Wedding Drink Calculator
How much alcohol for your Austin wedding? Enter guest count and reception hours below — we’ll size beer, wine, spirits, and seltzers for you. Built by Austin’s wedding alcohol delivery team.
Drinking-age guests only.
Cocktail hour through last call.
Bar style
Your wedding bar plan
600 drinks
For 100 guests × 5 hours.
Shopping list
beer
- Miller Lite (24-pack)3 24-packs
- Modelo Especial (24-pack)3 24-packs
- Austin Beerworks Variety (12-pack)3 12-packs
wine
- Dark Horse Pinot Grigio (750ml)9 bottles
- 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon (750ml)9 bottles
spirits
- Espolon Tequila Blanco (750ml)8 bottles
- Tito's Handmade Vodka (1L)6 bottles
- Still Austin Bourbon (750ml)4 bottles
seltzers
- High Noon Variety (12-pack)2 12-packs
- White Claw Variety (24-pack)1 24-pack
ice
- Ice Bags10 bags
How the math works
For wedding receptions of 3 hours or more, a reliable starting point is guests × (hours + 1). The +1 covers the cocktail hour spike at the front of the night, when most guests pick up their first two drinks fast. A 100-guest, 5-hour reception comes out to around 600 drinks total.
From there we split the total roughly: spirits 50%, beer 30%, wine 15%, seltzers 5%. If you add cocktail kits, the spirits share drops and the kits absorb part of the mix. Wedding bars tilt heavier toward mixed drinks than house parties; the calculator reflects that.
Three common mistakes
- Counting kids and non-drinkers as drinkers. Subtract guests under 21 plus anyone you know doesn’t drink before entering the number. Easy way to over-order by 15-20%.
- Forgetting late arrivals. Out-of-town guests often arrive after the ceremony. Round hours up if you’re close to the limit; running out at 10pm is much worse than 6 unopened bottles.
- Skipping the ice and water. One bag of ice per 10 guests is included in the result panel below. Add bottled water on the shopping list separately — it isn’t alcohol, but every wedding needs it.
Austin-specific notes
Party On Delivery is a TABC-licensed alcohol delivery company serving the Austin area. We deliver to wedding venues across Lake Travis, downtown Austin, Hill Country, South Austin, and the Westlake area. For deliveries outside Austin city limits, lead time is usually 48 hours. We’ll review your shopping list with you before delivery and answer questions about quantity, brand swaps, or substitutions.
Wedding party order minimums and delivery windows are set per zone — check the order page for specifics.
Frequently asked questions
How much alcohol do I need for my wedding?
A common rule for receptions of 3+ hours is guest count multiplied by hours plus one. A 100-guest, 5-hour reception works out to about 600 drinks. The calculator above applies that formula and splits the result across beer, wine, and spirits based on your bar style.
How do I count guests who don't drink alcohol?
Subtract non-drinkers from your guest count before entering the number, then add a few non-alcoholic options separately. We typically suggest adding water, soda, or mocktail kits — those aren't in the calculator output but should be on your shopping list.
What if my reception runs longer than expected?
Add an hour of buffer to the input. Wedding bars often slow down after dinner, but late-night guests will keep drinking. It's safer to round up than to run out.
Does this account for signature cocktails?
Yes — select "Cocktail Kits" as one of the categories. The calculator reduces the spirits share and adds 3 cocktail kits sized for your crowd. Each kit serves about 16 drinks.
Can you deliver this order in Austin?
Yes. Party On Delivery handles alcohol delivery for weddings across the Austin area. Use the order link in the result panel to start a wedding-tagged order — we'll review the list with you before delivery.
Ready to order your wedding bar?
Take the result above and place a wedding-tagged order. We’ll review the list with you before delivery.