a bottle of prosecco pours six smaller flutes. For a 100-guest wedding, you typically want around 17 bottles of prosecco for arrival (one glass each), 50 bottles of wine through dinner (split white and red), and 100 to 150 bottles of beer. Soft drinks and water for designated drivers and non-drinkers (around 20% of any UK guest list) often get under-ordered, so plan for 1.5 soft drinks per guest minimum.
Drinks Per Guest by Wedding Length
| Wedding Length | Total Drinks/Guest | Welcome | With Meal | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 hours | 4-5 | 1 glass fizz | 2 glasses wine | 1-2 bar drinks |
| 6 hours (typical) | 6-7 | 1 glass fizz | 3 glasses wine | 2-3 bar drinks |
| 8 hours | 8-9 | 1-2 fizz | 3 glasses wine | 4-5 bar drinks |
| Summer (hot) | +30% | Add Pimm's | Lean white | Lean lager |
Open Bar vs Cash Bar vs Limited Bar
Open bar (host pays for everything) is generous but expensive: budget £20 to £30 per head if your venue charges retail prices. Cash bar (guests pay their own) is fine for evening guests but feels stingy if the wedding breakfast is also dry; the compromise is a wine-with-meal-then-cash-bar arrangement. Limited bar (host pays for beer, wine and one signature cocktail; guests buy spirits) is the most common UK setup, costing around £12 to £18 per head.
Always ask the venue about corkage. Bringing your own wine usually costs £10 to £15 per bottle in corkage but saves £10 to £20 per bottle on retail markup, so for a 100-guest wedding with 50 bottles, you save £500 to £1,000. Pair this with the [Wedding Catering Calculator](/wedding-catering-calculator) to align food and drink quantities, and the [Wedding Cost Per Head Calculator](/wedding-cost-per-head-calculator) to see what you're really spending per guest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bottles of prosecco do I need for the toast?
One bottle of prosecco pours six small flutes, so 100 guests need around 17 bottles for a single toast. If you also want welcome fizz on arrival (one glass each), double it to 34 bottles. Many venues allow you to bring your own fizz with corkage, which can save £5 to £10 per bottle compared to venue prices.
Do I need to budget drinks for the evening guests?
Yes, but they typically arrive after the wedding breakfast so you only need to plan for evening drinks (around 2 to 3 per evening guest over four hours). A 30-strong evening guest contingent adds roughly 75 to 90 drinks, mostly beer and wine. Most couples extend the open bar through the cake cut, then switch to cash bar for the dance floor.
What about non-drinkers and pregnant guests?
Plan for around 20% of the guest list to be non-drinkers (sober, designated drivers, pregnant, or unwell). Order at least 1.5 soft drinks per guest plus a generous water provision (still and sparkling, jugs on tables). A few bottles of zero-alcohol beer and a low-alcohol or alcohol-free fizz option are increasingly standard.
How much does the wedding bar typically cost?
Around £20 to £30 per head for an open bar at a typical UK venue, £35 to £50 per head at premium venues with retail-marked-up drinks. Limited bar arrangements come down to £12 to £18 per head. For 100 guests, expect £1,200 to £3,000 on drinks alone, which is around 5 to 8% of the typical UK wedding budget of £20,700.
When should I order wedding drinks?
Final numbers go in 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding, alongside catering. Most suppliers (Majestic Wine, Naked Wines, local independents) accept sale-or-return on wedding orders, so you can over-order slightly without risk. Confirm corkage, glass hire, ice, and chilling logistics with the venue before placing the order.
Related Tools
Wedding Catering Calculator
Calculate food quantities for your wedding reception. Choose between sit-down, buffet, canapes, or BBQ and get exact kg amounts for meat, fish, vegetables, and desserts.
Wedding Cost Per Head Calculator
See the real cost per guest at your wedding. Break down your budget across venue, catering, drinks, photography, and more with adjustable percentages and what-if scenarios.