With most of the clients that we work with, there is always one question that they always seem flustered about. "How much alcohol do we need?". In short there is no perfect answer, however there are equations and strategies to help you determine a good estimate for the number of beverages needed for your wedding!
At the end of the day you "the client" will be able to provide the most helpful information in answering this question. When talking alcohol with our clients one of the first pieces of information we gather is "are your guests likely to drink a lot?". You know your guests better than we do and should have a good idea of who and how my guests will drink on the heavier side. This will help us determine where to start with our person to alcohol ratio for your wedding! For a normal crowd meaning a combination of basic drinkers a few heavy drinkers and a few non-drinkers we recommend a 2.5 drinks per person equation.
(# of guests x 2.5 = Total Number of Drinks). For heavier drinking crowds increase that number to 3.5 or 4.5 and for lighter drinking crowds you can decrease it. Now, It can be very easy to overestimate the amount of alcohol you may need. In the wedding from picture above our clients had roughly 7 cases of beer left over... Keep in mind most liquor stores do not allow returns!
There are also several tools online (Drink Calculator) to help you determine the amount as well. We still recommend speaking with your bar service before purchasing your alcohol
- The 10% Rule!
When deciding on how much alcohol to purchase for your wedding we always recommend purchasing 10% more than you think you need. This will help ensure the bar doesn't run out of alcohol during your big day! This will keep the party going until the venue kicks you out!
- Beer to Wine to Liquor Ratio This part can be a bit tricky... We know that you may not be 100% certain on who will drink what when attending your wedding. We often tell our clients to make their decision this based on what they like. If the Bride & Groom prefer wine over beer/liquor then we encourage them to choose more Wine on the purchase order. However, we always remind our clients that if there are any leftovers it goes home with them. ;)
Kyle & Emily, - The Rolling Cork