We’ll talk about how to stock a bar for a wedding reception by helping you know the number of drinks to get and the types you must have in your wedding bar. You’ll also learn how to set a budget for your wedding bar and the best way to set one up.
You might also like how to serve alcohol at a wedding without a bartender for additional information. Feel free to read about that if you don’t want to hire a separate person to man your wedding bar.
Here Is How To Stock A Bar For A Wedding Reception
How do you calculate drinks for a wedding bar?
You can know how to stock a wedding bar by knowing how much alcohol you’ll need. Unfortunately, there is no specific formula to calculate the number of drinks to order at a wedding, but instead, you’ll consider several factors to ensure that you’ll have enough for the guests.
First, account for the size of the wedding and how many guests you’ll have. It’s also best that you know your guests well, as some may want more drinks while others are okay with not having alcoholic beverages.
The duration of the wedding reception can also affect how many drinks you’ll need. Some weddings even have an after-party, which of course requires you to allocate more drinks for such a celebration.
You can also consider multiplying your number of wedding guests by 1.5 and then multiplying it again by the number of hours you expect your wedding reception to last. This is just a rough estimate, but it should give you an idea of how to stock a wedding bar if you’re conscious of your budget.
What alcohol should I buy for a wedding bar?
Check your guest list to have a general idea of what specific drinks to get for your wedding bar. For example, will you expect more beer lovers than those who prefer signature cocktails?
Do you need to account for each guest as a drinker, or do some of your guests don’t drink at all? Don’t forget the type of reception you have where you might want to follow certain traditions that require specific kinds of drinks.
Those being considered, you can stock the bar according to the number of servings that each drink can provide. For example, a wine or champagne bottle can fill five glasses, and a case of beer will contain 24 cans.
These assumptions of how many drinks are in a bottle will help you stock the wedding bar better. You also want to consider whether you’re having an open bar or a cash bar, where the former means that guests can get as many drinks as they like, so you may want to allocate more drinks.
How Do You Stock A Bar For 100 Guests?
Beer and wine
If you have a 100-guest wedding, consider ordering 100 cans of beer and around 6 to 11 bottles of wine. These numbers should be enough to stock a wedding bar if you solely serve beer and wine.
You may need more than ten bottles of white wine, while other types of wine, such as red or sparkling, can be around 5 to 6 bottles. Consider how many drinks each bottle can serve and how many of your guests prefer wine over beer.
Full bar
Some couples allocate their budget to have a full bar in their wedding reception. Therefore, you will include liquors, mixers, juices, syrups, and garnishes besides beer and wine for this setup.
For liquors like brandy, whiskey, gin, rum, tequila, or vodka, get two to four bottles of each if you have a 100-guest wedding. This is assuming that each bottle contains 750 mL.
For mixers such as cola, tonic, and club soda, you can stock your wedding bar with three bottles of each, assuming that each bottle contains 2L. On the other hand, the juices can be 3 quarts each, then two bottles each for the syrups, considering that each bottle contains 12 ounces.
These numbers should be enough for a 100-guest wedding. And as for the garnishes, you can count for two per guest in fruits like cherries or half a fruit per guest for garnishes like lemon or lime.
How much ice is needed for a wedding?
Allocate a pound of ice per wedding guest.
How Much Does It Cost To Stock A Bar For A Wedding?
Consider giving 20% of your wedding budget when stocking a bar for a wedding. Of course, the cost itself will depend on the type of bar you’re having, and you’ll also want to include the tips for the bartender.
Another way to get a rough estimate is to budget at least $5 for each drink. Each guest can consume three to six beverages, depending on the duration of the reception.
If budget is an issue, but you don’t want a dry wedding, you can read about what is a cash bar at a wedding. This is the opposite of an open bar where the hosts pay their guests’ tabs; instead, the guests will pay for their own drinks in a cash bar.
Conclusion
And that’s it! We just learned how to stock a bar for a wedding reception by calculating how many drinks are needed and what types to offer at the wedding bar.
Consider the formulas we shared to give you an estimate, but remember that many factors can affect your computation.