How to Plan for Alcohol Servings at a Wedding

Big weddings require extensive planning, and it's important that this festive occasion is well supplied so your guests have a fun celebration. However, purchasing too much alcohol can put an unnecessary dent in your wedding budget. With some careful calculation, you can supply just the right amount of alcohol for your special day.

Instructions

1. Estimate the number of guests who will be attending your wedding. Keep track of your RSVP list and make sure it is as accurate as possible.

2. Look at your guest list and estimate how many people will be drinking. You can discount children or any people you know who don't drink because of medical conditions or personal choice.

3. Create a rough estimate of the number of drinks you want to provide based on how long you expect your wedding party will last. If you budget for about three drinks per person for every two hours, this will provide a modestly generous base for a good party. This should not include champagne for toasts.

4. Recall any "party patterns" you may know about your guests. If you know your family to be particularly enthusiastic partygoers, you may want to up the drink estimate accordingly.

5. If you're using an alcohol vendor, talk to him about serving sizes and the appropriate amount of alcohol for the number of guests you have. If you're supplying your own liquor, make rough estimates of servings per container. For example, a standard wine bottle (750 ml) will yield about four to six servings, depending on the glass size. A standard beer glass is a pint. Hard liquor should be assessed with one shot (1 oz.) equal to one serving.

6. Consider supplementing your alcohol serving with a cash bar. If your wedding location has the option, adding a cash bar to a certain amount of purchased alcohol will allow some of your guests to drink more heavily if they elect to.