Wine guide
How Much Wine for a Wedding
Estimate wedding wine bottles for dinner, the bar and a light buffer, then adjust the live alcohol calculator.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-04
Quick answer
For 120 guests, this editorial model gives 45 wine bottles with a 45% wine share, or 54 with a 55% wine share. Both use 98 drinking guests, five bar hours and one drink per hour; neither includes an extra purchasing buffer.
Wine-forward bottle starter
| 50 guests | 23 bottles 41 assumed drinking guests at a 55% wine mix. |
|---|---|
| 100 guests | 46 bottles 82 assumed drinking guests at a 55% wine mix. |
| 150 guests | 68 bottles 123 assumed drinking guests at a 55% wine mix. |
| 200 guests | 91 bottles 164 assumed drinking guests at a 55% wine mix. |
Shopping list
490
estimated drinks for 98 drinking guests over 5 hours.
| Beer | 7 cases |
|---|---|
| Wine | 54 bottles |
| Spirits | 5 bottles |
| Mixers | 8 liters |
| Champagne | 15 bottles |
| Estimated drinks service cost | $4,270 |
Cost = bar drinks + individual toast pours, multiplied by your price. This is a service allowance, not the purchase price of rounded bottles/cases. Replace the starter price with your quote; taxes, staff, delivery and corkage are excluded.
Split red, white and sparkling by service style
Ask guests about preferences and discuss the menu with the supplier before splitting the wine order into red, white, rose or sparkling. The calculator sets the total wine allocation; it does not predict which styles this group will choose.
Separate table wine from bar wine
If the venue pours wine at the table, ask whether those bottles are counted separately from the bar package. A single combined count can hide how quickly dinner service opens bottles.
Use return policy as the buffer
If unopened cases can be returned, round up modestly. If returns are not allowed, keep the buffer focused on the wine style your guests actually drink.
What these quantities assume
The 82% drinking share, five-hour bar, one drink per hour and 35/45/20 beer/wine/spirits split are Weddenly's editable examples, not survey results. Count non-drinkers separately and confirm the order with your bar supplier.
Drinking guests are rounded first. Drinks = drinking guests × bar hours × pace, rounded up. Beer and wine are allocated first; spirits use the remainder. Bottles and cases are rounded up after allocation.
One case = 24 beers. A 750 ml wine bottle gives 5 × 150 ml pours; a 750 ml spirit bottle gives 17 × 44 ml pours. A 750 ml sparkling bottle gives 8 × 90 ml toast pours. Mixers use an editorial 100 ml per spirit drink, rounded up to liters. These are serving assumptions, not safe-consumption guidance.
Cost = bar drinks + individual toast pours, multiplied by your price. This is a service allowance, not the purchase price of rounded bottles/cases. Replace the starter price with your quote; taxes, staff, delivery and corkage are excluded.
Guest-count FAQs use one bartender per 75 guests only as an editorial conversation starter. Ask the bar service to set staffing for your menu, arrival rush and service points. Water, alcohol-free drinks, ice, storage and venue permissions need their own confirmed plan.
Method checked: 2026-09-04. Calculation checks and source policy
Drink guides
Guest-count guides
FAQs
- How many glasses are in a bottle of wine for a wedding?
Use five glasses per 750 ml bottle as the planning yield. Heavy pours, large glasses or table service can reduce the practical yield. - How much wine should I buy for 100 wedding guests?
A wine-forward model estimates about 46 bottles for 100 guests. A balanced beer-wine-spirits bar can be closer to 37 bottles before venue adjustments. - Should I buy more red or white wine?
Use the preferences of your invited guests and the supplier’s menu advice. This model has no measured seasonal preference data and does not prescribe a red-to-white split. - Does champagne count as wine?
For planning, keep toast champagne separate from still wine. If sparkling wine is served all night, include it inside the wine allocation instead of only the toast line.