WEDDING ALCOHOL CALCULATOR | As well as, some variations to consider.

These ratios are a starting point, and won’t work for every group gathering – adjust according to your crowd. At the end of the day, you know best what your loved ones expect and what you care about.

 Photography credit: Nicole Weeks Photography

STOCKING YOUR BAR – here’s where to start:

Booze: Whiskey, gin, and vodka
Optional Booze: Rum and tequila
Mixers: Juice (usually orange or cranberry), soda (at least a cola), tonic water, and club soda
Garnishes: Lemons and limes – possibly other fruit depending on the signature drinks?!

Beer: Select at least two types of beer (one dark or strong, one light) to provide options. Then comes the question – bottles vs keg? Bottles can be more expensive, and some people feel the beer doesn’t taste as fresh. However, kegs require a tap system. Also, keg leftovers are much harder to deal with and don’t keep for more than a day or two.

Wine: You’ll need at least one red wine and one white, but you don’t need more than one blend of each, unless you want to have them.

Bubbles (Optional): It’s significantly more expensive to have champagne available on your bar all night than it is to offer just a champagne toast when the speeches are made. With that said, most guests aren’t all that thrilled with the champagne anyway (rarely do brides and grooms want to spend the money to serve GOOD champagne) and it can save you money to skip the champagne entirely and just let guests toast you with a fresh refill of whatever they happen to be drinking. If you’re going to serve bubbles as a toasting-only option, you want about 4–5 ounces per person, per toast.

Photography credit: NICOLE WEEKS PHOTOGRAPHY; Rentals: CHIPPY WHITE TABLE and PRETTY LITTLE VINTAGE; Styling, Coordination and Florals: C & A EVENT PLANNING; Venue: GILBERTSVILLE FARMHOUSE